It’s time to rethink screening processes and tailor them to today’s job applicants
After job applicants have gone through the grueling process of updating a resumé, drafting a cover letter, sitting through interview after interview, and then adopting a “hurry-up-and-wait” mentality, the last and often most stressful step in the hiring process is waiting for a background check to clear.
And while this step is vital, it’s also important to take the candidate experience into consideration, bearing in mind that a poor screening experience could jeopardize the hiring of the perfect employee.
One-fifth (21 per cent) of employers that have lost candidates who had accepted a job offer attribute it to the screening process taking too long, according to a 2017 survey by CareerBuilder in the United States. Another 20 per cent say that they had a poor experience with background screening procedures.
When an employer doesn’t ask for the right information from the candidate initially, the background check may be delayed to gather the needed missing information. Hiring managers spend copious amounts of time and energy choosing the perfect candidate, so the last thing they want to do is lose them to another company because the background screening procedure is not efficient or candidate-friendly.
Luckily, there are a variety of best practices to safeguard top-notch hires, and to be sure employers have the most thorough and accurate screen.
Scalability
The background screening should be able to accommodate spikes and lulls in hiring, as well as additional background check components that may come up less frequently, such as international criminal checks and verifications.
For companies establishing a new background screening program or updating an existing one, it’s important to look into the types of checks offered by a provider (such as drug testing, credit checks or global sanctions), as well as the provider’s annual screening volumes to assure they can accommodate.
Here are other important aspects to consider with a provider:
•Spikes in the screening volume and how these fluctuations will affect turnaround times which, ultimately, will have an impact on how long top candidates need to wait for their results. Knowing this offers an employer the opportunity to give candidates an accurate time frame as to when they’ll receive a response, or to put processes in place to decrease the waiting period.
•Coverage in areas where a company may be expanding or acquiring high volumes of new clients, specifically if it’s a corporate firm with branch offices (domestic or international) or a staffing agency working with corporate clients.
•Support in language and compliance: Employers should work with a vendor that can speak their language — literally. It’s also important to choose a vendor that provides compliance support with changing worldwide data usage and privacy laws so you’re receiving and providing the most up-to-date information and documentation.
Automation
Nothing streamlines a process like the automation of manual tasks, such as data entry and the review of background screening results. This makes the entire process more efficient, accelerates screening and job placement, and creates more consistency.
One way to automate the screening process is to establish job-specific compliance screening packages that perform the searches and request the appropriate forms and paperwork for particular positions.
This is especially helpful, for example, for health-care staffing agencies screening for doctors. Rather than having to manually order specific screening services related to the health-care field, a staffing agent can simply select the “doctor” screening package, triggering a workflow that will perform the required check and bring up the appropriate forms.
These automated searches can also be region-specific or position-specific, such as entry-level, management level or executive level, to be sure each position is receiving the appropriate screen. Background checks are not one-size-fits-all, and establishing these screening packages helps companies maintain compliance, ensure accurate screens and avoid legal implications if candidates don’t feel they are receiving the right background check.
Meet candidates where they’re at
Millennial job candidates are not used to paper-based processes. Instant gratification, electronic access to everything and efficient processes are an expectation of workers between the ages of 19 and 35.
It’s important to meet these candidates where they’re at in order to attract the best talent within the millennial generation. It’s very possible many job applicants have never filled out a paper job application.
That said, it’s important to give job candidates the ability to view, access and apply for open positions online, 24-7. In fact, today’s tools allow candidates to complete applications over the internet, including consents, signatures and other forms.
Online forms can also be configured to not allow candidates to submit their application if certain required information or fields are missing or incomplete. When all requirements are completed and the application is completed, a background check is automatically launched. This means the applicant can initiate and complete the screening process without any intervention from you or your team. It also lowers costs and speeds up the turnaround time of screening results.
A background check raises awareness of an applicant’s criminal past and allows an employer to put safeguards in place so that, whether or not the applicant is hired, it is aware of the possible implications her history could have on the company and its employees.
And performing the right check the first time creates a more positive and efficient candidate experience. The application and screening process is often the first impression that an applicant has of business operations. If these processes and procedures are inconsistent, clunky, inefficient or lengthy, employers risk losing top talent to a company with more streamlined background screening procedures.
Through effective scalability and automation, as well as taking into consideration the needs and habits of today’s job candidates, a company can recruit, hire and retain the most qualified employees to meet its business needs. Background screening in a fast-paced, overly social and instant gratification-focused society goes beyond the paper application and should take into consideration the candidate experience, so it’s time to rethink yesterday’s screening processes and tailor them to today’s job applicants.
Rhonda Fairweather is the general manager of First Advantage Canada, provider of background screening services and technology. She can be reached at [email protected] or for more information, visit www.fadv.com.
