Employment screening: how employee screening works for employers

On this page you will find how employee screening works step by step, what employers in the Netherlands may and may not check, and which checks suit which roles.

Employment screening is the process of verifying information about candidates and employees. Typical checks cover identity, right to work, qualifications, work history and, where the role justifies it, conduct.

The key word is relevance. You only check what matters for the job: a payroll administrator needs different checks from a warehouse picker or a childcare worker. Employee screening is therefore not a fixed list but a screening profile that you set per role.

Screening usually happens when you hire someone, and our guide to screening candidates before they start covers that moment in depth. It can also take place later, for example when an employee moves into a role with more responsibility or access to sensitive information. That is called in-employment screening.

A CV and a good interview tell you a lot, but not everything. Screening employees gives you facts to base your decision on.

• Legal obligations. Every employer in the Netherlands must check an employee's identity and right to work before their first working day. In some sectors, such as childcare, education and taxi transport, a Certificate of Conduct (VOG) is required by law.
• Fewer hiring mistakes. Inflated job titles, invented diplomas and gaps in work history are easier to spot with a check than in an interview.
• Protecting people, data and assets. Employees who handle money, personal data or vulnerable people carry more responsibility. Screening helps you match that responsibility to a reliable track record.
• Protecting your reputation. An incident involving an employee quickly reflects on the whole organization.
• Fair and consistent hiring. When every candidate for the same role gets the same checks, decisions are easier to explain and defend.

1. Set a screening profile per role. Decide which checks each role needs, based on its risks: access to money, data, systems or vulnerable people. Record why each check is needed.
2. Inform the candidate. Tell candidates early, ideally in the vacancy, that screening is part of the process. Explain what you check, why, who carries out the checks and how long you keep the results.
3. Collect the details. The candidate provides their ID, diplomas, previous employers and referees. For a VOG, you set up the request and the candidate completes it with Justis, see how employers request a VOG.
4. Run the checks. Diplomas are verified with the issuing institution, references with previous employers, and the VOG is assessed by Justis against the screening profile you selected.
5. Review the results. If something does not match, discuss it with the candidate before you decide. There is often a simple explanation, such as a different job title at a previous employer.
6. Decide and record. Store only what you need. If the candidate is not hired, delete their data no later than four weeks after the procedure ends, or after one year at most if they agreed to you keeping it.
7. Rescreen when needed. Repeat relevant checks when an employee moves into a role with a different risk profile.

In the Netherlands, the GDPR (AVG) sets the rules for employment screening, with guidance from the Dutch Data Protection Authority (Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens). The basic rule: you may only check what is necessary for the role, and the candidate must know what you check and why. More on the rules in our GDPR overview.

What you may check

• Identity and right to work (required). Check the ID before the first working day and keep a copy in the personnel file.
• Diplomas and certificates. When the qualification matters for the role.
• Work history and references. Tell the candidate which referees you contact and ask only about work-related matters.
• Certificate of Conduct (VOG). Only through Justis, with a screening profile that fits the role. You may not look up criminal records yourself. See how employers request a VOG.

What you may check only to a limited extent

• Public online profiles. Only information that is relevant to the job, and only if the candidate has been told.
• Financial background. Only for roles where it is justified, such as positions with financial authority.

What you may not check

• Health and medical history. A medical examination is only allowed under the Medical Examinations Act, when the role has specific physical requirements.
• Pregnancy or family plans. Never relevant to a hiring decision.
• Religion, ethnicity, political views, sexual orientation or trade union membership. These are special categories of personal data and play no part in screening.
• Citizen service number (BSN) during the application. You may only use it once the candidate is hired, for payroll and tax.

Do you work with a works council? Rules on how you process employee data, including screening policies, usually require its consent.

Every employee gets an identity and right-to-work check. On top of that, the checks depend on the role. The table below is a starting point; your own risk assessment decides the final profile.

See the full list of background checks for what each one covers.

Screening existing employees

Employee screening does not stop once someone has started. Situations where rescreening makes sense include:

• an internal move into a role with more financial authority or access to sensitive data;
• a sector where a VOG must be renewed periodically, or where staff are screened continuously, as in childcare;
• a contract or client that requires recent checks for everyone working on it.

The same rules apply as when hiring: check only what the new role requires, tell the employee in advance, and record why the check is needed.

Pescheck runs your screening digitally, from ID and diploma checks to references and the VOG application. You choose a package per role, candidates submit their details online, and you follow every check in one place, for candidates in the Netherlands and abroad.