Companies use background checks to verify job applicants.When a business hires someone, it invests time, resources, and money.In a perfect world, we’d have all the info we need to make the right choice.Prior to signing a contract, most companies conduct background checks to get a precise summary of the prospective candidate.Even if the ideal candidate doesn’t exist, a thorough background check can get you close. It’s a laborious process with many steps.This is time-consuming, so some companies skip it. When they’re rushing to fill a position.
Most pre-employment screenings include reference checks, employment and education verification, and criminal background checks. Each has its own compliance rules.
Learning human rights and privacy laws is a must. Each employer must have a legal, black-and-white policy.
This article gives Soundlines’ readers an overview of employment background checks and how they can contribute to a company’s long-term growth plans.
Why do businesses conduct background checks?
Globalization has had a profound effect on the workforce of today. Companies are expanding internationally at an unprecedented rate and forging cross-border alliances to maximise their growth.
This rapid movement toward borderless trade also enables businesses to connect with a virtually limitless pool of international talent. In such circumstances, background checks can help companies evaluate and hire candidates from a rapidly expanding and changing workforce.
Before hiring employees, it is crucial to conduct extensive background checks for the following reasons:
Verify employment qualifications
A comprehensive pre-employment screening enables employers to determine whether or not the information provided by a candidate is accurate.
Upto 78% of applicants for jobs overstate their abilities during the process of hiring.
Among the most frequent ones are:
- Claiming expertise in seldomly done activities
- Working in an organisation longer than they actually have
- Possessing or earning a degree from a prestigious academic institution
- Overstated GPA by more than half of a point
- Earning more than they actually did
- Overstate their position in their previous company
Candidates often exaggerate their abilities in these areas during the interview process.
“Most candidates assume hiring managers won’t contact their previous employers to verify their claims,” says Yves Lemursi, CEO of reference-checking company Checkster.
This may lead to hiring an unqualified candidate.
Hiring an unsuitable candidate can be detrimental to the business on multiple levels.
Unsuitable hires can be detrimental to a company’s growth and can affect your productivity, team effectiveness, service quality, customer and employee relations, and team spirit.
Background checks save employers time, money, and hassle.
Protect your company and its manpower
As an employer, you must ensure employee safety. Including employees, partners, and customers.
Background checks protect your company and its employees.
It’s important to be transparent with candidates about criminal background checks.
We’re recovering from the Covid-19 pandemic and navigating an uncertain sociopolitical landscape. Humanity is at its most vulnerable, so businesses should create safe and tolerant workplaces.
Employers must work to implement an inclusive culture in every aspect of their business.
Strict screening can help you identify potential problems and prevent discriminatory or threatening behaviour.
Protect customer data and cyberspace
Internal cybersecurity threats impact more than 34 per cent of businesses worldwide. In the past two years, this menace has grown by 47 per cent.
Digitization and connectivity have changed information storage and handling. Most companies store sensitive data on internal servers that select employees can access remotely.
They can access highly confidential information anywhere they have on the internet. Increasing security breaches that can damage a company’s reputation.
Background checks to prevent internal data breaches are necessary for legal compliance and customer privacy.
Hiring and screening job applicants can be time-consuming and expensive, especially when there are multiple stages, but the losses you’ll incur in the event of an internal security threat will far outweigh the initial cost of a comprehensive employee background check.
Companies that handle sensitive customer data should routinely screen existing employees. Especially those who will be handling more sensitive data.
Ensure legal conformity with governing bodies
It can be difficult to ensure legal compliance with the various governing rules and regulations pertaining to labour law.
Numerous organisations have international operations and are required to manage compliance concerns for multiple countries, which may be a complex process.
By screening candidates beforehand, you can ensure that the employees you hire have the legal right to work and possess the necessary documentation and credentials to be able to work in a country.
Failure to conduct required background checks can result in fines of up to £20,000 per illegal employee.
There is also a risk that your company’s reputation will suffer if Immigration Enforcement publishes your company’s information – a practice intended to deter other businesses from employing illegal immigrants.
Managing the legalities of background checks
Employers, recruiters, and hiring managers benefit from background checks.
