newsabouthrtech

[newsabouthrtech]

What is Included in a Reference Check for Employment

You can’t deny that the thought of hiring someone new in your business is exciting. One more set of hands to get through your workload, a fresh pair of eyes to look at existing problems, and lots of new and innovative ideas to help grow your business.

But while the thought of hiring someone new for your team is an exciting prospect, how can you have high confidence the successful candidate will be everything they said they were in the interview?

Recruitment and hiring is an expensive process and there are many hidden costs associated with it. The time spent hiring, the salary of your recruitment team, referral bonuses, online job board fees, and recruitment software are just some of the costs that come with a new hire.

The result? Up to $5,000 in hidden costs.

With so much on the line, you don’t want to run the risk of bringing a bad hire into the business – and reference checks can help you minimise that risk. Whether you’re seeking a personal reference, professional reference or character reference, we’ll be sharing all you need to know about making a confident hiring decision.

What is a reference check?

A reference check is a way to check if the job candidate is actually who they say they are. Often occurring at the end of the hiring process, it allows hiring managers to cross-reference that the candidate has the technical skills, employment history and qualifications they’ve stated throughout the interview process.

Reference checks can be done via phone, email or by using reference checking software.

Pro tip: Use these talent sourcing strategies to expand your candidate pool.

How are reference checks done?

Checking references involve hiring managers contacting the candidate’s previous company, teacher or school prior to presenting an offer to learn more about the candidate’s work experience, education and skills.

A hiring manager may also ask about any strengths and weaknesses, productivity levels, communication skills and attendance. Put simply, it provides an overall sense of what it would be like to have the candidate join the team.

Pro tip: Download our recruitment guide to get a step-by-step breakdown of the hiring process.

Why are employee reference checks done?

Employers may wish to conduct a reference check when they find it difficult to make a decision or to further cement their chosen candidate before issuing an offer of employment.

It also allows them to identify any potential red flags that may have been missed during the interview process. Conducting a reference check can also help reduce the risk of unconscious bias in your hiring decisions.

Are reference checks done at the start of the interview process?

Hiring managers can either ask for the reference check during the interview or after you’ve made the job offer. The best time to ask for reference checks is after interviewing the candidate, and you’re feeling confident they could be the right fit for the role.

By this stage, you should have a good understanding of their skills and experience, and conducting a reference check can help validate your decision.

If you’re not sure about the job candidate, or you want to compare them with other candidates, it’s best to wait until after you’ve made the job offer.

This way, you can use the reference check as a final decision-making tool before extending an offer of employment.

The reference check process

1. Obtain contacts details of the references from your shortlisted candidate(s)

During the recruitment process, it’s important to ask your shortlisted candidates to provide contact details for their referees. These may be current or previous employers, managers, mentors or teachers and can help provide a clearer picture of the candidate’s character and suitability for the open position.

While some applicants may include written professional references or contact details on their CV or resume, it’s important to let your candidate know that you’ll be contacting those listed on their application. This allows them to notify the referees to be prepared for the call or email.

Pro tip: Have our candidate experience checklist handy for a guideline of the whole hiring process

2. Make a list of questions you’d like to ask the referee

The goal of a reference check is to better understand what it would be like to work with the candidate. The questions you ask can help you feel more comfortable and confident with your decision, so it’s important to prepare a list of questions.

You can also use this as a chance to verify areas relating to their experience or provide clarification on any areas of concern.

Focus on asking open-ended questions about the candidate’s skills and job responsibilities to see if they’re a good fit.

Reference check questions you should ask

What was the job title of the candidate?

What was the working relationship you had with the candidate?

What was the date of their employment at your company?

Can you please talk me through the role and responsibilities the candidate had?

How would you describe their job performance?

Can you provide me with an example of the candidate’s strengths and weaknesses?

Did you ever have any problems or concerns with their work performance?

Did you ever have any concerns with the candidate’s work ethic?

Why did the candidate leave your business?

If the opportunity arose to re-employ the candidate, would you?

Do you have anything else you’d like to add or tell me about the candidate?

3. Contact the referees

When it comes time to contact referees, you want to be as transparent and honest as possible. Clearly state who you are, the business you work for, the details of the role and the candidate you’re conducting the reference check for. You should also let them know that they’ve been provided with their contact details via the candidate.

Be sure to ask if the referee feels comfortable answering the questions and check that you have them at a good time. You also want to let them know how long the call or questions will roughly take.

Once you feel prepared, you want to choose the communication method. Will you contact them via phone call? Will you email them? Will you use reference checking software?

Whatever you choose to use, you want to make sure the reference check process is as easy as possible for the referee, and don’t forget to take detailed notes!

Dealing with sensitive information? Don’t forget a background check

Once you’ve completed your reference check and you’ve made a job offer of employment, it’s important not to forget a background check before your new team member starts – especially if your business is dealing with sensitive data. But what exactly are background checks, and how does it differ from a reference check?

A background check is a process where an employer can find out a new employee’s disclosable history. The goal of background checks is to confirm that the person you’ve hired is actually the person they claim to be.

The background check includes a summary of an individual’s police history (in Australia). This may include court appearances, convictions and any penalties or sentences.

The main purpose of a background check is to add an additional step in the recruitment process to help you hire the right people for your business. It can help give you peace of mind and trust in the person that will be handling confidential information or performing specific tasks.

It’s another way to help you mitigate the risk of a poor hire, which can be a costly process for any business.

Note: Background checks can also be referred to as a national police certificate, police clearance or national police clearance.

Feel confident with reference checks

As the candidate’s prospective employer, you might find yourself talking to their previous manager, current co-workers or personal references.

Whoever you find yourself talking to, doing your due diligence can help you find useful information that will help you feel more confident about your hiring decision. So, go on – go find your unicorn!

Streamline your recruitment process with Employment Hero

Managing recruitment, interviews, references and onboarding can be a time-consuming task. We make the administrative side of hiring and recruitment a breeze with our cloud-based end-to-end HR platform, with integrated recruitment automation features.

If you’d like to learn more about how you can save time, transform your hiring process with an applicant tracking system and give your candidates the best experience possible, get in touch with one of our small business specialists today.

The article was originally posted in Employment Hero on 22nd July 2022.

[newsabouthrtech]

The Importance of Education Verification to Mitigate the Risk of Wrong Hiring

One of the requirements of a resume is to inform a potential employer of the candidate’s educational qualifications. The information is important because it helps the employer know if the candidate has the right credentials for the job. But, can we always take a resume at face value? With competition for good jobs being so high, it is not uncommon for desperate candidates to display false information about degrees that they don’t actually possess. In fact, entire scams have developed around the fake degree racket with individuals, for a small price, being able to buy certificates for courses they never actually took. As per an article in the Times of India published a few months ago, in Hyderabad alone there are three to four reported cases a month of fake certificates being produced. There have been far too many incidents where candidates have provided false education credentials, reinforcing the need for education verification of candidates.

Why companies need to conduct an Employees Education Check

As stated earlier, it is not hard for employment candidates to produce fake certificates. If companies go by these certificates and don’t conduct education verification checks, they are putting themselves at risk. There are several reasons why a candidate could produce fake certificates and fail an education check. Ranging from less to more serious, these include: – Has tried but been unsuccessful in passing exams. – Desperate to get a job. – Has a criminal record and wants to hide actual identity. – Is actively trying to scam the company/ fellow employees/ customers. All of these reasons make a candidate less than ideal for hiring. An education check will help identify these candidates who do not meet the company’s standards. On the other hand, hiring an employee without an education check could prove disastrous for a business.

How can Education Verification help mitigate risks?

