What is it that makes a good business? There are many different aspects but having the right people on board to help your organisation succeed and thrive remain at the foundation of every successful company.
In cases of employment, you are going to be met with a range of different candidates, to the point that it can be very hard knowing which ones you would like to go with. Sure, employers can conduct interviews and review an applicant’s documentation but another incredibly important aspect of the hiring process is carrying out the relevant background checks.
Background checks are a vital part of the recruitment process. They allow companies to check the employment history of a prospective candidate through checking whether their identity is valid, taking note of any criminal records and gain an insight on someone’s personal credit history. Through confirmation of key records, your company can mitigate risk by checking the validity of a potential hiring prospect and find whether they are going to be the right fit for your business needs.
Throughout this article, we will provide additional information on what is a background check, the importance of due diligence and why your company should try to get access to a candidate’s records during employment.
What is a Background Check?
There are several businesses that provide background check services. Essentially, the process involves running a legal investigation (all of which is in line with GDPR) into a potentially new employees history. For example, if the individual has a criminal record, a company can search public records and find specific data to verify the individual’s identity and credentials. All background check sites will often consider DVLA checks, carry out screenings on social media and even do drug screenings.
This might all seem a bit excessive, but the truth is, the amount of detail the investigation goes into will vary depending on the position which is being filled. There are some positions where getting the wrong people into a role can be the absolute downfall of a company, while others aren’t as impactful. It is for key and sensitive positions that background check services will require the likes of a social security number and an increased amount of data to confirm the validity of the prospective candidate.
Why Are Background Checks Important?
There are a few different reasons as to why it’s important your business carries out background checks. These include:
You’ll get employees you can trust – To build a good relationship with your team, you need to hire people that you know you can trust. Carry out a sufficient background check with a respectable background check site then you can take comfort in knowing you will find the right person for the job.
Protect your company’s reputation – In the modern world where we rely so much on technology, it is important that your businesses online reputation is positive, especially small businesses. If you don’t carry out the best background check possible then it could be you end up taking on an employee with a questionable past. If your employees record reveals that they have previously broken the law or being involved in a scandal, this could have a negative impact on the way that people view your organisation, meaning there won’t be as much interest from people who want to work with you.
Legal compliance – As an employer, not only is it necessary t0 complete employment checks but you also need to ensure your checks are legal. Illegal access to personal information can come with grave consequences. As such, using background check sites to search public records will not only provide an accurate account on a candidate’s past, but the details also obtained will be legal and reliable.
How is the Check Verified?
When you are welcoming a new employee onboard or you are going through the pre-screening process, it is important that your business is carrying out the necessary series of background checks. As the employer, you will need to ensure you are using the best background check site (as this will speed up the process) and are also staying on top of what the legal requirements surrounding background checks are.
One of the first things that you need to keep in mind is the fact that before your business looks to contact any background check sites you need to ensure you have the applicant’s permission. This means you will need to contact your prospective candidates to ask for consent to carry out a background check on them. You are going to need to come up with a strategy for your checks and one of the best ways to do this is consider:
- What checks are you going to carry out?
- Who will you use to conduct the checks? (Be sure to do research into this so you know you are working with the best background check company available)
- What kind of checks will you carry out?
- How are you going to monitor and manage the checks that you do?
How Can Yoono’s Software Help With Checks?
It is important that your business is carrying out background checks on all potential future employees. It is important you do this so that you can build a full picture of who your potential employee is. Not only that, but it will help you when it comes to getting employees you can trust, keeping your businesses reputation intact and ensuring you are acting legally.
If you need support with carrying out such checks then it could be worth enlisting the help of Yoono. Yoono is an automated intelligence service which allows businesses to build up a much better idea as to who they are considering working with. Yoono’s automated search feature will scour the internet for reports surrounding an individual or a business and prepare a report that you will be able to consider. Once you have looked at this report, you will be in a better position to decide whether you would like to work with that person or business.
