Since hiring new employees requires such a large investment, a healthy dose of skepticism is essential. Thus, a company cannot simply select a candidate based on the information provided on the candidate’s resume.

How can a company be so sure that their candidates are who they say they are on their resumes? A resume is filled with self-proclaimed statements that definitely need to be verified before consideration.

Hence, in practice, a recruiter should perform or have a third party perform verification of their candidates’ resumes.

Verification is an effort to examine the truth, validity, or suitability of a statement or information. In the world of recruitment, verification is carried out to ensure that the data or information received from candidates is correct and can be accounted for.

Verification not only confirms the position and working period of a candidate but also accounts for other key aspects, such as the candidate’s work competency, which serves as a reference for your company.

However, in practice, recruiters often need the assistance of a third party to verify potential employees. This holds true for several reasons. First, verification necessitates certain competencies and skills. Second, verification takes time. Third, companies may not have access to information on specific databases that a third party normally has access to, such as databases with criminal and bankruptcy information.

There are at least four mandatory questions that need to be asked during an employment check:

1. The reason the candidate resigned from their previous job

The recruiter may use this information to consider the candidate’s motives, characteristics, and suitability for the job offered.

This question is quite essential, as proven by a recent case that took place: after the verification process, the company found that the candidate had quit his previous job because he was involved in a case of falsifying medical test results. The candidate had used fake lab test results to obtain sick leave for a period of one month. This contrasts with the candidate’s claim that he quit to pursue a better career path. This finding should raise a red flag for organizations that are considering hiring him.

2. Track record at work

A candidate’s resume might look good, but it is vital for the company to delve into the candidate’s track record during their tenure. Many cases uncovered that the candidate had a negative track record, such as being involved in bribery or violations at their former company.

An adverse record is likely to go unnoticed on the candidate’s resume. They can only be discovered through verification, which includes asking probing questions and checking the candidate’s criminal background.

3. Unfinished business

Before leaving a company, an employee might have to release obligations and assets while they worked there. These obligations can be in the form of debts to the company that have not been paid off.

Of course, this is not recorded in resumes. Therefore, verification is needed to ensure that the candidate does not have this issue, so it does not affect their performance at the new company.

4. The job performance of the candidate

The candidate’s work performance is a mandatory question because it shows the actual ability and competence of the candidate from previous work experience. This information can be obtained by verifying with the former employer of the prospective employee.

Should you need any further information about employment checks, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Putri

Photo by Shridhar Guptaon Unsplash