Employee screening is the process of verifying a potential candidate’s work history, education, professional qualifications and any criminal records they might have. It is good practice to do these before finalising an employment offer or signing a contract, ensuring the candidate meets the company’s standards and requirements. The purpose of the checks should be clearly communicated, and Employers are required to obtain written consent of the candidate before conducting these.
Employers may well be blind-sided by “prestigious” employers being listed in a candidate’s employment history or references. However, these references should be verified, as they can be fraudulent. Without verifying the information received, this exposes the company to risks, including reputational damage. An interview alone is not sufficient to assess a candidate fully. Falsified references signal a lack of integrity which should raise concerns for the company.
The common types of employee checks include but not limited to the following:
- Credit checks
- Criminal record
- ID verification
- Company credit check
- Social media and internet exposure
- South African Fraud Prevention Services (SAFPS)
- Court cases
- Directorship search (CIPC)
- Person contacts trace
- Photo-enhanced ID verification and contact trace
- Trust Information search, and
- Marital status.
Employee screening provides the employer with the information necessary to pre-emptively discover the risk, or lack thereof, of a candidate. Not only does employee screening ensure you find the right candidate, but it also provides long-term financial savings, this is due to the decrease in needing to hire and fire people until you find the correct person for the job.
When conducting a CV reference check, it is important to verify that the listed companies are legitimate and that the email addresses provided for references are valid and associated with those companies. For instance, a candidate will state that they worked for XYZ company and provide a reference from their boss at XYZ company but the email address of the person writing the reference is something like boss@ZYXcompany.com.
A bad hire could cost your company a significant amount of money in the long term. Employers are advised to contact a reputable screening company for real-time verifications or instant checks.