Another article in First Post states how 4,000 students of an Indira Gandhi National Open University center, received fake certificates without attending class or giving any exams. With the menace so rampant it is imperative that all companies conduct employee education checks. When you do an    employees education check , you get to verify the following: – If the institute that the certificate is from actually exists. – If the institute has been linked to a fake degree scam in the past. – If the candidate was enrolled with the institute that is stated on the resume. – If the candidate is qualified for the applied job. – If the candidates have the right knowledge and skills for the job. Any discrepancies that arise during an education verification of a potential candidate can prompt further digging into that person’s past. If the person is found to have a criminal past or has assumed a false identity, then companies can reject that applicant. Rejecting an applicant with a dubious resume right at the start can save the company a lot of time, money, embarrassment and possibly even lawsuits. An education check is both useful and necessary.

AuthBridge for Employees Education Check

AuthBridge conducts education background checks for companies. When you decide to outsource the education verification services to AuthBridge, you can save on the time and effort. With all the required infrastructure in place, outsourcing education check to AuthBridge can prove to cost-effective for organizations. With our advanced service capability, we can conduct education verification of employees in a short amount of time giving you the relevant and reliable data that you require to make the right hiring decisions. This article was originally published in Authbridge.

[newsabouthrtech]

Why Education and Degree Verification is Crucial in Your Hiring Process

As an employer, attracting the very best talent when hiring is your priority. The problem is, glowing resumes often exaggerate the truth about a candidate’s qualifications. Of course it’s common for job applicants to embellish their resumes to spice up what might otherwise come across as mediocre qualifications and experience but outright lying about diplomas and degrees is astonishingly common.

In fact hiring managers report that education background checks reveal that almost 60% of applicants lie about their qualifications. If these discrepancies are not caught early in the recruitment process, they can be costly and embarrassing, so you can see just how important conducting educational background checks is in your recruitment process.

Why bother with an educational background check?

Over exaggerating or lying about qualifications isn’t limited only to candidates for entry-level and mid-level positions. Even highly regulated professions such as the medical industry for example are prone to infiltration by unqualified individuals; like the recent case of a fake doctor working at a Sydney hospital for eight months before she was exposed. The 27-year-old falsified her documents after failing her final medical exams. The Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Authority was forced to admit that the “incident demonstrated incompetence in the system”, which could have been avoided with proper education background checks.

What Information does education verification reveal?

An educational background check is the process of confirming an applicant’s education history and qualifications to ensure any claims by the applicant are accurate. The process can be time consuming but can help save a lot of hassle and expense in the long run. Here’s what you can find out about an applicant’s education and degree history from education verification pre-employment screening:

High school diplomas

Associates and undergraduate degrees

Graduate degrees

Attendance dates

Institutions attended

Licenses and certifications

Should you verify every candidate’s education history?

Sometimes not all of an applicant’s stated qualifications are relevant to the job they are applying for, such as labour force employment, but if necessary, you can also request additional information such as GPA, honours earned and professional references. Due diligence in verifying education history in india is crucial though when hiring for specialized positions in industries such as healthcare, construction and education. You must be 100% sure that your candidates have the knowledge and skills from bona fide training and education to perform the everyday duties that come with these more prestigious positions. Perhaps more importantly, you mitigate the risk of facing costly lawsuits and liability claims or a tarnished brand image if you take those extra steps to verify their qualifications.

How long does education and degree verification take?

As we mentioned earlier, education verification can be time consuming because it requires more than a quick internet search. HR teams often dedicate many hours to manually checking academic credentials because they have to contact the educational institution by phone, email or post and wait for a response, which could take several weeks.That’s where background screening providers like us can help speed up the process and make it less resource intensive for HR teams. At InteliMasters, we can usually verify individual candidate qualifications within a few days by contacting schools and universities directly. We are well trained at spotting fake or unaccredited degrees from diploma mills, giving you more peace of mind that your shortlisted candidates’ qualifications have been verified as accurate. 

The article was originally posted in inteli master on 15/11/2021

[newsabouthrtech]

All about reference check

What is a reference check?

Most employers check references as part of the hiring process. Reference check in india involves contacting previous employers, supervisors, schools, and so forth to verify key employment and educational information and learn more about a candidate’s background, experiences, and skills.

The pros and cons of reference checks

Many experts debate the utility of reference checks. Skeptics argue that reference checks:

Do little more than confirm the candidate you’ve already decided to hire.

Foreclose any real opportunity to uncover “red flags,” since candidates only submit references that will sing their praises.

Most companies and hiring managers rarely read reference checks, and many do not even perform the check themselves.

Advocates, on the other hand, insist reference checks are an important final validation, or warning, about a candidate. Moreover, reference check proponents argue that reference checks are less about acquiring a thumbs up or thumbs down vote from previous employers, and more about learning more about a candidate’s strengths and limitations in order to best support them once they are on the job.

Tips for conducting reference checks

With the latter in mind, here are some tips for ensuring your reference check process is most beneficial:

Seek input from the interview team: the interview team may have already voted to hire a candidate, but there’s more information to glean from the interview process. Are there any concerns interviewers have about the candidate? Is there information you wished you knew more about, or would’ve liked to follow up on? Feedback from the interview team, in this regard, should help shape your approach to the reference check process.

Describe the job and ask specific questions pertaining to its responsibilities: Say something like, “To succeed in this role, you need to be able to do x, y, and z.” Then, allow the reference to explain how they think the candidate fits those criteria. This is a far more effective and productive strategy than asking, for example, “Do you think [candidate] can do x?”

Ask specific, but open-ended, questions: questions like, “Tell me about [candidate]” are useless, unless you want a vague answer like, “They’re great!” Instead, ask for specific examples from their reference, or for further detail on a project you’re aware of. For example, “We learned [candidate] helped produce your new website, can you tell me more about their role in that project?”

Reference Check Questions

As outlined above, we recommend you tailor each reference to your organization’s needs or concerns for a given candidate. With that in mind, it’s useful for organizations to have a template for all prospective hires. Here are a list of common reference check questions to include in your template:

Can you verify the job candidate’s employment, job title, pay, and responsibilities? Why did they leave that job?

How do you know the job candidate?

What makes the candidate a good fit for this job?

If you had the opportunity, would you re-hire this job candidate? Why?

What are the candidate’s biggest strengths and weaknesses?

Did the candidate get along with their co-workers and management?

How did (name) handle conflict? How about pressure? Stress?

What advice can you give me to successfully manage the job candidate?

What else do I need to know about the job candidate that I didn’t already ask?

Who else should I speak to about the candidate that can provide different insight?

Reference Checking Services

Many organizations outsource their reference checking to services that specialize in online, automated reference checking. Zinc offers scalable technology that facilitates the referencing process. Zinc utilizes automated texts and a mobile-friendly user experience, to provide customers with in-depth reviews from past employers. In addition, Zinc is part of the SmartRecruiters Marketplace, permitting every SmartRecruiters customer to use its technology. Xref is an online candidate reference work-flow tool that allows prospective employers to conduct pre-employment reference checks. Xref conducts its operations across the globe, including Australia, Canada, the UK and Singapore. Xref is designed to save organizations time and money while also protecting them from privacy breaches, discrimination, and fraud. Additionally, Xref is integrated into the SmartRecruiters Marketplace, allowing any SmartRecruiters customer to utilize its reference checking services.

This article was originally posted on SmartRecruiters.

[newsabouthrtech]

HOW BACKGROUND CHECK IN INDIA WORKS? PROCESS & DETAILS | PROQUEST

Background Check in India

is an important process for any company before hiring an employee, this process is parallelly done with the recruiting process itself. Once the background verification is cleared, then the employee will be hired. In case, if the person gets rejected during the background verification, he might lose the opportunity of employment.

