Conducting background checks on top talent candidates is a crucial part of a successful hiring process. At the Key Recruitment Group, we pride ourselves with connecting Top Talented Candidates with Excellent Employers! As part of the process of ensuring the integrity and quality of our candidates we carry out extensive background screening.
What is a Background Check?
A background check is also known as background screening, and is the process of checking and verifying an employment candidate’s information. It’s an essential hiring step even when a candidate appears highly qualified, well experienced and ostensibly has a good reputation. Information gathered during a background check is used to verify whether or not an individual or organisation is being truthful and transparent about their credentials. It’s a proactive step in identifying and reducing or mitigating potential hiring and procurement risk. When a background check is properly carried out it is based on tangible available information.
Why Conduct a Background Check?
A background check might seem like an unnecessary and additional hiring cost, however screening a candidate ensures that they are who they claim to be. Allan Pike, The Key Recruitment Group CEO, offers a cautionary note for interviewers, stating “the more you like someone, the more careful you need to be in the employment decision process”. He adds “charm can be deceptive and beauty equally distracting, causing interviewers to potentially miss or overlook critical reassuring components of the background checking process”.
The result is that the time and money spent on a reliable employee screening process is a time and resource saver in the longer-term. A screening process exposes red flags which could reveal if someone is suitable for a position. For example, a thorough background check could uncover false credentials, a history of fraud, regulation violations or mismanagement of staff. Practically, failure to conduct a proper background check could result in a company incurring fines, lawsuits or loss of licence. Hiring someone who isn’t a good company cultural fit can also result in increased staff attrition and harm a business’s reputation.
7 Reasons to Conduct a Background Check
- Confirm credentials and experience.
- Judge integrity and trustworthiness.
- Protect company reputation.
- Minimalise legal and compliance risks.
- Better ensure culture fit.
- Time saving.
- Long-term cost reduction.
The process of conducting background checks has always been especially important for employers in industries that require high security or a position of trust. For example, at a school, hospital, financial institution, airport, and national services or state-owned entities. More recently, the globalisation of business and operating markets as well as hiring and procurement has escalated competitiveness. At the same time there has been an increased awareness of reputational and financial risks associated with unsuitable staff or supplier appointment. The result is that the need to have trusted employees and suppliers and the desire to mitigate and manage risks is greater than ever. Consequently, the practice of background screening has experienced steady growth across all industries.
When are Background Checks Carried Out?
Usually, a background check is part of a screening process on potential employee candidates. However, it may also be carried out during a probation period or when someone is already employed. Background checks are also conducted on potential suppliers. These have the added purpose of verifying if a supplier’s operations and practices are above board and compliant with the legislation of the country.
How are Background Checks Conducted?
The Key Recruitment Group’s recruitment process involves extensive background screening that offers a wide variety of checks. Accordingly, we verify qualifications, carry out identity, criminal record and credit checks, as well as review references and employment history. These can be conducted on individuals based in South Africa and internationally. Our screening process includes using MIE to ensure the integrity and quality of our candidates.
Should you require a background check on yourself or a potential new hire, Contact Us, we are happy to assist!
Why use a Recruitment Company for Background Checks
Many companies opt to use a recruitment company in their hiring process rather than doing it in-house. This is due to the significant advantages that partnering with a reputable and experienced recruitment firm offers.
5 Advantages of Using a Recruitment Company
- Use experts to access a bigger and more diverse talent pool.
- Increased accuracy and interpretation of candidate information.
- Time and resource efficiency.
- Compliance and risk reduction.
- Enhanced consistency, objectivity and fairness.
The Key Recruitment Group is experienced in assisting clients to hire faster, smarter and with increased confidence. Our background checks ensure top talented candidates and minimise recruitment risks. Get in Touch today and we will help you by doing what we do best, finding the right fit for your vacancy.
FAQs:
1. What is a background check?
A background check is used to verify a job applicant’s qualifications and employment history. It usually includes an identity and criminal record check, verifying professional certifications, confirming qualifications and reviewing references.
2. Why does a company perform a background check?
Company’s use background checks to verify that candidates meet their job and industry compliance requirements. Background checks also better ensure the quality and integrity of a company’s workforce.
3. Are candidates notified when a background check is carried out?
Yes, ahead of a background check, in accordance with legal requirements, candidates are required to sign consent.