When a company is looking for new employees, the primary requirements often include curriculum vitae where all of the applicant’s information are written. It includes family background, personal qualities, educational attainments and employment history. However, you can’t be too sure whether all of the things listed in this piece of paper are true. Hence, a lot of companies conduct a background check prior to hiring the applicant they wish to hire. HR personnel used telephone or email to check on the veracity of the applicant’s information. And they try to avoid the following mistakes often occur when conducting a background check.
1. The policy when doing a background check should be standardized. Not because you conduct a few calls, the background checking process is already effective. You must maintain a standard of which records and information about an applicant you wish to check. And most of all, you conduct these background checks on all applicants who were shortlisted for hiring.
2. When the company is in much need of a new employee, they would often make decisions based only on the face value and too good to be a true resume of an applicant. However, this can lead to the worst case scenario. Not all of those who got the pretty face also have the knowledge, skills, and abilities as well as attitude that will make them the best candidate for the position. Also, consider those diploma milling companies are just around the corner. Then, you can say that not all of those who got good grades are indeed good employees.
3. You might be familiar with outsourcing. It is a strategy that will minimize the cost of operation by simply hiring a company that will cater to specific needs of the office. These employees are not employed by your company but they are inside your office and they have access to all of your infrastructures. Failure to do a background check on them can lead to threats to your safety. More often than not, movies feature that these outsourced companies are the gateways for people with the ill intention towards the company. Hence, background checks should not be limited to your company only but also to your partners, suppliers, and contractors.
4. Probably, doing an international background check is expensive and difficult to undertake as laws associated with each country could be different from yours. But, this is necessary if the applicant has international educational records. Take time for this especially if the applicant will be holding crucial positions.
5. Avoid negligent hiring at all cost. When the employee who committed a crime, driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol, and has the tendency to behave with negligence, but was still employed by the company, the hiring company could face legal concerns when these employees behave erratically. That is why it could be unfortunate for some who have committed bad acts before but the company is simply protecting their own sake.
6. The manual process of doing a background check is time-consuming, inefficient and ineffective. Though shifting to identity security software is a bit expensive, the information it generates can truly help your company.
source: https://www.ident.solutions/tips-for-improving-your-background-screening-policies/
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