Employees not just only work at your firm, but they have access to your data and company details. We do see many news articles that company’s data has been misused and, in most cases, we see people working at that particular firm only do this.  What if it happens with your company or agency? So, it’s better for every company should have a background check

Not just data privacy, hiring a wrong employee who carries fake experience, fake certificates is also not good for the company. Just to make sure that you are hiring the perfect employee, a background check is necessary.

Companies in India run background checks in different ways for example MNC’s hire a third-party agency, in small firms usually HR will be verifying the basic details, for government jobs they collect the address proofs, records from district magistrates etc.

About Background Verification in India

1 in 10 candidates in India have lied about their education on their resume by putting fake degrees and fake experiences.

When you hire a new employee, it is not just you test the technical skills but also do conduct a background check simultaneously. Education, Nationality, Previous Work Experience – these are 3 things where a background verification company

focuses and verifies. Companies are conducting background verification checks to get information about employee work history, criminal records, educational certificates, and address proof. Today, almost all firms and companies are running background checks of their employees before hiring them.

Let’s see what all are being verified during this process.

Educational Background Check

First step in background verification is Educational Background Check. A complete validation of educational documents will be verified here which includes schooling, graduation and any PG documents (TC, Bonafides and Memos). This process is done to identify the fake and original documents. In some cases, they will even contact your educational institutions to make the verification complete.

There are many people who submit fake educational records through colleges and universities that don’t even exist.

Employment Background Check

In this, we verify the complete employment history of a candidate including previous work experience, credit history, pay slips etc.

Fake Experience is something which many people do and these certificates are being provided by some agencies. In a few cases, the team will check the previous experience in which company they mentioned as working earlier, they are going to verify the employee details from the past company. If the experience is genuine, they would be in or they have been failed at background verification.

Criminal Background Checks

A criminal background check is a legal investigation of a person’s criminal record check, they may search for national, general, state, and county databases to provide information about a candidate’s criminal history. In order to protect company data and risk this criminal background check is done. A criminal background check generally takes between one to three business days, but can be returned much faster depending on the database that is being searched.

The companies can easily access your court records and criminal history from any law enforcement agency to check if the candidate has any records of criminal behavior.

Address Verification

These days shifting to big cities for their education and job purpose is quite common but there are people who keep on shifting many times and we really don’t know what the purpose would be. To avoid this kind of situation companies, do an address verification, which includes permanent and temporary addresses verification, this will be even cross checked with ID Proof.

In few address verifications, people also visit the physical locations to check out the candidate’s address.

Apart from these other kinds of background checks are drug test, id proof check, fingerprint check and bank account.

The article was originally posted in Proquest

.

[newsabouthrtech]

The Importance of Civil Records Background Checks When Hiring Senior Executives

There are notable issues where you latest recruit, the bright candidate with stellar skill sets and a clear background check appears the excellent candidate for middle management or the upper executive level.  This employment candidate is bright, articulate, and he has wonderful presentation skills.   He is charming and well connected, networked forever and an excellent prospect for your company.

But then, several months later, it is discovered that he is the the defendant in several lawsuits.   Old employers are suing him for transgressions.   He might have been a fund raiser that opened his own business on the side,  illicitly siphoning money from donors.  This was the experience several years ago of one major university here in Los Angeles. He may be facing a lawsuit for sexual harassment, or for infringement on proprietary data.   His past employer or former partner may be trying to recover through the courts some money that was "misappropriated."

These are samples of incidents that occur more than one may think.    In most case, it is a straight forward civil lawsuit, meeting all the parameters that would assign such a case to civil court.   But sometimes there are extenuating circumstances.   Sometimes the past employer chooses not to press criminal charges.  Sometimes the belief is that the infractions will not meet the threshold for a solid criminal case but will find resolution in the civil courts, be they county civil courts or the federal civil courts.    An exceptional but noteworthy case in point was the O.J. Simpson murder case, where Simpson was acquitted in the criminal court but convicted of "wrongful death" in the civil courts.   For the most part civil cases aren't nearly as dramatic, but they can prove revealing.

Employers and recruiters focus rarely on the civil record check and mostly on criminal records background checks, as well they should.   But the fact that an employment candidate is "clear" or had no criminal records does not necessarily mean he can't be a problem or an embarrassment to the company.   As with the case of the fund raiser mentioned earlier who was hired by a major California University, once it came to light he had been caught and sued in civil court for essentially going into business for himself, donations tapered off for awhile in justifiable fear the money would go for naught.   Alumni were less than thrilled that his individual slipped through the cracks during the requisite background check.   Again, this was a case where the past employer choose to sue in civil court rather than make it a greater sensation by pressing for criminal charges.

When your employment candidate has judgments against him in the civil courts,  this can prove embarrassing and cause clients and potential clients to shy away.   Simply put, they are either in fear of being associated or are afraid of being taken over.   The results can be toxic.  Now we are not talking here about some less consequential lawsuit where the candidate's neighbor sues him for damaging the neighbor's lawn.   We are talking about suspicious practices that can range from unethical behavior to the pilfering of proprietary data, embezzlement, and industrial espionage.   As noted before, there are numerous reasons an employer would choose not to sensationalize transgressions by pushing for criminal court.

Just to be clear, these kind of egregious criminal cases are rare.   Most employment candidates have no records in civil courts or if the do it is for the basic troubles of life, like property disputes, divorce, or some spat with a neighbor.   But there are the exceptions.  And the exceptions can be costly if you recruit or hire one and then find out later, from the perspective of civil courts, he is bad news.

Realize too that for the most part his past employers will not provide much information other than verify employment.  The date started, date left, the position held.   That's what you will get for the most part.  Anything subjective, especially anything that has been in the courts or can be potentially litigious is information most employers will retain as confidential.   To expect any employer to be forthcoming about an employee's transgressions is more expectation than reality allows.

For the most part, it is not necessary to conduct county civil court records.   These are not the requisite background check for entry level or lower level employees.  But in the case of senior executives, they are the face of your company.   These are key personnel with whom you clients interact and through whom they develop certain levels of expectation.   Service is certainly one expectation, and ethics is another.   In an economic climate where business is fierce, you cannot have an executive's tawdry reputation smearing that of your company's.   Not a good thing.  For senior executives, county civil court records and federal civil records may be well worth your consideration.

This article was originally posted in Recruiting Blog on April 24, 2011.

[newsabouthrtech]

Reasons to conduct post-hire background checks

Most companies are aware of the importance of screening candidates before finalizing hiring decisions, but did you know that conducting post-hire background checks could be just as crucial? Post hire background checks help maintain a safe work environment, a work environment where employees uphold your business’s core values. Many companies have not made the shift from pre-employment background checks to continuous criminal monitoring, though. Read what industry experts have to say about why you should add post-hire background checks into your company’s safety protocols.

For Client Confidence

Client confidence is one reason to conduct background checks past the initial hire. This move is especially powerful in industries dealing with sensitive financial and security matters. Saying that you vetted your people when they started working may not hold as much weight once the staff has been working for a long time, and it may not put your partners fully at ease. Checking periodically ensures that your staff stays clean, shows your diligence, and gives clients extra reassurance of your team’s reliability.

For Access to Sensitive Information

One reason to perform regular background checks is to ensure that your high-level employees (or anyone who has access to sensitive information) remain compliant with your company’s screening requirements after joining your team. The larger the organization, the more opportunity there is for data breaches, misallocated revenue, etc. Doing consistent background checks among the employees who have access to this information is an excellent way to maintain a high level of security and to protect the company.

