Construction & Engineering
Background Checks for Construction, Engineering & Skilled Trades
Projects run on schedules, and so does hiring. General contractors, specialty contractors, civil and structural engineering firms, and skilled-trade employers need to confirm who they're bringing on — their education, work history, and credentials — without holding up a start date or a mobilization.
Red Brick helps construction and engineering employers build screening around the actual responsibilities of each role, coordinate it across projects, jobsites, and locations, and accommodate the screening requirements your clients and project owners bring to the table.
Challenges
Screening challenges in construction & engineering
Credentials that matter to the work
Engineers, licensed professionals, and many trades hold degrees, licenses, or certifications that clients and project owners expect you to confirm. Verifying them up front avoids surprises after someone is already on the job.
Multiple projects, jobsites, and locations
Hiring often happens across several active projects at once. Without a consistent process, different superintendents and offices end up ordering different checks for the same kind of role.
Client and jobsite requirements
Some owners, general contractors, and facilities set their own screening or testing requirements for site access. Packages need enough flexibility to meet those without over-screening everyone else.
Start dates that don't move
Crews are scheduled weeks ahead. Screening needs to keep candidates moving toward their start date, with quick answers when a verification or result needs follow-up.
Services
Relevant screening services
Education Verification
Confirmation of degrees, diplomas, and relevant educational qualifications with the issuing institution.
Employment Verification
Confirmation of previous employers, employment dates, and positions held, so you can see the work history a candidate describes.
Professional Engineer (PE) License Verification
Verification with the relevant state licensing authority, including available license status, restrictions, and disciplinary information. When a professional holds licenses in more than one state, each relevant jurisdiction can be verified.
Other Professional License & Certification Verification
Confirmation of applicable trade licenses and specialized credentials with the issuing authority or organization.
Criminal Background Checks
Searches configured around the role and the candidate's history, with relevant records verified at the source before they're reported.
Drug & Breath Alcohol Testing
Testing coordinated around your workplace and jobsite program, with DOT and non-DOT processes kept distinct where applicable.
Motor Vehicle Records
Driving history for employees whose duties involve driving on company business.
Professional Reference Checks
Structured references that add context about a candidate's previous responsibilities and performance.
By role
Example screening considerations
These examples are starting points for a conversation — not universal requirements or a guarantee of legal compliance. Your program should reflect your roles, policies, and the advice of your legal counsel.
Engineers & licensed professionals
Screening may include education and employment verification, PE or other relevant license verification, criminal searches, and professional references, selected based on the position.
Field crews & skilled trades
Screening may include criminal searches, employment history, relevant licenses or certifications, and drug and alcohol testing according to your program.
Project managers & supervisors
Screening may include employment verification, references, relevant credentials, and checks aligned with the person's project responsibilities and site access.
Drivers & employees who drive for work
Motor vehicle records and other role-appropriate checks. DOT-regulated driving positions follow federal rules; other driving roles follow your company policy.
How Red Brick helps
Screening from someone who's been on the hiring side
Red Brick looks at screening from the employer's side of the desk. Our founder, Douglas King, brings more than 30 years of recruiting and talent acquisition experience — including building hiring processes that had to keep pace with real start dates.
We help you set up role-based packages for engineers, field crews, supervisors, and drivers, add client- or jobsite-specific options when a project calls for them, and keep ordering consistent across your offices and projects. When a result needs a closer look, you can reach us by phone.
Keep in mind that verifying employment and credentials confirms what a candidate has held and where they've worked — it doesn't by itself establish hands-on trade proficiency, equipment-operating ability, or engineering competence. Those remain part of your own interviews, skills assessments, and qualification process.
FAQ