When your company conducts employment background checks, you may be using only a fraction of today’s screening capabilities. Advancements in background screening technologies not only help organizations manage hiring risks but also improve the efficiency of the hiring process, says Tom Turner, vice president of customer success, Corporate Screening.
According to the Professional Background Screening Association, employment background screening is nearly universalOpens a new window among today’s employers, with 94% using it during the hiring process. While some regulated industries, such as healthcare, have a legal requirement to conduct background checks, other organizations do so to make better-informed hiring decisions.
By working with a screening provider that combines best-in-class technology with expert advice and guidance, you can obtain high-quality background check results and improve the overall effectiveness of your hiring process. Screening technology can improve your hiring process workflows in the following ways.
1.Reduce Double-Entry With an ATS Integration
Most recruiters already know the value of an applicant tracking system (ATS) because it simplifies the process of keeping track of thousands of resumes and other candidate details. When integrated with background screening technology, the ATS can also cut down on double-entry and let talent acquisition staff know where candidates are in the screening process.
When your ATS and background screening process work in silos, you may end up entering the same candidate information into two different systems. But when the two are integrated, candidate demographic data flows seamlessly from your ATS to your background screening platform. As a result, you can quickly move from the job offer to the background screening process, which also helps to improve the candidate experience.
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2. Automate the Background Check Disclosure and Authorization Process
The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) requiresOpens a new window employers and background screening companies to provide candidates with specific disclosures and get their authorization before conducting a background check. Though the FCRA recommends keeping disclosure and authorization forms simple and straightforward, many organizations (often unintentionally) violate FCRA requirements and face both regulatory fines and lawsuits. In the last decade, employers have paid out $174 millionOpens a new window to resolve class-action lawsuits related to alleged background check violations.
Background screening technology helps to reduce the risk of FCRA noncompliance by automating the disclosure and authorization process. Screening technology can send FCRA-compliant disclosures to candidates, facilitate their electronic authorization, and store all documents securely. Instead of exchanging disclosure and authorization documents with candidates over email, you can rely on screening technology to handle the process for you.
3. Stay in Compliance With Adverse Action Requirements
Another FCRA requirement is to follow a detailed review processOpens a new window whenever a candidate’s background check results suggest a potential hiring risk. However, before taking adverse action, employers must share background check results with the candidate, provide a pre-adverse action notification, and give candidates time to review and present any new information.
Although the process of reviewing background check results and considering the possibility of adverse action requires human judgment, your background screening provider can configure your screening technology to automate some aspects of your adverse action workflows. Built-in timers can prompt you with reminders when it’s time to prepare for the next phase of the adverse action process, so you stay in compliance with FCRA requirements and operate a fair and thoughtful review process for candidates.
4. Offer Candidates Tools To Simplify Drug Screening
Employment drug screening requires candidates to schedule a visit to a testing facility, but this doesn’t mean the process should be cumbersome or be held up by scheduling delays. With the benefit of mobile, paperless drug screening technology, you can give candidates access to an easy-to-use portal where they can look for testing facilities near their location, schedule their test, and access their results when ready. Paperless drug screening also stores chain of custody details, so candidates don’t have to keep track of paper documents when they go for a drug test.
5. Complete Work Eligibility Verifications More Efficiently
One of the many consistent activities in the hiring process is confirming a candidate’s U.S. work authorization. However, due to the pandemic, you may have more remote candidates and employees than ever before, making it impossible to conduct in-person verification of work eligibility documents such as a passport, birth certificate, or driver’s license.
By working with a background check company that offers electronic I-9 services, you can collect and verify documents virtually and operate a totally paperless I-9 process. You can also integrate E-VerifyOpens a new window with your background screening technology, so you can easily identify individuals with mismatched social security numbers and get notifications of individuals with expiring work authorizations.
Also read: 5 Ways To Speed Hiring Without Sacrificing Quality
6. Stay Informed About Your Workforce With Continuous Monitoring
Background screening technology allows you to take the next step in employment screening after an employee has been hired. For many organizations, post-hire monitoring is not just a “nice to have,†but a requirement. For example, healthcare organizations must satisfy requirements set by the U.S. Office of Inspector General (OIG)Opens a new window and regularly check if their employees have been excluded from healthcare employment by a federal agency. These organizations also need to make sure employee licenses remain valid and free of disciplinary action.
Workforce monitoring technology automates the process of confirming your employees’ continued work eligibility by continuously checking government exclusion and debarment lists. The technology can also automatically send a notification anytime there is information requiring further review. By using always-on continuous monitoring technology, it’s possible to stay fully aware of individuals in your organization who are no longer eligible for employment and those who require a review of their license or other credentials.
Background screening technology is much more than an interface to request background checks and get results. Screening technology can automate key workflows in your hiring process, helping you save time, improve regulatory compliance, and create a better candidate experience.
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