How Do You Ensure Accurate Background Checks for New Hires Before They Start?

jameslewis
Standard Process for Conducting Background Verification for New Hires

The standard process for background verification of new hires typically involves conducting checks on the candidate's education, employment history, criminal record, and references. These verifications are usually performed before the candidate officially joins the organization. This ensures that the information provided by the candidate is accurate and maintains the integrity of the hiring process. By completing the background verification before the candidate starts their employment, the organization can make informed decisions based on the results of the checks.
kamesh333
Before making a decision to hire, we need to obtain feedback from the employee regarding their behavior. Based on this feedback, we will decide whether to hire or not. Therefore, this evaluation should be done before issuing the offer letter.

Regards,
Kamesh
sudhirkumar.hr
Before hiring, HR personnel should conduct a credential check on the candidate to determine their suitability. This verification process involves obtaining feedback from the HR manager of the candidate's previous employment. I have personally executed this procedure in my previous role, particularly within the hotel industry.

Regards,
Sudhir Kumar
jameslewis
As per my knowledge, in one of the organizations, they conducted a professional reference check and then provided the candidate with an offer letter. When the candidate accepted the offer, they asked him to produce copies of his previous employment service certificates/experience certificates, educational certificates (like degree certificates, mark sheets), professional references, and payslips for background verification.

The offer letter states that the offer/employment is conditional on a good background verification. So, the question arises: will the background verification be done before he joins the company or after he joins the company?

Thanks.
sudhirkumar.hr
Background verification will be done before joining the company, and it will proceed to the final round of the interview.

Regards,
Sudhir Kumar
jameslewis
The candidate has been asked to provide documents for background verification only after the final interview was done, and he accepted the offer. He has not joined the organization yet. As he has recently moved back to India and is not sure about the background verification process, he is unable to decide whether to resign from his current organization or not.

He wants to know at what stage the background verification is done and the offer is confirmed. Based on that, he would like to determine at what stage he needs to resign from his current company.

Thanks,
James
Satpreet Kaur
This is industry and position-specific. For instance, in banking services, the complete verification is done before the employee joins or for employees joining at critical positions, their background verification is done beforehand.

In some organizations, the professional reference check is done before the employees join, and the full-fledged background check is conducted through the agency at the time of joining. This is because there is always a possibility that the candidate may withdraw the offer, and the company would not wish to bear the cost of the background check for a candidate not joining.
jameslewis
Can the candidate then insist HR conduct the BGC and join after the BGC is completed? Otherwise, he is risking his job if he joins before the BGC is completed.
rohits543
It totally depends on the employer who is hiring you, whether they want to conduct pre-employment verification or post-employment verification. Generally, pre-employment verification is done for senior positions only.

If you want to know anything else regarding background verification, your queries are most welcome. You can email your queries to [Email Removed For Privacy Reasons].

Regards
Satpreet Kaur
Background verification is done as per the company's norms, not based on the candidate's wish. Why would a candidate worry about the background verification if they are not cheating?
TerryNo2
We usually undertake background checks after we have issued our offer of employment and the prospective new employee has accepted. This is because we obtain references from former employers. If we were to jump the gun and obtain references before the offer is accepted, it could cause all kinds of complications.

Having said that, on occasion, we have asked for some information in advance of an offer being accepted, such as a copy of a passport and university/education certificates. In the UK, we also run a criminal records bureau check.

In addition to the above, we also ask for references from the most recent employer and one past employer. If this isn't possible, we will accept a reference from a university.

If an employee resigns from his last position and the references you receive on him are negative, then it would seem to indicate that the new employee has not been entirely honest with you from the beginning. If he left his last employer on bad terms, then he should have disclosed that at the start, no matter how difficult it may be, to avoid any surprises.

Obviously, if a prospective new employee is currently unemployed, then all checks can be completed before an offer is issued. However, good employees might not wait for you...

It's just one thought. I hope this helps.
kaushikbhowal
I fail to see the effectiveness of conducting background checks in most cases. There have been numerous instances where previous employers might give negative feedback about an employee out of frustration at losing him/her to a competitor. This may be especially true in cases of outstanding employees whom an organization does not want to lose.

As far as criminal records are concerned, in many countries, refusing offers based on a previous legal problem dating back many years is considered discriminatory.

