The academic qualifications, personalities and virtues of the employees you hire directly impact your company’s success and reputation. Too often, human resource managers focus on academic qualifications and skills but fail to consider other important areas like – an employee’s history.These misses may result in challenges down the road: conflict of interest and security breaches being some of them. However, there’s one simple step to make sure you avoid these challenges: a background check before onboarding a new employee.
What is a Background Check?
Simply put, it is the process of verifying the details of a candidate before hiring them. It’s a confirmation of their CVs and a fact-check of everything they revealed in the interview.Accurate background checks goes beyond the academic qualifications. Whether the employee has any criminal records, a quick check of financial records such as credit history, commercial and past employment and license records are some areas to look out for.
How Accurate are Criminal Background Checks?
The accuracy of a criminal background check is dependent on the website that you use. The more detailed the database is, the more accurate the checks will be and the opposite is true. Conduct the check on a website that is known for having a robust and updated database to get accurate results.
3 Primary Reasons You Should Do a Background Check
Preparing to hire a new employee is usually an exciting process, but it’s not a walk in the park. One of the main challenges is vetting potential candidates with qualifications that match the job requirement and narrowing it down to the final choice.A background check can help you jump this hurdle and get the best candidates for the position:1. Protect Yourself from FraudThe job market has many qualified candidates who can fill the open positions in your organization. However, some fraudsters are set on wreaking havoc on businesses by falsifying education information and personal identities to qualify for positions.A comprehensive background check will detect such job applicants and weed them out early in the vetting process.2. Safeguard Your Business, Employees, and InvestorsA conducive working environment that is safe and healthy for all is a critical aspect of any business. One way of making sure your workplace is safe for employees and investors is by conducting a background check on all job applicants.Hiring someone with such a record predisposes your brand and customers to numerous risks. A background check will enable you to disqualify applicants with a past criminal record. Better to be safe than sorry, right?3. Comply with Stipulated Laws and RegulationsEvery industry has a set of stipulated laws and regulations that employers are required to comply with when hiring employees. Not doing a background check can result in legal tussles with the government and professional bodies.Avoid expensive litigation fees and protect the credibility and reputation of your organization by doing a background check. Chances and guesswork are hiring enemies!The impact and importance of a background check cannot be ignored. However, make sure that the background check results are accurate in order to make informed decisions.
4 ways to make sure your background checks are accurate:
1. Ensure the Background Check Matches the Job RolesHow accurate are background checks? The results of the background checks will vary depending on the job roles or position. For example, a finance and accounting background check is essential when hiring an accountant or auditor. However jobs that don’t involve or require accounting expertise, don’t require such checks.A one-size-fits-all approach to this process will mislead you. Be consistent by doing a background check that is directly related and relevant to the job title and roles.2. Be Open and Transparent About ItCommunication is key during the hiring process. Inform the candidates about the background checks you intend to do by including the details in the job description. The information will give them a clear perspective of what to expect during the vetting process and discourage malicious people from applying, saving you from a hassled hiring process.In addition, being transparent and open about it will ensure everyone involved is on the same page right from the onset. Disclosing your organization’s background check policy with the employees will show you’re fully committed to a fair and transparent hiring process.3. Audit Your Background Check Process and Policy RegularlyRegularly auditing your background check processes and policy will ensure compliance with the governing federal and state laws. These laws are frequently updated to match new industry needs and trends.For instance, embracing new improvements such as self-sovereign identity verification will enhance the accuracy of your background check results. Keep tabs on new technologies other brands use to improve your processes further.4. Hire a Trustworthy and Credited Screening PartnerHow long do accurate background checks take? This is arguably one of the most common questions employers ask. One of the challenges of running a business is that there is never enough time to complete some tasks due to busy schedules. Trying to wing everything yourself will result in shortcuts to beat the set deadlines.Avoid such scenarios: outsource the process to a trustworthy and credible screening partner. Confirm that the screening service provider has the prerequisite documents, such as accreditation from PBSA. PBSA accreditation, in particular, is a sign that the screening partner can provide accurate results and fully comply with the stipulated federal and state laws.Go the extra mile to vet every screening provider on your list independently to gauge the quality of the service to be rendered. A background check will be effective in helping you hire the right candidate for the job. Take the time to go through the information presented in the report: it will make sure you maintain a clean and dependable workforce.A background check will be effective in helping you hire the right candidate for the job. You can actually do the check online. Are online background checks accurate? Yes, but it depends with the website you use. Take the time to go through the information presented in the report: it will make sure you maintain a clean and dependable workforce.