To Maintain Standards

Establishing a rolling background check policy is a great way to ensure that a company holds all employees to the same high standards expected of new hires, limiting the potential for any favoritism or hypocrisy. Employees can change a lot in the months or years after being hired, especially if they fall in with the wrong crowd or get involved in activities that could limit their capability to do their job. Performing post-employment background checks is a simple way to guarantee that your business is aware of your staff’s criminal activities and legal disputes.  Rest easy knowing that your workforce is being held to the same standards that you initially set when they got hired.

When Considering an Employee’s Promotion

Sometimes companies conduct post-hire background checks when they are considering an employee for promotion. When an employee is up for promotion, they have likely been at the company for a substantial amount of time, during which they could have been convicted of a crime that impacts their job responsibilities. 

To Minimize Risk of Post-Hire Threats

Employers shouldn’t assume that passing a background check means there will never be issues with insider threats down the line. Post-hire threats range from embezzlement, fraud, and theft to violent behavior. When an employer screens employees at the point of hire and doesn’t screen them again, there is always the possibility that they will be convicted of a crime in the months or years after the pre-employment background check. Continuous screening can protect an employer from significant risks and ensure workplace safety. 

Companies May Be Held Liable for Criminal Behavior

These checks enable companies to identify any employee misconduct or criminal behavior to prevent being held legally liable for their employees’ actions. No company wants to have its reputation tarnished because of criminal activities they were unaware of, not to mention the associated legal implications.Guaranteeing an environment of trust in the workplace by conducting post-hire background checks doesn’t have to be difficult.

The article was originally posted in Info Mart on Feb 15 2022.

[newsabouthrtech]

How Does Criminal Background Check Take Place in India?

Have you got your dream job in the government sector?

Congratulations! But, have you thought about the criminal background check? It’s important. You will have to come across this verification to ensure security in the latest government job that you have got. After cracking the government job examination, it should be a primary point of concern. Let’s capture the definition of what it is. Background Check:

It’s all about verifying the employee to see whether or not he/she has committed any offence in the past. The criminal record check represents a critical part of pre-employment screening. Thereby, it ensures a safe mechanism in the hierarchy of the government administration. If you talk about India, in particular, such verification occurs through an-all inclusive litigation searches of the court records. Have a cursory glance over the sources of information from these courts: · Criminal Suit (Magistrate Court) · Criminal Suit (District Court) · Criminal Suit (State Court) · District Civil Courts & Tribunals · District Court · High Courts · Magistrate Court · State Court · Supreme Court Why is it necessary?

It’s aforesaid that the ultimate motto behind a comprehensive criminal record check is providing the government administration with a safe workplace. In other words, whosoever is appointed at any position in the government sector, he/she should possess a clean history. The employer (government agency) runs a background check to make it sure. The agency filters through relevant databases, including civil litigation database, regulatory compliance database and criminal database involving the candidate’s name. Besides background data check in India, the global database should also be searched out to determine if there is any association of the candidate with the offence or the crime. What points can push alarm for conducting criminal background check? It’s already shared that the background check should go on pre-recruitment. A single discrepancy can disturb the govt. recruitment. The candidate can lose his/her reputation. Also, his/her motivation could be drastically impacted. Therefore, the candidate should provide with the authentic documents that are requisite for a specific profile. Let’s say, check degrees if they have the matching date of birth, as mentioned by the Municipal Corporation. How do government agencies conduct criminal background check?

The government agencies access database from the State and Supreme Court’s public records and district magistrate. Most of the private and public agencies also verify information pertaining to litigation. They approach the National Crime Research Bureau and CBI to check the candidate’s name in the list of the most wanted list. Also, search the database of the RBI, Central Vigilance Committee’s list and SEBI. But, the verification doesn’t take place before taking written consent of the candidate. The government agency must ask the candidate as per rules. Which Indian Acts allow this checking?

However, the Indian constitution doesn’t have a specific law for conducting this kind of verification. But the screening agency or authority abides by the Indian Contract Act, Information Technology Acts of 2000 and 2005. Also, they take care of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) before conducting any inquiry. Also, it’s noteworthy that the breaching of a few Acts, like the Credit Information Companies Regulation Act, 2005, levies penalty, which could be extreme. It’s so because the candidate should be acknowledged about accessing his personal data. If the agency fails to disclose, the candidate can sue for violating right to privacy by witnessing and collecting his/her personal data. How is it decided about the type of background check? The background check includes background check information, job applicant credit checks, criminal records and employment history verification. This check depends on the profile and type of the job. Let’s say, you are going to appoint on the post of a manager in SEBI. You will have to undergo the employment history verification and credit checks. Likewise, each profile mandates a specific inquiry. What if you are caught up with the criminal background?

The Indian government suspends recruitment of such candidates after disclosure of the fact that he/she has spent 48 hours behind bars. The agency would consider those offences deeply. Later on, the matter goes under consideration and the action of the agency would reflect what its response is. It could fire or give a lease of life on the profile.

This article was orginally posted in Legal Service India E-Journal.

[newsabouthrtech]

Top Questions about Criminal Record Check

Even if you’ve served your time, a routine background check that uncovers a criminal record can be used against you, making it more difficult to get a job, rent an apartment, or simply live your life as a responsible citizen.

You may be interested in removing something from your criminal history — and you might be able to do so. Your best bet is to talk to an experienced attorney about what steps to take.

Our legal team has answered the most frequently asked questions we receive regarding criminal records and background checks so you can explore your options.

Here are a few questions you should know the answers to when conducting a Criminal Records Check :

1. What is a criminal record?

Sometimes called a rap sheet, your criminal record is a list of your criminal history. Your rap sheet includes nearly everything about your past illegal activities, such as:

Convictions for misdemeanor and felony crimes

Sentencing information for any convictions

Current charges

Prior arrests

Previous charges

2. Why do firms undertake a ‘criminal record check’?

Problems can arise when after the selection process, the hired employee indulges in activities antithetical to good conduct and acceptable workplace behavior, manifested in workplace violence, sexual misconduct, financial malfeasance, theft, etc.

The inclusion of criminal background check questions protects firms from claims arising from hiring done without due process. There are instances of firms having hired without the required due diligence of criminal background checks and the offending employee when asked to leave, slapping the firm with large damages claims and, often, even retention claims.

3. Who is to be subjected to a criminal record check?

Usually, criminal record checks are conducted for new hires. However, criminal background checks can also be performed for current employees, sometimes as a matter of periodic routine checks or before a promotion, a transfer, or while effecting changes to some terms and conditions of employment.

4. Are there any regulations governing the checking of criminal records?

In India, there is no law specifically dealing with criminal records or background checks. However, for conducting criminal records checks, the Indian Contract Act, Indian Penal Code, and Information Technology Acts of 2000 and 2005 are often used as benchmarks. Companies that fail to keep personal data obtained on employees confidential may face penalties under the Credit Information Companies (Regulation) Act of 2005.

5. What databases can I use to look for criminal records?

Litigation-related information can also be found via the National Crime Records Bureau and the CBI’s Most Wanted Lists, in addition to district magistrate, state, and Supreme Court public records. The list of defaulters can be found in databases maintained by SEBI, RBI, the Registrar of Companies, and the Central Vigilance Committee’s list of corrupt officials.

6. How do firms undertake the criminal record check of applicants?

Usually, the services of external, third-party firms specializing in providing criminal history checking are availed of. Due to their specialized competencies, they are better equipped to undertake a thorough, accurate, and comprehensive check.

Over time, these firms may also provide feedback on shortcomings in the system and on measures to improve the job application criminal background checking process.

The efficacy of the process is also dependent on the ability of the firm’s HR team to understand the nuances of the criminal record check process.

