Do you really know who’s screening your candidates?

Background screening is a complex process. Not only must you ensure that you are accessing the right information which will contribute to a good hire, but you also need to provide a good experience for the candidate, satisfy compliance and protect your brand image.

Using a reputable screening company can help with all of this, but before settling on one, you must make sure that the company you choose can be trusted. Take your time when choosing a screening provider to ensure that they will provide you with the highest quality of service.

In this digital age, there is a huge amount of data available. This makes finding accurate, relevant and timely data difficult. There are many screening companies to choose from, but not all screening companies are created equal. A good screening company will not outsource checks and will be able to verify their results. This protects your company from a bad hire, but additionally will give you peace of mind that all hiring decisions are based on accurate information. 

When looking for a screening company be wary of those that promise “instant” results with no explanation of their procedures. A good screening company should be proud of their expertise and explain that no screening is immediate. A DBS check can take anywhere from 48 hours to 4 weeks for instance. This is standard for all screening companies, who must access the same database and carry out the same procedures to satisfy compliance.

At the other end of the scale, background screening that takes too long could result in you losing out on the perfect candidate because they didn’t want to wait around for the results. Providing a timely and transparent service includes keeping the candidate up to date with where they are in the screening process.

A reputable screening company will ask for quite a bit of candidate information up front, not only to assist with their methods but also to fully understand which data they need to access and ensure that they are screening the correct person. Requirements vary according to job position and sector and good screening companies will fully understand the industry and geographical location in which your company works and will adjust their procedures according to sector, international laws and individual company requirements, all while satisfying data protection compliance.

Bad pre-employment screening can be hugely damaging. The candidate experience of pre-employment screening can reflect negatively or positively on your company. Using a reputable and experienced screening company will protect your brand image and contribute to a better hire, a better relationship with your employees and ensure accuracy and efficiency throughout the entire process.