The Importance of Background Checks for Companies

The phrase “do not judge a book by its cover” stands as true in businesses, as it does in other walks of life. In order to select the most appropriate candidates out there for the vacancies within the organization, recruiters must probe deeper than the face value.

A report by AuthBridge states that 1 in every 6 candidates faked information on their resume to bag a lucrative job in 2017. This calls for extensive background verification before you hire

Background checks, enabled by Technology, can be the most efficient tool in helping them achieve this cause.

Background verification refers to the procedure of assessing the credentials of new recruits before they get hired for a job in a company. Many corporate organizations in the recent times have been conducting background checks to find the right employee, often aided by background verification companies in India.

Initially, the system of verifying backgrounds was undertaken in countries like Europe and United States. It helped them detect fake employee profiles and also see if the recruit was the right candidate for the job. Now, with the changing scenarios of the business world, more and more companies across the globe, including India, are opting for these prudent measures, before recruiting employees.

Why is background verification so important?

With every passing year, the job market is getting even more competitive. Naturally, any candidate appearing for a job interview would want to seem like the best fit for the position. And to achieve that and to gain the attention of the recruiters, they might also be more than ready to hide some parts or exaggerate others in their profile. Thus, thorough background verification seems required for companies, now more than ever.

Although for a seasoned recruiter, telling certain made up aspects from the real ones can be easy, there are other facets that might be tricky, even for them.  Background verifications generally test the recruits on these grounds –

• Educational assessment and work history
• Drug-tests
• Criminal background checks
• Address verification

& more…

This is information that every company today deserves to learn about a candidate before they commit to a legal association with them. They must ensure that the candidate has nothing in the past that can affect the company or other employees, negatively.

Other than this, background verification also assists the recruiters in selecting appropriate candidates every time, and also helps limit any problems from occurring in the future. This also enables recruiters to represent these candidates within their company, since they now know them.

Among the methods out there for carrying out such assessments, popular ones are, background screening software and tools, and third-party background verification companies in India.

Background verifications are no more mere options for organizations, they are necessities that all companies, big or small, must adhere to, for their own safety and progress.

3 Steps to Conduct a Background Check on an Employee

Owing to the fact that a company spends a significant amount of time and efforts in the recruitment process, it is crucial for them to hire candidates who are the right fit for the job. And therefore, in the process of creating employment opportunities, they also avail employee screening services to ensure that they are hiring the right candidate for the job.

Here’s a look at the following 3 steps to conduct an employee background check: -

Conduct checks before hiring them

The best time for conducting an employee screening is after offering the job and prior to on-boarding the candidates. Employee background screening ensures that the selected candidates have no criminal backgrounds, and all the information provided by them, such as their educational qualification, previous employment details, and other crucial information are authentic. An organization can also conduct employee screening during an employee’s tenure if it suspects insider threats/ suspicious activity from the employees during their tenure.

Ask for the consent of the selected candidates

Before conducting the employee screening, it is essential to ask for the selected candidate’s consent for the same. In case of conducting employee screening without getting the consent of the selected candidate, the candidate can take the organization to the court. Many companies which offer employee screening services, also provide online consent forms for the selected candidates to fill, in order to prevent inconveniences.

Conduct background screening according to the job profile

In order to ensure that you are not wasting any time, effort, and money in employee screening, you are suggested to include key checks in the employee screening according to the job profile of the selected candidates. For instance, if you are hiring a candidate for the post of an accountant, it would not be sensible to check his driving record background. Nevertheless, including a credit check to check if the candidate has a sense of financial responsibility and is good at taking care of personal finances id a wise thing to do during background verification. 

Conducting an employee screening test will ensure that you are hiring right candidates for your organization, and with the help of aforementioned  steps, you can conduct employee screening much more methodically!