Suppose the HR team is aware of the extent of the criminal record data held with various agencies and the level of access that the agencies permit. In that case, it helps ease any friction that may arise between the firms requesting and providing the background check service.

7. What should you do if you come upon anything negative?

One of the most basic steps in recruiting the best individuals is to run a criminal background check. After a thorough investigation of the applicant’s background, a hiring decision should be made. Before making a hiring choice, it’s a good idea to offer the employee an opportunity to explain the negative finding.

8. How can the HR manager confirm that the criminal background check on the job application is accurate?

The greatest criminal background checks are those that are accurate, thorough, quick, and obtained legally. The inclusion of criminal background check questions in the job application is the first step in conducting a complete criminal record check.

The checks can take a long time, cost a lot of money, and necessitate a lot of diligence. For interstate and international hires, the problems multiply. The HR manager should not let any financial or time restrictions allow the criminal background records check process to be shortened.

The content is added from the blogs of Kent Collins Law firm,  mimoiq, and SpringVerify India. 

[newsabouthrtech]

How Does Drug Test Screening Help You With Hiring?

A pre-enrollment drug test for job applicants can be a gamechanger for recruiters. A simple drug test can unveil the habits, lifestyle, and several other factors associated with a candidate’s health. It helps recruiters determine whether a candidate has taken drugs orally or injected them into the bloodstream.

Some employers tend to skip this process while hiring but conduct a drug test on the first day of work. However, incorporating it in the initial stages of recruitment can save a lot of time and effort for recruiters.

How does a drug test for job applicants help recruiters?

As a recruiter, you want to hire healthy employees with no prior history of consuming banned substances like drugs. Making drug and alcohol testing for employment mandatory will ensure that you hire employees who care for their health.

A sample of saliva, urine, or hair strands is asked from potential employees for the drug test. Candidates need to test negative to clear the drug test and qualify for the job.

Suppose you omit the drug screening test for employment from the hiring rounds. In that case, you can make it mandatory for employees before providing them with a permanent job or a higher position. It is proven that people who consume drugs and alcohol frequently have lower decision-making capacity.

It is because of the side effects that these banned substances have on the brain and psyche. Some other ways and instances to conduct a drug test for job confirmation include:

1. Random Drug Testing

Through advertisements or job posts, you may disclose that candidates will have to undergo a drug screening test to get employment in your firm. However, this will alarm individuals who consume drugs or alcohol regularly. As a result, they might refrain from consuming them for a few weeks or months. This will lower or eliminate the chances of them testing positive for the drug test.

Therefore, you should ideally conduct random drug testing of all your employees. It will enable you to check the competency of your employees irrespective of their position, work experience, and job roles.

2. Post Accident Drug Screen Process

Accidents are bound to happen in every workplace. However, as an employer or recruiter, you must check whether the employee was under the influence of any banned drugs or alcohol during the accident. If an employee tests positive during a post-accident drug screening test, you may not provide health insurance coverage or compensation to them.

The post-accident screening tests should be ideally organized within 12 hours of the accident. It will ensure that the test results are accurate because some medicines administered to recover from a medical condition or injury might contain these drugs.

3. Periodic Testing

Period testing can be one of the ways to ensure that your employees are healthy and drug-free while serving your company. It could be a monthly, quarterly, or bi-annual drug test per your requirements and the organization’s size.

Most Common Drug Test for Employment

The most common drug test for employment includes the following:

1. Testing Saliva

Taking an oral swab of your employees will help you determine whether they consume marijuana, opiates, cocaine, and other drugs. It is an efficient drug test for job applicants as the results can be secured within a couple of hours.

2. Testing Hair Follicles

Conducting a drug test for job applicants using their hair follicles is perhaps one of the best ways. This way, you can check for the drug consumption history of employees for up to 90 days. Only a few hair follicles are obtained and preserved under lab conditions to complete the testing process.

3. Urine Test

By collecting the urine samples of your employees, you can check whether they consume alcohol, opiates, amphetamines, cocaine, and other banned drugs. It is an effective testing method because it analyzes the usage even if an employee has stopped or reduced the consumption of drugs or alcohol.

Organizing a drug test for employment is an excellent way to ensure maximum productivity and lower absenteeism.

Also, you need to set up testing facilities and ask employees to schedule an appointment with the doctor. The whole process can take a long time and reduce productivity during the testing period.

However, it has more benefits than limitations. It helps to provide a safe working environment and also reduces employee liability to some extent. Therefore, a drug test for job hiring should be an integral part of your recruitment process.

This post was originally posted 2 months ago in SpringVerify Blog

.

[newsabouthrtech]

The Importance of Identity Verification in a WFH Environment

The pandemic has shifted the entire ecosystem and compelled businesses to alter their processes to accommodate remote working environments and drive a digital transformation. It has created new risks for companies in terms of security and identity verification of recruits. One of the most crucial procedures in the background screening and recruiting process is to verify the candidate’s identification before employing them. 

Data fraud is a threat that always looms large, and thus businesses should realize the importance of identity verification. An efficient identity verification process is of utmost importance in the remote working landscape to ensure greater trust and transparency, secure employee onboarding, and reduce risk to your business. There are fewer possibilities for face-to-face interaction in the remote work landscape. 

Therefore, the processes for authenticating the identities of potential workers might be more time-consuming. However, you can take specific steps to ensure a comprehensive screening and onboarding process and confirm employees’ identities before they begin their first day of work. 

Importance of identity verification

Inconsistent verification by businesses can severely impact the workplace, whether you have on-site, remote, or hybrid personnel. Your company may be vulnerable to fraud and other malicious activity if you don’t have a well-thought-out identity verification strategy throughout the employment process. Fraudsters may readily obtain confidential company information in a world where identification evidence is required to access products and services.

Tips for remote identity verification

1. Develop a consistent identity verification process We should develop strategies to maintain consistency in the identity verification process of the recruits. This process can be done in-house by HR teams or outsourced. For example, as part of a background check, your policy should include guidelines for cooperating with your screening provider to verify applicant identification. This verification process will be consistent across all positions in the company. 

2. Complete identity matching before onboarding Getting comprehensive and correct information from candidates from the beginning will make the identity verification process go smoothly. Candidates might omit minor personal details when supplying information for a background check, so you will need a technique to get their full name, address, and other important information. Grammatical mistakes and omissions can lead to a lot of rework for the company. Companies require a digital solution to identify potential candidates’ data anomalies. 

3. Conduct a thorough SSN-based background check The SSN-based background check is an authentic instrument to gauge the candidate’s background. Since the government issues individuals SSN, it becomes impossible to bypass this step with inaccurate information. SSN can help extract details of each individual. Many service providers for the SSN background check, but a trustworthy screening service becomes essential.

4. Biometrics authentication The worldwide biometrics market is expanding at a breakneck pace for remote employee identity verification. Biometric authentication employs technology to use an individual’s unique biological traits as a password to confirm their identification. This method can determine if the person attempting to log in is genuine by matching their biometric signature to the database. Thanks to this ever-evolving technology, only the correct people in your business can access critical information. Thumbprint, facial, retinal, and voice recognition are just a few biometric technologies.

5. Understand local legal requirements Form I-9, or the Employment Eligibility Verification Form, is one of the most crucial identification verification procedures for all recruits in the United States. It certifies a person’s lawful employment permission in the United States and verifies their identification. 

Within three days of a representative’s first day on the job, all firms should complete Form I-9 formalities. Furthermore, innovative techniques for the identity verification process are becoming more accessible to businesses. The remote employee identity verification industry is advancing at a tremendous speed. Companies should tailor their identity verification solutions to their specific needs and risk levels. 