Until a few years back, very few organizations conducted background checks. Employers went with instinct and an ability to judge and trust people whom they were recruiting, and many times they were rewarded for their trust. These employees went on to serve their organizations for many years. In today's age, if someone sticks to a company for a year, he is considered stable.
Satpreet Kaur
I would not completely agree with Kaushikbhowal, as I have myself seen a couple of cases where employees had forged their documents just to get the job opportunity, and they were sacked after due course of disciplinary proceedings. There may also be cases where the Line Manager would have given negative feedback due to frustration or some personal grudges, but as these are subjective matters, employees are given a chance of a fair trial to counter the allegations.
TerryNo2
There may be some merit in trusting your judgment, provided that you are infallible, but I do really think that conducting some due diligence on a prospective new employee is important. How do you know that he worked at his former employer? How do you know that he has the qualifications he speaks of? How do you know he has the right to work in the country? How do you know he is who he says he is? How do you know he is of good character? Do you want to employ a person in a financial services company if he has a criminal record? Obviously, people can tell untruths and they can provide false documentation.

Importance of Verification Checks

But as an HR professional, is it really best practice to say that you have employed a person because he was nicely spoken and told a good story at an interview (even though it might be completely untrue, because you haven't checked anything)? That's all I am saying. I will always conduct verification checks.

Thank you for your time.

Regards,
Terry
TerryNo2
As an additional contribution to this subject, here is something I use for references to past employers:

XXXXX has been offered a position as XXXXXXX with our Company. He/She has given us permission to approach you for a reference. This reference is to enable us to meet our obligations to the Financial Services Authority and for our own internal purposes. Will you please complete the questions below, then sign and date the declaration and return it to me? If you would like to make any additional comments, then please continue onto a separate sheet of paper if necessary. Thank you very much for your assistance.

1. In what capacity have you known the applicant?

2. How would you describe the applicant's fulfillment of his/her role with your firm?

3. Would you describe the applicant's general level of competence in relation to investment business as: (please circle)

Very Good Good Average Poor Don't Know

4. It is important that those involved in the financial services industry should be conscientious. Would you describe the standard of care that the applicant is likely to take in exercising his responsibilities as: (please circle)

Very Good Good Average Poor Don't Know

5. It is important that those involved in the financial services industry be totally honest. In your opinion, does this description fit the applicant? (please circle)

Yes No

6. Would you re-employ the applicant?

7. Is there anything else you would like to add?
kaushikbhowal
Just as the HR manager's judgment may not be infallible, the reference check report may also be flawed. Most of the time, prospective employees provide references of people with whom they share a cordial relationship in their previous organizations, thus ensuring that the feedback provided is positive. How does that ensure a fair background check?

Similarly, just because an individual may have made some mistakes in one of his previous assignments but has redeemed himself, is it fair to reject him based on negative feedback from history?
V. Rangarajan
This is carried out normally before a candidate joins the organization. I am a consultant undertaking this in South locations. Normally, the candidates are made aware of this process. In fact, we continue this even after the candidates join the organization. Two things need to be clear: honesty and sincerity in the service rendered and the details provided in the profile. All other materials are subject to these primary concerns. If the candidates are above board in these areas, there is no need to worry on any grounds.

Background checks or not, one has to be sincere and honest in a larger concept in career and personal lives.

Regards,
Rangarajan. V.
AadityaVerma
I think the employer should verify all the documents before the joining of any person legally. The benefit is for both the employee and the employer so that they are secure and safe to hire.
meesha.punn
Importance of Pre-Hire Background Verification

If you perform background verification after hiring an employee and later find out that they are not the right fit for your job, you would have to begin the recruitment process from scratch. This would require you to spend extra time and money. Thus, it is better to perform background verification prior to hiring an individual. Once you have made the decision to appoint a candidate, it is the time you should verify their work history to ensure that the individual has all the skills required for the job and ascertain that the employment details provided are genuine.

Using Online Verification Tools

As far as performing past employment verification is concerned, you can count on one of the many online verification tools available nowadays. These tools have accelerated the process and help save your time, money, and resources. One reliable platform is Verified Resources. It asks for factual information related to the past employment of a candidate and delivers quick as well as accurate results that can help make the right hiring decisions.

I personally use Verified Resources to bring the right candidate on board. You can try using it too. Here is the link: www.verifiedresources.com.

Thanks,

Meesha
pankaj-kumar1
Background Verification Without an Offer Letter

If a company wants to conduct background verification (BGV) without an offer letter, I think the company is wasting money, especially if the candidate denies the offer. How do companies recover that data? Do they sell the candidate data to other parties in need?

Ethical Concerns and Tactics

Is this a new concept for consultants or a tactic for budget-conscious companies to earn money and obtain personal information from educated candidates earning substantial salaries?

Ethical Standpoint on Collecting PII

From an ethical standpoint, how are you authorized to collect Personally Identifiable Information (PII) without providing the offer letter to potential candidates? If this data were sold to a malicious entity, how would a candidate file a police complaint for the data leak?
raj-patil1
Background checks can be done at any stage. Nowadays, employers reserve the right to terminate an employee at any stage if the information provided in the application is found to be false or incorrect. I have come across a situation where an employee was terminated after working for almost 8 months because the experience certificate submitted was false.
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