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background screening: what are the 7 ways to provide it

on Tue, 17/12/2019 – 11:40
screening

1. timely

Your company’s investment in the recruitment process is significant. Time and resource spent attracting and selecting the best candidates for your business shouldn’t be wasted. The last thing you need is to lose good candidates because of slow screening or background checks. All screening processes should be designed for speed and efficiency so as not to negatively impact your time to hire.

2. candidate centric

You work hard to create a great candidate journey and then your screening supplier pops in at the end with a candidate process or environment that doesn’t reflect your branding or culture. All candidate screening interactions should happen within your own branded, mobile optimised web environment but it can’t stop there. Every communication, on screen, email or voice should be inline with your requirements. Also you need to make sure that the candidate is supported and valued throughout the screening process.

3. value add

Screening isn’t just about ticking a box, it should add value enabling you to recruit the best candidate for your company. It should also be used to support the entire onboarding and compliance process. Having your screening process separate from your other onboarding activities can lead to a disconnect and double entry from the candidate. Why would you include other onboarding elements to the screening process, for example, capturing bank or next of kin details, contract signature, agreement or signing you company handbook of specific policies?

4. aligned to client’s processes

Your screening process, whether managed internally or by a screening provider, should be a standard one size fits all approach. You shouldn’t be changing your other processes to fit in with the screening process, everything should be flexible enough in its delivery to work inline with and support your current processes. 

5. online & paperless

Any screening process that requires candidates to fill out paper forms not only belongs in another decade but also creates a negative perception of the company they are joining. If elements of the onboarding are paper based then the candidate will view that as an indication of how that company operates. Also, paper-based applications are open to mistakes and misinterpretation. Information that is critical to the screening or onboarding process can be missed. Taking the process online improves the process for every stakeholder.

6. relevant 

A one size fits all approach to the checks you conduct during the screening process isn’t always the right approach. Take a risk-based approach on the roles you recruit for within your company and screen the candidate based on that. For example, a check on directorships may not be relevant for administrative staff but it certainly would be for senior hires. Keeping the checks relevant can also positively affect the time to deliver, the candidates perception of the process and of course the cost. 

7. cost effective

Not to be confused with cheap. If you are outsourcing your screening process that’s exactly what you should expect from your provider. Some providers follow a set process that works for them but will often leave you with to much administrative work to do when you have ‘finished’ the screening process. This approach isn’t cost effective and can be frustrating. Your provider should work with you to understand your requirements and what your desired outcome is then deliver to that rather than what suits them.