The development of new remote ID proofing technologies is at the heart of building confidence in the digital economy’s progress. In a remote situation, though, recruiters may want their employees to physically present their approved identification documents in the office so that the HR team can verify their authenticity and legality. However, this might not be feasible for each employee working remotely. Thus, remote ID verification is gaining importance for companies to ensure low risk and build trust. 

The article was originally posted 3 weeks ago in SpringVerify US Blog.

[newsabouthrtech]

Digital Identity Systems Around the World

Every citizen of each country needs to have a legal identity for the government to be able to deliver financial benefits as well as healthcare and other socio-economic services.

A large proportion of the global population is struggling to get access to basic amenities because they have no identity. According to ID4D Global Dataset, there are an estimated 1 billion people around the world without a valid identity. This crisis needs immediate attention.

Several innovative technologies are leading the world economy into digital transformation. One of the most emerging technology trends is in the field of digital identity. The Identification for Development (ID4D) is an initiative by the World Bank that aims to help countries realize the transformational potential of the digital identification system.

With the use of the right technology, the identification system can be integrated into the domains of finance, governance, healthcare, and social protection. It will enable people to access services and exercise their rights easily with their digital identity.

The ID4D initiative aims to provide legal identity to every existing being in this world by 2030.

The Impact of Digital ID on Economy

Countries around the world are making efforts to get an efficient system in place for their citizens.

The United States of America already has a system called the social security number in effect. It is a nine-digit number that keeps track of an individual’s earnings and years of employment through this number.

This number can be used for opening accounts with financial institutions, applying for federal loans, applying for any public assistance such as unemployment benefits, enrolling for any medicare or Medicaid services, applying for a passport or driver’s license, and filing taxes.

Sweden’s BankID system, developed by several large banks, has gained recognition from the Swedish government as well. This BankID can be used as proof of identification as well as for signing documents and transactions.

The signature made with BankID is legally binding within the European Union according to the Swedish Law.

Argentina also launched its digital identification system in 2018. They have integrated biometric authentication with facial recognition. The validation of facial recognition can be done through any device with a camera and is valid across both public and private sector services. The government is taking steps to integrate this system into the health and banking sectors soon.

E-Identity for Citizens

Surprisingly, 98% of the Estonian population has an e-identity. Apart from being a legally valid identity proof, the e-identity provides digital access to all secure e-services. It can be used as a legal travel ID by the citizens within the European Union and serves as a national health insurance card.

It can be used for e-voting, filing taxes, banking, digital signatures, and medical records. This chip-based card has made Estonia a country with one of the world’s most advanced digital signature systems.

India has its own digital identification system called Aadhar. Launched in 2009, it is used as a proof of identification and for e-KYC. It can be used to receive government benefits like subsidies directly to your bank accounts.

With the Digilocker facility attached to every Aadhar number, it enables a person to store his/her documents and signatures in the digital form, making it easy to store and access documents.

China has also vaulted into the digital economy by issuing national ID cards featuring encryption and chips. These contain personal information details like sex, ethnicity, date of birth, identification number, photograph, and residential address.

This ID is valid for passport and driving license applications. It can also be used for opening bank accounts. Since the project is in its inception period, these virtual IDs are currently valid at certain select government departments.

China is also striving to build a facial recognition database that will enable immediate identification of its citizens.

Conclusion

While digital identification will fix many problems, it will be vulnerable to cyber intrusions and frauds due to the presence of the information of all citizens at a single place.

If the system is not well guarded or its privacy provisioning is not thorough, it could bring down the infrastructure and economy of a nation. Therefore, a thoughtful and secure digital identification system should be built to mitigate these risks.

This article was originally published 2 years ago in SpringVerify US blog.

[newsabouthrtech]

Difference Between Pre-employment Verification and Post-employment Verification

The difference between pre-employment background checks and post-employment background verification is the timing of these activities. However, there is more to it than meets the eye.

No one can deny that employees are the most valuable asset of any organization. As such, employment verification is an ongoing process. It is not a one-time affair, as many HR managers may believe.

The process starts with pre-employment background checks and continues after employment. The post-employment background verification safeguards the company’s reputation by preventing embarrassing situations.

Employment verification—the key to successful recruitment

Many organizations have no strict policy for verifying employees’ backgrounds. It may be because the firm is in a hurry to appoint candidates. 

Human resource executives in such firms rely on the documents provided by the candidates during the hiring process. However, it is not challenging to doctor the records. There are several instances of forgery and fraud, leading to complications.

With all this in mind, there’s naturally an increasing awareness about the need to verify the candidate’s background before the actual appointment. Unfortunately, most organizations learn the importance of background checks the hard way but ultimately draft a clear policy for their recruitment team. It helps the company reduce turnover costs and maintains workforce morale.

Pre-employment background verification: It attempts to determine if the candidate is faking the employment records. Pre-employment background verification involves contacting the candidate’s previous organization to verify their work history. The process requires contacting executives from personnel or HR departments to procure authentic information.

Post-employment verification: It is a periodic review process to maintain appropriate employee standards. These checks are necessary to rule out any possibility of misconduct or unlawful behavior of existing employees. 

Pre-check employment verification is now a standard procedure in almost all organizations. Candidates are also aware that the company will initiate the verification process. 

Human resource managers must adopt a rigid approach to verify the applicants’ documents. It is done by referring to the officials who issue the documents. However, it may not be easy to contact the issuing authorities to get the necessary information unless one has a strong rapport.

In light of this problem, using third-party resources to conduct pre-employment screening checks is steadily becoming a standard method in large organizations. Small and medium enterprises should also consider hiring employment verification agencies to onboard candidates with a clean record. In addition, pre-screening helps reduce employee turnover and other potential risks if the company uses established screening service providers.

Post-offer pre-employment background checks

An impressive past can never guarantee a promising future. The lack of appropriate post-employment background checks can be a serious concern. If you are on a hiring spree, knowing what a post-offer background check is essential.

A post-offer pre-employment background check helps employers eliminate the possibility of investing in an unfit candidate. Additionally, a post-offer pre-employment check is cost-effective because one has to screen only one or two candidates.

Blanket screening of all applicants is not advisable. You will invite legal trouble if you select a candidate after conducting background checks on all applicants because it amounts to discriminatory practice.

A stitch in time

The right action at the right time is crucial to prevent possible losses. There must be a greater emphasis on post-employment background verification, as a senior staff member is more likely to commit crimes of embezzlement or fraud. There are instances of employees acting as double agents or secretly sharing critical information with competitors. 

Timely screening of employees will prevent them from indulging in these acts. Substance abuse, criminal activities, and other serious issues are some possible scenarios that call for stringent verification policies. Suitable post-employment background check rules help enterprises mitigate the possibilities of crimes or fraud during their tenure.

Pre-employment vs. post-employment background verification

Pre-employment background checks offer a fair idea about the candidate’s past, but they don’t guarantee a similar attitude or behavior during the period of employment. The following differences provide a better perspective of the two employee verification procedures:

Pre-check employment verification: Almost every organization uses the pre-employment background check as a standard practice. The one-time activity involves only a few potential employees to check candidates on multiple parameters. The process eliminates the liabilities of hiring the wrong candidates.

Post-offer background check: The activity of a post-employment background verification is periodic. The prime focus is to prevent workspace violence, fraud, and other criminal incidences. Some organizations assess employees once every year or six months with their consent. It may involve background screening for substance abuse or a criminal record.

One must consider the legal repercussions before developing a policy for post-offer employment verification. No employee should feel that the process of post-offer screening is discriminatory. Established employment screening services design custom screening programs by understanding the needs of the client organization.

This article was originally published 3 weeks ago in SpringVerify Blog.

