It’s competitive enough out there for good positions, without finding yourself blindsided by an incident from your younger or not-so-younger years, focusing an employer’s attention in the wrong areas.

It happens. A youthful indiscretion from long ago can sit on your record for decades until it is picked up in a criminal background check by a potential employer. You may have forgotten all about it, and reasonably think what could it matter, it was so long ago.

Yet, we have seen hiring situations delayed and in some cases derailed when these matters come under closer scrutiny. The CPIC (Canadian Police Information Centre) retains items for decades if steps aren’t taken to remove them through applying for a pardon.

See this non-profit site for answers relating to obtaining pardons:
https://www.pardons.org/employment/

With stricter security measures associated with Canada Customs bonded warehouses, among other security concerns, it is well worth the effort to see what’s on your file.

It’s a lot easier to do this beforehand, online for an economical cost and fast turnaround time. You can also apply for a copy of your record at your local police station, although it can take up to one week to get results back.

Many employers have you sign a consent form to permit them to use an established background checking firm for criminal and other records, depending on the scope of the job responsibilities. Offers made are then conditional on successfully passing a criminal background check.

Here’s what you can do to find out where you stand online:

Backgroundcheck.com has a self serve option as does Triton. Both indicate about a 24 hour turnaround time, and charge a similar fee.

https://www.mybackcheck.com/Public/Login.aspx

https://www.tritoncanada.ca/personal-background-check-services/individual-online-background-check.php

These are two RCMP accredited firms. Accreditation is important as the checks are run by actual police departments.

One advantage Backcheck offers is ID verification both online or at Canada Post.

See their respective sites for details.

Please note that we do not receive any fee for suggesting these firms. There are other companies, but these are two that we have used and they do what they claim to.

Take the few minutes to get your ducks in a row and save yourself the negative surprise factor when it comes to pursuing the job you want.