Background checks for employees have become an essential routine during the hiring process. Employers over the past have been very trusting with the people they hire only for their companies to be compromised by employees’ unfolding characters.
Employee screening goes a long way in ensuring that you don’t invite a criminal to your organization and put the safety of clients and employees at stake. It also ensures that you don’t put yourself in liable situations or ruin your business reputation.
Background checks are vital even during the Covid-19 times where people are working remotely. A remote background check will go a long way in ensuring that you have the right people in your team. Errors while doing background checks could lead to you being stuck with a hire that doesn’t suit you. Here are the common mistakes made that you need to avoid.
1. Not having set standards and policies for employee screening.
Employee background checking policies and standards should apply across the entire organization. The one mistake that companies make is being comfortable with the policies only being applied to some departments in the company. This may not be helpful as it leaves an entry for hires that are not well suited for the job. It beats the purpose of employee screening.
For employee background checks to be sufficient, ensure there is uniformity across all departments and written rules that will ensure compliance when recruiting for all job titles.
2. Not going for international screening
Focusing on employee screening within your geographical boundaries may not be as effective as expected. If you are only focusing on local employers or even colleges, then it means that you will miss important information on the employee’s conduct working as an expat overseas.
The best way to go about screening is by ensuring that no Rock has been left unturned. Even if it takes you partnering with a screening provider who has experience with screening on an international level.
3. Not notifying candidates of their screening results
After you are done with screening, it is sometimes wise to communicate with the candidates, especially those who have an impressive work history only stained by one criminal record. You will be surprised to find out that the criminal record is not that serious. Or even it wasn’t the candidate’s fault.
Communicate with candidates and give them the opportunity to correct mistakes that there might be in the background checks.
4. Invading the privacy of the candidate
Well, it is natural to feel like you need to know everything about the employee, but looking at the wrong records is not right. Only stick to getting information that is relevant to the position the candidate is pursuing. You are likely to come across information that might lead to a wrong judgment of the candidate’s ability to do the job.
Take away
By avoiding the common mistakes above done during screening, your background checking objectives will be met, and you will hire employees that are well suited for the role.