[newsabouthrtech]

Six Most Common Background Verifications For New Hires [2022 Updated]

Your organization’s people are your most important resources. Excellent employees can make a good business great. You’ve got performance management and review processes to track how employees are doing and help them improve, but you’re best off if you avoid hiring those who may not be a good fit for your organization.The one way to help you achieve that goal: The Employment Background check.

What Is Employment Background Verification?

With a highly mobile workforce, employers use background verification for vetting and screening candidates and new hires.

Background verification is the process of vetting employment history, commercial records, financial records, criminal records, and other activities of a person or a company to confirm their authenticity.

The digitization of numerous public records in India, such as the voter ID, driver’s license, PAN card, and academic certificates, police records, and court records, have facilitated prompt screenings of the entities. 

With so much information available online, some of which are for free and some available for a fee, there is a thin line about the legality of what can be vetted. It can be confusing for both the employer and employee.

When you’re in the process of hiring and sorting through a group of potential candidates, you clearly want to be as thorough and careful as possible. But if your organization is like most, you may not have the resources to dive deeply into each candidate’s background.

Fortunately, you’re not in this alone. You can use a background check service to handle the screening, allowing you to focus your attention on the other attributes of your job candidates.

6 Types of Background Verification for New Hires

1. Candidate History

Employers run background checks to avoid hiring someone who could be a liability to the employer or pose a threat to the workplace. An AuthBridge report revealed that one in every six candidates lie on their resumes.

No wonder the background check discrepancy levels shot to 48% in 2018 from only 10.29% in 2016 in India. An employment background check typically includes the candidate’s work history, educational qualifications, driving record, medical history, and criminal record.These days, the social media of candidates has also become an authoritative source of screening.

SpringRole, for instance, lets individuals create profiles on the platform which are verified using blockchain technology. They can add meaningful endorsements to the profile, showcase projects in detail, and customize the profile by adding links to other profiles such as Twitter, GitHub, and Quora.

Although employers are allowed to access background information on existing and potential hires, there are strict rules set by United Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) that must be followed. They are:

The candidate has to be notified in writing about the background check. This document is separate from the employment application.

The applicant must provide written consent for the background check.

If the pre-employment check is compulsory for hiring, the business must state it clearly in their written policies.

The employee has the right to be notified about checks being conducted about their reputation, lifestyle, history, or character.

2. Criminal Records

Criminal record checks are one of the most widely used background screening tools, but they also happen to be one of the most complexes and misunderstood. The two main categories of crimes include serious crimes and minor crimes. As an employer, you must define your organization’s values and draw the line when screening employees and making hiring decisions.

One thing is certain—criminal record checks are helpful in making more confident, informed hiring decisions.

3. Credit Score

It is also known as a credit report card. It is a standard requirement by banks when applying for a credit card and car or home loan. The credit background screening helps in verifying the record of a person’s credit-to-debt ratio.For some jobs in the finance industry, where fraud and embezzlement are possible, conduct a credit background screening. In the USA, as per the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), the employer has to obtain written consent before they request the candidate’s credit report. This consent is required in all 50 states.

Further, when a business rejects a candidate based on their credit report, they are required to give an explicit reason, along with the contact details of the credit reporting company that shared this information. This way, in the case of misinformation, the applicant gets a chance to correct it before the hiring decision is made.

4. Gamer Profiles

With 100+ new online games set to enter the Indian gaming ecosystem, the addiction levels will only grow. Fraudsters and scammers will continue to do what they do best. To combat this, gaming companies are deploying fraud detection solutions to authenticate a user in real-time.

SpringVerify, for instance, verifies the KYC details of the gamers to create real customer profiles. When gaming companies have more information about the users, they can screen them before they gamble. A reliable verification process paves the way for a safer environment for individuals to play and combat gaming-related harm.

5. Personal Background

With access to 200+ million court records across India, many companies have developed their in-house AI and ML-powered search algorithm. The technology is so precise that it can pick a needle from the haystack. Therefore, to see what employers or banking professionals see when they run a background check, individuals can screen themselves too. This exercise helps them check where they have lived and worked and if their name appears in any public litigation database, both criminal and civil. Background verification is a great way to address any potential errors and not miss out on any opportunity to bag a job or loan or start a business. Simultaneously, it is illegal for the employer to ask about age, race, ethnicity, disability, marital status, and pregnancy during an interview or a background check. Protected information cannot be used to influence employment decisions.

6.Professional License

When the job applicant is a doctor, realtor, or accountant, background screening verifies if he possesses a valid license to protect the employer from negligent hiring claims.The background screening company typically contacts the state licensing board to verify the license hasn’t expired or lapsed and is in good standing. Sectors that majorly run a professional license background check include:

Home contractors, including electricians, builders, and plumbers

Education, including college professors and administrators

Banking and insurance

Before obtaining the records of the profession of the hire, the business has to ask the candidates for permission about:

Education records – several schools and colleges either reveal these records to the student or the employer with signed proof of the candidate’s approval.

Military records – as an employer, you require written consent to know about the applicant’s rank, salary, duty assignments, and awards.

Disability records – To access the medical records, the potential employee requires the candidate’s permission to access the medical records. The Americans with Disabilities Act’s goal is to ensure that the employer’s hiring decision is influenced by the candidate’s ability to perform specific tasks.

Final Words

For applicant, they should be well aware of the rules the employer must adhere to while conducting a background check. For an employer, being aware of the state and federal laws ensures that they do not run into legal troubles in the future.

The purpose of doing a background check is to gather useful information about an entity to assess whether they are trustworthy, reliable, and credible. Indeed, a person’s past actions don’t predict their future ones.

This article was originally published a year ago in SpringVerify Blog

.

[newsabouthrtech]

Why Background Checks Are a Must for the Manufacturing Industry

Manufacturing Background Screening includes screening employees for criminal records, education verification, license verification, and social media background checks. A thorough background check helps to safeguard the reputation of a manufacturing company and make the best possible decisions in terms of hiring. 

If you are yet to figure out the top benefits of manufacturing Industry background checks, hold on cause we have listed them for you.

Here Are the Top Benefits of Manufacturing Industry Background Checks

Reduction of Costs

At times, individuals provide untruthful data related to work experience and previous education, which can directly impact the manufacturing company’s performance. The costs and losses can be reduced significantly by background checks as they allow the companies to gather relevant and reliable data about the potential employees.

Enhanced Quality of Job Application

Background checks might result in high-quality job applications in the manufacturing industry. It can encourage more individuals to apply for the available positions and enhance the quality of the applicant pool.

Reduced Retention Liability

If an employee engages in any misconduct, the company can be held accountable. Therefore, it is the responsibility of the companies to verify whether the employee has been involved in any kind of misconduct or not. On the other hand, the companies should also provide a safe working environment to their employees.

Accurate Candidate Reference

Conducting background checks allows manufacturing companies to hire professionals who can provide reliable information about the reference.

Candidate reference checks can provide information about the type of employment, time duration, and the skills demonstrated by employees during their previous job.

Reduction of Workplace Violence

The employer must ensure that employees work in a safe environment. Workplace violence affects the worker’s safety and impacts the productivity and public image of the company.

Background checks help in the discovery of past criminal records. The companies can also identify if the employee has been involved in violent behavior or theft in the past. This can help the companies determine whether the employee would turn out to be an asset or not.

Types of Background Checks

Violations and Drug Screening

There are various ways to conduct manufacturing industry background checks. One among them is to check if the potential employee has any criminal record. If the potential employee has been engaged in any kind of felony and misdemeanors, including violations such as traffic offenses, it can be identified by a background check.

Manufacturing background checks can also be done in the form of drug screening, which checks if potential employees were involved in any drug abuse.

