As an employer, the hiring process can be a stressful time. Not only do you have to choose the right person for the job, but you also need to make sure that they are who they say they are.
Making safe and informed hiring decisions requires conducting background and reference checks on potential employees.
There are many reasons why running an employee background check is essential. Perhaps the most obvious reason is to ensure that the person you're hiring is who they say they are.
A background check can also help to reveal any red flags that may be present in an applicant's past, such as educational background or financial instability.
In this deck, you will learn the importance of running employee background and reference checks before hiring and onboarding a new staff.
In this deck, you'll also learn;
1. The basis of employee background check
2. Strategies for carrying out pre-employment checks
3. The significance of background checks to recruitment
4. Why you cannot afford to get recruitment wrong
2. As business leaders, the hiring process can be a stressful
time. Not only do you have to choose the right person for
the job, but you also need to make sure that they are
who they say they are.
Being careful when hiring new employees is essential if
you want to create a solid and real culture in your
organisation. Because of this, it's necessary to evaluate
each application carefully.
Therefore, conducting an employee background and
reference check is important to ensure that you make
safe and informed hiring decisions.
3. A background check analyses a candidate's or employee's past
using criteria established by their current or potential
employer.
Employers typically obtain information about prospective
workers from sources other than the candidates themselves
through background checks and reference checks.
Employers use background checks to evaluate the validity of
the data job candidates submit as part of their applications.
What employee
background
check is!
4. WHAT DOES AN EMPLOYEE BACKGROUND CHECK COVERS
Academic
Qualification
Verification
Previous
Employment
Verification
Guarantors/
Referees
Verification
Address
Verification
Criminal
Record
Verification
Pre-
Employment
Medical Check
01
02
03 06
05
04
5. WHAT DOES AN EMPLOYEE BACKGROUND CHECK COVERS
01 The validity of the certificates that the candidate has submitted is
confirmed. Verification criteria include things like degree class or
grade, issuing date, and graduation year.
In many cases, the process entails direct interaction with or
confirmation from the universities or professional bodies regarding
the legitimacy of the certificates submitted by the applicants.
This can either be done in-house by the hiring company or
outsourced to a professional, independent company specialising in
background checks to save time while ensuring that you, as the
employer receive reliable and impartial information about the
applicants.
Academic Qualification Verification
01
02
03 06
05
04
Read More: 4 Common Pitfalls Leadership Teams Must Avoid
6. WHAT DOES AN EMPLOYEE BACKGROUND CHECK COVERS
02 Direct contact with the applicant's former employer is
necessary for the employment history verification in order to
confirm information about the applicant's previous
employment, including the position/title held, the
employee's performance, pay scale, attitude toward
coworkers, attitude toward returning to work after a break,
general attitude toward work, integrity, and the length of
employment.
This verification process is typically done during the new
hire's probationary period.
If done during the interview or recruiting process, it might
affect the applicant's chances if they were still working at the
time.
Previous Employment Verification
01
02
03 06
05
04
7. WHAT DOES AN EMPLOYEE BACKGROUND CHECK COVERS
03 Information about references and guarantors is typically
included in a candidate's résumé or an employee's bio-data.
A form or questionnaire is supplied to the referees asking
them to provide pertinent information about the applicant.
The information obtained must be kept private and used only
for authorised reasons.
Some organisations may decide which types of people are
appropriate for this reason, such as a former line manager,
former coworker, etc.The guarantor(s) listed by the potential
employee is also subject to verification procedures.
The guarantors, as opposed to the referees, assume
obligation for whatever debt the employee accrues while
working for the organisation.
Guarantors/Referees Verification
01
02
03 06
05
04
Read More: All You Need to Know about Recruitment Process Outsourcing
8. WHAT DOES AN EMPLOYEE BACKGROUND CHECK COVERS
04 Every employer is required to keep records of the people
who work for them, including but not limited to the
following: each employee's name and residence address,
their next of kin, their date of birth, their start date of
employment, etc.
The employer can confirm the correctness of the
information provided by the employee by physically visiting
the address or requesting utility bills, such as those for water
or electricity.
Such documents must include the resident's or occupier's
genuine address, it is expected.
Address Verification
01
02
03 06
05
04
9. WHAT DOES AN EMPLOYEE BACKGROUND CHECK COVERS
05 This is the most crucial component of background checks and pre-
employment screening.Verifying criminal histories ensures a safe
workplace, lowers workplace violence, and considerably reduces
theft and thievery within the organisation.
The Nigerian Police conducts the criminal history check at the
Central Criminal Registry in Nigeria.To find out if the employee
has ever been found guilty or has a criminal record, the potential
hire's fingerprints will be taken and run through a criminal record
database.
Making an informed hiring decision requires knowing an
applicant's criminal history if any.This can also be outsourced to a
third party, like other forms of verification, so that you, as the
hiring organisation, can concentrate on its primary competencies.
