Running a background check on a new employee will help an employer verify their identity and history. Every employer can benefit from background verification but it depends on the nature and type of business to decide which are the verification procedures to be carried out. With the rising crime rates in workplaces and increasing lying on resume, it has become vital to run background checks for candidates. Job seekers think it doesn’t matter to stretch their education or employment history a little or to brag about their life experiences a little because they believe employers won’t find out such discrepancies.
But times are changing and employers are taking the effort to run background checks before hiring any candidate. This will ensure that they are not hiring anyone with a suspicious past or anyone with fake degree. In this competitive market, it is essential to acquire the most productive employees and this is possible only if you improve the quality of hiring by selecting the most eligible ones.
Companies look for professional agencies who provide verification services of all types based on their requirements specific to their business and industry. They don’t have time to run background checks for every employee they are hiring as it’s a stressful process if you have a lot in your cup. So multi-national companies usually outsource this procedure to employee background companies. These companies are working for verifying the real identity and background of a person and they provide information with extreme confidentiality and security.
An employee background company verify and provide authenticity of lot of information like credentials of the candidate, address, relocation history if they have migrated from countries; education details including name of college or university, duration of degree, start and completion dates, major of degree, specialization, accrediting body, other courses taken; previous employment details including company name, tenure, salary, positions held, termination reasons; criminal record etc.
Employee background verification includes piles of such information and verification companies deal with it effectively and professionally.
The main verification categories that are involved in employee screening are:
· ID authentication: Checking identity cards to verify their true identity. Now HR’s verify the social media handles of employees to find their personality traits and to check any false message related to culture or caste being forwarded in the name of company.
· Address verification: As a first point for inquiries in case of absenteeism, disciplinary issues, or any violations address verification is important and it also helps the law enforcement authorities in case of any criminal acts by employees.
· Education verification: Through this verification, the legitimacy of an employee’s education with respect to the degree certificates are verified by contacting the educational institutions directly.
· Employment verification: Many candidates fake their employment history to get better job opportunities, higher salaries, and better designations and many get away with it too. So it is important to validate the employer details indicated on the resume. This is done by contacting HR departments of previous employers and by reviewing the experience letters and salary slips.
· Criminal record check: Criminal verification of a candidate helps to assess his or her trustworthiness. It is crucial for the HR executives to screen through all the applicants for criminal records but it requires lot of time, and in depth analysis of the nature of criminal records is essential.
It is important to get consent from employees before carrying out certain background checks as certain laws state so. For example, criminal record check is usually done after getting written consent from employees.
However, some companies are running background checks with or without consent from employees and state this in their guidelines or policies. They state it as a safety precaution for the company, its current employees and customers. Before hiring anyone, they ensure that the potential employee will not pose any threat to their workplace safety by checking whether they have a clean past. If someone proved guilty in past or associated with any sort of crime or litigation is found, they are not hired by companies. Almost all employers and licensing boards are now preferring to conduct mandatory police verification process for employees and it is made by the verification companies.