It’s effective at identifying qualified applicants during the screening process, but it’s important to follow privacy laws.
Before running a background check, determine why. Some information (medical or credit history) requires a candidate’s written consent.
Employers must balance gathering relevant information for hiring decisions with respecting individuals’ privacy.
Each country protects employee privacy differently. Businesses that don’t comply face legal consequences.
In the U.S., the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) was enacted to protect individual rights by regulating credit information collection and access.
Background checks must only be used for employment-related purposes.
Some background checks are irrelevant. All potential hires of the same company should undergo transparent and consistent pre-employment screening.
Variety of Checks
Listed below are some of the most frequent pre-employment screening checks:
- Reference searches
During reference checks, employers can verify a candidate’s education and employment history by interacting with prior supervisors,managers, and work colleagues.
Some argue that reference checks are unlikely to reveal red flags because candidates are likely to list only positive references
Reference checks further might assist employers to understand more about an applicant’s skills and flaws. Asking descriptive questions to candidates on clear instances of how they handled specific tasks or situations in order to get a more honest and truthful response.
2. Verification of education and/or résumé
Numerous job seekers have confessed to overstating their resumes to advance in the industry. Education and resume verification allow employers to confirm that the candidate’s information is true and accurate.
It is possible to verify the information by contacting the human resources or administrative department of the candidate’s previous employer or educational institution.
3. Social media checks
Social media checks have grown in popularity among hiring managers and recruiters in recent years. It provides a distinct perspective that goes beyond the résumé and humanises the individual. How does social media impact recruitment? When done correctly, social media checks provide recruiters with a better understanding of the candidate
The examination of a candidate’s social media profiles can also shed light on potentially problematic behaviour that may not be apparent during the interview.
4.Criminal searches
They are used to determine whether an applicant poses a threat to the safety of the business’s employees and clients.
Be mindful that criminal background checks frequently adhere to stringent federal, state, and local laws governing employee screening, and confirm that you are in full compliance with these regulations.
5.Credit history checks
A candidate’s financial responsibility is typically determined through a credit history check. This is especially important if they are interviewing for a position that requires them to deal with a company’s finances and financial records.
Credit checks should only be performed if the candidate’s credit history is relevant to the position for which they are applying.
How businesses can avoid claims of negligent hiring?
Employer background checks prevent negligent hiring claims.
This is important if the employee will frequently interact with clients and coworkers.
As a business owner or recruitment director, you must screen all prospective employees.
Ensure that your hiring process thoroughly verifies the applicant’s reliability to protect yourself, your employees, and your customers.
You may be liable for a candidate’s actions if you don’t thoroughly investigate their background. If a background check would have prevented the situation.Negligent hiring is most damaging in industries involving personal care, confidential information, and financial transactions.
Employers should learn about negligent hiring to avoid lawsuits.Certain U.S. laws require employers to conduct criminal background checks on candidates for positions with special security concerns, such as working with the disabled, children, the elderly, etc., and government positions.
Employers can review conviction records but not arrest records in most states. To disqualify an applicant, the conviction must be relevant to the position.Familiarize yourself with criminal record disclosure laws to avoid breaking them during a background check. Each candidate must receive consistent, nondiscriminatory checks.
A compliance screening procedure will safeguard your organisation.
Your company will be able to evaluate candidates consistently and fairly if you maintain a compliance background screening policy.As employee confidentiality and safety regulations continue to expand and adapt, so too must your screening policy.
Working with a third-party provider of workforce solutions, such as Soundlines, will allow businesses to leverage our knowledge when building a complete screening programme and expedite the hiring process.
Too much to do? Leave it to the international manpower recruitment company.
If hiring blue-collar workers internationally seem like a daunting task, you can make the process much simpler by outsourcing your international manpower needs.
Why do companies outsource human resource operations?
When a company’s growth exceeds the capacity of its current infrastructure, it will typically seek to outsource its human resources (HR) operations. Or they may be preparing to enter a market in which they have never before participated.
Many businesses find that outsourcing human resources is more cost-effective than developing an in-house unit.