Education Verification

Education verification is an important aspect of background checks. It is conducted to verify an individual’s past academic records and educational background. The degrees and certificates earned by prospective employees can be verified by contacting educational institutions.

Manufacturing industry background checks such as these can reduce liability and enhance overall productivity to a great extent.

Employment Verification

Background Verification (BGV) for the manufacturing industry can reduce the risk of mismanagement, violence, and theft. In this context, manufacturing companies need to conduct background checks during their hiring process. One of the most crucial aspects of any background check in the manufacturing industry is the employment verification of potential employees.

The previous employment of a potential employee can be verified by cross-checking the dates of employment, starting and ending pay rates, the reason for departure, and any other general information related to employment.

Conclusion

Manufacturing industry background checks can indeed be beneficial as they help in reducing workplace violence, retention liability, risks, and costs. Violations and drug screening, education verification, and employment verification are essential background checks carried out by manufacturing companies.

This post was originally posted 8 months ago in SpringVerify US blog.

[newsabouthrtech]

Why Should You Check Civil Records Before Hiring?

According to the Society of Human Resources Management, 53% of job applicants mention inaccurate information about their candidature in their resumes.

Hiring authentic employees is crucial in any organization for its growth and, most importantly, for its reputation in the industry.

In this fast-paced competitive corporate world, company reputation plays a vital role in raising capital, capturing big markets, and retaining customers. If it hires an unauthentic candidate, all these parameters will deteriorate with the dwindling reputation of the company.

Personal problems affect the employee behavior in the company that often results in dwindled productivity and making fallacious decisions for the company. That indirectly impacts the reputation of the company.

That is where a civil background check would mitigate the hiring of professionally unfit candidates.

But what exactly is a civil background check?

What is a Civil Background Check?

The civil background checks during the screening process provide a holistic candidate profile at the civil court level.

This check would show the County Civil Court Records Searches that recognize civil suits at the national or state level filed by either organization or individual. These records show any legal claims or current judgments where the candidate is listed as a respondent.

The main objective of such background checks is to ensure the safety and security of the employees in the organization. This also checks criminal record screening.

The following table indicates the bifurcation of important Civil Court Records Searches, different search options, types of cases, and record types.

How Would This Affect Your Organization?

Hiring a genuine cohort of employees is highly crucial for the growth and reputation of any company. In addition, the inclusion of civil background checks in the screening process would bestow more behavioral insights of the candidate. These insights would help the company to decide on higher management roles.

This civil court records searches or full criminal background check amidst the company hiring process will assist you in:

Shortlisting highly authentic profile candidates

Securing your institutional assets

Making well-informed decisions

Compliance with industry regulation

Following the company hiring policies

What Do You Need To Run Civil Background Checks During the Hiring Process in Your Organisation?

Beginning with a pre-employment check, you will need certain information about the candidates:

FULL NAME

BIRTHDATE

SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER (SSN)

PERMANENT ADDRESS

WRITTEN CONSENT TO RUN THE CHECK

Written consent of the candidate is necessary to conduct the background check. As per the Fair Credit Reporting Act, employers comply with rules and regulations while running such tests during the hiring process.

What Information Can You Fetch After This Test?

After the employee background check based on the last seven years or in some states, previous ten years, an organization can garner the following information about the candidate:

Education qualification

Identity verification

Work history

Driving record

Credit score history

Past civil record

Marital legal dispute history

Medical history

Drug screening

Use of social media

How Often Should You Conduct the Civil Background Checks?

While an employment background check generally conducts when someone applies for a job, it should not be a one-and-close type of check. For instance, it is unusual for a company to require yearly or semi-annual drug testing or criminal background checks to ensure a safe working environment for all its workers.

Your background checking processes and compliance requirements should not end with a job offer; it is in your company’s best interest to create a profound policy for post-hire background checks.

Make it clear what will be included in the post-hire screening, such as an updated criminal and civil background check. Determine how frequently and when these tests will occur.

Conclusion

Finding good character is equally important as finding the right talent. Screening a candidate for a specific role based on their competency in that field would give a competitive advantage, but including holistic behavioral insights in the hiring process leads to a great fit in the company culture.

With these civil background checks of the candidate, It will give you better decision-making parameters to hire a well-suited talent who can be trusted and accountable.

This article was originally published in SpringVerify US blog 9 months ago.

[newsabouthrtech]

Importance of Identity Check and How It Works

In today’s world, it is difficult to know who the other person exactly is. For example, if you are running a business, you have to be sure that the candidates you are interviewing are who they claim to be.

Unfortunately, the incidences of identity theft and fraud techniques are increasing. Further, it has been observed that identity verification is not automatically happening as part of identity background checks.

Why Is Identity Background Check Important?

Identity verification is checking someone’s true identity. When a person shows their identification verification documents, it is necessary to corroborate the documents’ authenticity; this process helps hiring companies verify the proclaimed identity of the candidate.

In a world where identity proof has become crucial for access to goods and services, fraudsters can easily access your personal information. Using your details, hackers can assume your identity and ruin your life and career. Hence, all employment background checks must include identity verification.

When you have to be sure of user identity across a large database, an identity background check becomes mandatory. For instance, identity verification is required to register candidates for employment purposes, allow students to log in for exams, and manage online transactions.

How to Verify Someone’s Identity?

There are two ways of conducting identity verification and ID checks: public or private domains. Background verification checks of candidates can be done by validating the data available in the public sphere. For instance, personal details like name, address, and age are available on record. Several identity verification services can authenticate the candidate in the private domain based on the information they provide.

There are multiple ways in which companies can conduct identity verification of their employees or candidates. Read further to know more about the various identification verification services.

Knowledge-based Authentication

Knowledge-based authentication is a process where an individual’s identity is verified by answering some security questions framed in such a way that it is easy for the concerned user to answer and difficult for others.

An additional safeguard in this method is that the candidate has to answer these questions within a specific time frame. The advantage of this authentication is that it is an easy method for users to understand. While its disadvantage is that fraudsters can hack the answers online.Out of Band AuthenticationThis identity verification system is a two-factor authentication process that requires a third party to authenticate the user through a password. This method is also less vulnerable to any kind of attacks, thus increasing security.

Biometrics Authentication

The global biometrics market is growing rapidly. Biometric authentication is an IT process that confirms the user’s identity with their unique biological characteristics as password. By comparing a user’s biometric signature against the one in the database, this system can establish if the individual trying to log in is the real person.This ever-evolving technology ensures that only the right person in your organization has access to sensitive information. Few biometric technologies include fingerprint, face, retina, and voice recognition.

Online Identity Verification

Several online identity verification solutions have been developed to make a man’s job easier and more accurate. These solutions are different from each other; however, not all methods are safe or reliable. One of the simplest and basic online identity verification methods is the use of clicking images or copying CAPTCHA.From banking to shopping and travel, everyone is using digital infrastructure to connect with people worldwide with what they want and need right now. Hence, the digital identity verification system is the natural progression. It quickens the verification process and functions through borders.

Conclusion

There are innumerous methods to check identity background based on your assurance level. In addition, modern approaches to identity verification are becoming available to protect the rights of customers, businesses, and the government.The identity industry is making progress like never before.

Therefore, instead of relying on any single technique, a multi-layered approach to verify the identity of individuals will double the security and boost confidence. As per their requirements and risk levels, businesses should vary their solutions for identity verification. New identity verification technologies are at the core of creating trust in the digital economy expansion.

During this pandemic, identity verification has become an important aspect of the background check. Hence, it is time that you look for the best identity verification solutions with SpringVerify to protect your business from fraud.

This blog was originally published in SpringVerify blog 10 months ago.