Background Verification of New Hires

When any organization is looking to recruit an individual, it is mandated that they run some background checks. This is to be considered a cross-check for everything mentioned in the resume, the interview, and the candidate’s credentials. According to Instahyre, it is said that 1 in every ten individuals fake either their work experience or education in their resumes. Suppose the organization will invest in the individuals and hire them to be part of their team. Hence, they feel the need to verify. They may do it themselves or hire some professional background verification companies. Professionals are engaged as they help in saving time and are more reliable.  

Background Check Process

The recent trend is that background verification companies are hired to check the background of potential candidates. The companies find it more feasible and reliable than doing the checks independently. The process may take anything between 3 to 10 days. The company wanting to do a background verification would already have a policy in place. It will be conveyed to the background verification companies if they are hiring them. A set procedure is already in place. The following  are verified during the process.

• Education Verification

This is the primary step in the education verification process. All the educational documents, including school certificates, graduation, post-graduation documents like TC, scorecards, bonafide, etc. If the candidate has taken any additional courses, even that is verified. Many people then submit fake documents in the interview. This process helps in finding genuine ones.

• Employment Verification

If the candidate is not a fresher, this step comes into the picture. The employment history of the potential hire is verified. References are contacted to get an idea. Sometimes the HR of the organizations mentioned in the resume are also contacted. If the experience is found to be fake, the candidate will not be hired.

• Criminal Verification

This is a legal investigation into the background of the potential hire. A thorough check through the public databases is done. This check is done to ensure that the company data will be protected in the future. The criminal records, if any, usually turn up in this step.

• Address Verification

Few people keep shifting houses. The reasons may be unclear. This check is conducted to ensure that the person is not involved in any illegal activities. 

• Social Media Verification

This is the digital era, and everything is usually available on social media. Few companies resort to social media verification on platforms like LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook. This is unverified information, though.

Background verification and the need for it 

Background verification is the process of authenticating the candidate’s credentials whom the company is looking to hire. The credentials that need verification include education, professional experience, and reference checks. Depending on the profile of the job and the organization, sometimes even the criminal records are evaluated against the information provided by the candidate. 

The need for this may be summed up as follows

• Job Competence

The employer and the markets always have their expectations set high. So many applications for the same job, and it isn’t easy to choose one. A background check helps verify the capabilities of the potential candidate and hire them. It checks the credibility of the candidate’s professional experience and their references. These points help to reassure that the candidate has not faked their credentials and is competent enough for the job.

• Honesty

If false data is given, the company would obviously not hire that candidate. They will not want to have a dishonest person on their payrolls.

• Workplace Safety

The employer must ensure a safe environment for their employees. They will not want an individual who doesn’t follow the rules. They will probably run a drug check to ensure that the potential hire isn’t into drugs or other harmful substances. 

• Achieving the Targets

The company’s growth depends on meeting the goals and achieving the targets. They will want a go-getter and someone who shares the common vision. 

• Prevent theft

An imposter can act as the candidate and get hired to steal valuables from the company. The organization will want to check that the new hire is genuine. For this, police verification is done, and the criminal records are checked out. The candidate’s credit score is also checked to see where they stand financially. This step ensures that they will not steal due to financial burdens. 

Results of background verification

Once the background verification companies do all the verification steps, the documentation is completed, and a report is submitted to the organization. 

If the result needs to be discussed, it is advised to call the candidate and converse with them about the details which were found fake. Reason out why they lied in the resume. Try to see how this hire can fit into the team, keeping the offense in mind. If the management is convinced,” he/she” will get the go-ahead. 

If a new hire passes all the verification steps, they will be hired. The results help the organization reassure that they are hiring the best and a genuine candidate for the role. 

A third party such as the professional background verification companies are well versed in the process and are more accurate with the information they provide. This background verification not only helps the organization but is beneficial to the candidate also. It shows them in a good light and also helps them gain the confidence of their new employer.