What are the advantages of outsourcing human resources?
- HR outsourcing helps businesses reduce expenses.
By outsourcing HR functions, a business can realise substantial savings in terms of both overheads and time.SHRM reports that companies with internal HR departments spend an average of $3000 per employee per year. According to research, companies that outsource some or all of their human resources tasks can save up to $450.00 per employee.
Managing things such as employee leave dates, expense claims, and benefits administration can be difficult and time-consuming for businesses unfamiliar with the standard procedure. Outsourcing these tasks to HR service providers can not only expedite the process but also free up your time and energy for business expansion.
- It assists in mitigating risks.
Processing payroll, administering benefits, and other employee relations-related tasks can be laborious. In addition, a high level of attention to detail is required. In the hands of an inexperienced human resources department, this can result in numerous processing errors. Placing these responsibilities in the hands of seasoned overseas HR payroll experts can help to reduce errors and ensure that all processes run smoothly and on schedule.
- It provides businesses with enhanced data security.
Data protection is crucial when dealing with sensitive information belonging to business partners and employees. A reputable HR outsourcing firm like Soundlines, will have the sophisticated systems and software encryption required to protect sensitive data.
- It guarantees regulatory conformity.
Expansion into a new international market or territory necessitates compliance with location-specific federal, state, and local laws. They also undergo frequent evolution. For businesses that are expanding in a foreign country, navigating this in addition to potential language barriers can be particularly challenging.Outsourcing these responsibilities to a team of dedicated global recruitment experts who will monitor changes in various regulations and update your company’s policies and procedures can assist businesses in maintaining overseas HR compliance and avoiding potential lawsuits and reputational harm.
- It provides businesses with access to superior HR technology.
Not all businesses have the necessary infrastructure and resources to manage their HR functions internally. Multiple processes, including the management of sensitive payroll data, the processing of employee PTO requests, and the oversight of training information, require a great deal of cutting-edge technology to be centralised and accessible.The vast majority of reputable third-party HR firms are outfitted with these technologies, granting you access to their advanced and secure technology stacks.
Soundlines, one of the most reputable overseas manpower recruitment agencies, provides clients with fully integrated international talent resourcing and HR outsourcing services. Moreover, Soundlines serves both white-collar and blue-collar recruitment in a variety of industries in KSA while having a localized presence and reach.
Soundlines specializes in international workforce recruitment in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, across numerous industries:
For more than two decades, Soundlines has assisted its clients in the Middle East and Europe in the recruitment of qualified candidates for permanent, temporary, and contract positions in major industries, such as Construction, Oil & Gas, Hospitality, Retail, FMCG, MEP, Healthcare, Security etc.
Some of the industries that Soundlines has served for two decades are:
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- Building Construction
For 20+ years Soundlines has assisted building construction companies in the Middle East and Europe in recruiting skilled workers, machine operators, scaffolders, electricians and equipment repairmen, among many others. - Road Construction Projects
We are experts in staffing road construction projects. We have assisted companies in hiring skilled labourers internationally, drivers, and machine operators for global road construction projects. - Oil and Gas
We aid Oil & Gas companies in recruiting qualified candidates from all over the world. We have assisted Oil and gas firms in recruiting tens of thousands of entry-level and mid-level employees. - Facility Management
Whether the facility management staffing requirements are large or small, we are adept at meeting them. On a permanent, temporary, or contractual basis, we help businesses find the ideal candidate globally. - Security
As security is currently one of the greatest concerns, we assist businesses in recruiting the ideal candidate internationally. Some of the recruitments done by us includes watchmen, guards, security personnels etc. - MEP (MECHANICAL, ELECTRICAL, AND PLUMBING)
We have assisted companies in recruiting thousands of skilled workers for entry-level and supervisory positions in the Mechanical, Electrical, and Plumbing departments over the past two decades. - Hospitality
- Building Construction
We have been screening and recruiting the best talents including butchers, multi-cuisine chefs, delivery crew, baristas and many more positions in the middle east for years. Looking for an overseas manpower recruitment agencies?
Click here to schedule a callback from our overseas recruitment experts.
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