Having the right hire can be a valuable business asset, while wrong hires are proven to be expensive. In today’s tough war for talent, finding quality talents with the right knowledge and skillsets is one major challenge for businesses worldwide. Whether it is the failure to carry out their job responsibilities, inability to fit in the workplace culture, or even crime-related concerns, hiring the wrong person is harmful to the entire organisation. As such, it is crucial for employers to gather as much information as possible from potential candidates.
Pre-employment background screening is a common and effective way to protect your organisation from potential risks of fraud and reputational damage. According to recent HireRight APAC Employment Screening Benchmark Report 2018, 74% of the surveyed respondents said that background screening had uncovered issues that would have gone unnoticed by their organisation. Common discrepancies cited included employment history, educational credentials, and criminal convictions.
Q: Should your organisation adopt pre-employment background screening? If so, what are the some of the background screening practices you can consider adopting?
A: Here are 5 screening practices for your consideration:
1. Education history
Confirming a candidate’s education is crucial to ensure they possess the required knowledge and skill sets to perform the job. Therefore, you should verify the certificate and other licenses.
2. Job and reference verification
Verifying their job history and reference may help you gauge a candidate’s consistency and stability to an employer.
3. Criminal background check
Conducting a background check will provide you with details on the candidate’s past criminal convictions. If they do show serious violation in the past, you might need to consider how it will affect other employees’ morale, when they get on board.
4. Social media screening
With the growing trend of using social media to screen and hire new employees, you should consider checking candidates’ social media accounts. However, it should be noted that employers should never step across the line of the candidate’s privacy.
5. Hiring a Private Investigator (PI)
Due to their experience in investigations, hiring PIs can help you learn more about your candidates and will provide efficiency in your hiring process when it comes down to pre-employment background screening. They will also be able to perform the above four practices with ease, thereby providing a more comprehensive check where information sensitivity, especially for senior hires, is of concern.