Criminal Record Verification
01
02
03 06
05
04
10. WHAT DOES AN EMPLOYEE BACKGROUND CHECK COVERS
06 The candidate's medical certificate of fitness is required before
resuming their new post.
The purpose of having the potential employee undergo a medical
examination at a specific facility chosen by the employing
organisation is to preserve the validity of the results.
The results will show whether or not a potential employee is
medically qualified for the job at hand.
Pre-Employment Medical Check
01
02
03 06
05
04
Read More: 5 Costly HR Mistakes That Companies Make & Implications
11. The Importance of
Background Checks
While organisations frequently take applicants' honesty into account
during interviews, however, others may choose to conceal some
information.
If left unchecked, this could harm the organisation's reputation in the
future.
The following are some reasons why a company should do an
employment background check:
1. To protect your organisation and workforce
2. Reduced Long-Term Costs
3. Better Understanding of Whether the Candidate Can Meet Job
Expectations
4. Informed decision
5. Prevent Frauds
12. 1.To protect your organisation and
workforce
It is your duty as an employer to safeguard everyone
associated with your organisation. This includes your
employees, business partners, and clients.
Background checks also serve the preventative aim of
ensuring the safety of your business and your associates.
Although conducting background checks might be a
touchy subject, it's crucial to be open and honest with
your prospects about them.
13. 2. Reduced Long-Term Costs
Pre-employment screening involves more than just checking a
candidate's resume to ensure they haven't lied about anything.
Additionally, there are numerous possible long-term advantages to
employment history checks. For example, you'll lessen your likelihood of
making an ill-informed or prejudiced recruiting judgment the more you
understand about your potential applicant before hiring them.
It's possible that you may need to rehire someone more suited for the role
if it turns out that you made an ill-informed hiring choice based on
falsified information on the candidate's CV. In addition, it can be costly to
go through the hiring, training, and recruitment processes.
14. 3. Better Understanding of Whether the
Candidate Can Meet Job Expectations
Although verifying the validity of the candidate's CV is the major
benefit of conducting a work history check, there are also following
side benefits.
So, by using work history checks, you may find out whether a
candidate has misled you about their ability to fulfill your job
requirements or whether they genuinely are able to do so. Asking if
they have ever held a position with comparable expectations is an
excellent screening method.
When additional complementary background checks, such as
reference checks or competency assessments, are included, your
comprehension of a candidate's ability to meet the job standards is
further improved.
Read More: Why You Should Consider Employee Competency Audit
15. 4. Informed decision
Before making a final judgment, hiring managers can make better
decisions by conducting background checks on candidates.
Without background checks, there is a considerable likelihood of
running across some unknown variables.
However, you can feel much more confident and make the best
decision with a complete background check.
16. 5. Prevent Frauds
Background checks can aid in thwarting fraud.There are
numerous workplace scams, including faking job or
educational information, assuming fraudulent identities to
obtain employment, and assuming clients' identities while
acting as employees.
Employers can identify these issues before they arise and
take the appropriate action to address them by conducting
thorough background checks throughout the hiring process.
Read More: 7 Most Common Leadership Development Pitfalls to
Avoid
17. In conclusion
Background checks on employees should be taken
more seriously by organisations.
While looking into applicants' backgrounds for
sensitive positions makes sense, employers may also
do so for those looking for jobs lower on the
organisational ladder.
It may mean the difference between an organisation's
success and failure.
New hires can be your organisation's greatest asset or
biggest risk.Therefore, pre-employment screening is
helpful in this situation.
18. What
can we
do for
you?
Verifying employment history aids in creating a known association,
just as a reference check.
At Workforce Group, we think implementing employment history
checks may help all organizations and industries hire better and
protect themselves against application fraud.
Employment history verifications byWorkforce Group will assist you
in making the best hiring decision by providing accurate and unbiased
information about a candidate's background and reliability.
Contact one of our employment screening specialists right now if you
want more information about your organisation's employment
screening requirements.
21. What we do
We help organisations solve problems around:
Staff Payroll
Management
Performance management
support
Health insurance management
Executive, Experienced and
Graduate Recruitment
Staff onboarding and
training
Staff records
management
Leave and exit
management
Background
verification
Strategy Development and
Execution
Digital Learning Function Specific
Programmes
Leadership
Development
Digital Content Creation and
Conversion
Assessment and
Development centre
Occupational testing
and Success Profiling
Independent Contractor
Management
Assessor skills training
Professional Employer
Organisation
Employer of Record
Recruitment Process
Outsourcing
22. Workforce by Numbers
17
Year-old Startup
8
Businesses
120+
Consultants
20
African Countries
8000+
Outsourced
Employees
1200-
capacity
Learning Facility
115+
Computer-based
test facility
250+
Clients
10+
Industries Served
36
States in Nigeria