HR Archives - Screening Intelligence

6 Ways to Streamline the Hiring and Recruiting Process

June 13, 2017 by screeningintel Leave a Comment

When the economy was sluggish and the hiring pool large, employers had more time with the recruiting process and more options. Because of this, time-to-hire windows grew to inflated levels for many companies. Glassdoor.com found that the average interview time frame was as long as 23 days in recent years. However, that is set to change.

As the economy picks up, time-to-hire windows are shrinking. Employers must act quickly in the recruiting process to connect with top talent — before their competitors do.

The following are six tips for streamlining the hiring and recruiting process while still connecting with the best candidates:

1. Combine Quantity with Quality

Instead of spending a lot of time early in the recruiting process with just a few candidates, employers should do brief pre-hire assessments with a large number of applicants, then narrow it down to the ones who are the most promising. Additional time can then be spent with these individuals. The pre-hire assessment should be highly focused and take no more than 30 minutes.

2. Brand Your Workplace

Employers that connect with the top talent tend to have a reputation for being an appealing and desirable place to work. Investing time and effort into marketing the workplace and all its strong suits is often time well spent. This can be done easily and affordably via social media. Today’s workers appreciate cooperative cultures, flexible schedules and an eco-friendly ethos.

3. Use Social Media Screening

Sometimes a look at the LinkedIn, Facebook and other social media profiles of a candidate can assist with rapid pre-screening before the interview phase of the recruiting process. However, employers should take care to do this consistently with each candidate.

4. Recorded Interviews

A current trend that can help streamline the hiring process is online recorded interviews. Having candidates answer questions through an interface that records their answers doesn’t require an interviewer to be present. If the candidate passes this phase, they may then asked to attend an in-person interview.

5. Use Professional Employment Screening

A professional employment screening service is essential for eliminating untrustworthy candidates and bypassing those who could become a liability.

6. Find the Right Hiring Manager

Employers should also consider who is doing the hiring and how efficient and effective they have been. Possible parameters to consider might be first-year turnover rates and employee engagement among the individuals they have hired.

As the economy improves and the talent pool shrinks, top candidates won’t wait around through a lengthy recruiting process and background screening. Employers can use these six tips to streamline their approach and connect with the best workers possible.

Source: https://www.glassdoor.com/research/studies/time-to-hire-study/

Disclaimer Statement: All information presented is never intended as legal advice and is for information purposes only.

6 Key Steps to Compliant Employment Background Screening

April 20, 2017 by screeningintel Leave a Comment

Compliant employment background screening is a trending topic due to Ban-the-Box legislation and the rules that have been enacted as a result. Not complying with laws relevant to applicant rights can lead to lawsuits for business and organizations.

Compliant Employment Background Screening

The following covers six key areas related to compliant employment background screening and best practices in hiring:

1. Use a Compliant Employment Background Screening Worker Consent Form

Having employees agree to all aspects of compliant employment background screening is the first step to being covered for the process. Consent form components should refer to current FCRA legislation as well as state and local laws. Have a lawyer or qualified personnel review the form. Ensure it is in compliance with Fair Chance Acts and Ban-the-Box standards.

2. Use Focused, Selective Screening

Guidelines for which screening packages and services should be ordered for different worker positions should be clearly defined. For example, while a credit report would be relevant for someone seeking a role in financial services, it would not apply to many other positions. The type of screening should always be relevant to the job sought. A professional compliant employment background screening service can take much of the guesswork out of the process.

3. Train Staff Well

All relevant staff members should be fully trained in compliant employment background screening. They should be able to efficiently interpret and apply the information contained within the completed background report in compliance with federal, state and local laws.

4. Apply Screening Results Appropriately

Results should be reviewed in accordance with Individualized Assessment Guidelines from the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). A copy should be provided to the applicant if requested – they have the right to view the entire background report and all screening results.

5. Follow A Fair Negative Action Process When Needed

When taking any action that is not in an applicant’s favor based upon results received in a background check, a fair procedure should be followed. Send the applicant a letter containing a summary of their FCRA rights and a copy of the report as well as a dispute form in case they wish to respond.

6. Be Consistent

When all background results have been received, employers can make a decision about the best candidate for the position. Businesses should bear in mind that the factors used to eliminate a candidate should be consistent and always relevant to the demands of the position.

Laws related to compliant employment background screening are more complex than ever. Employers can help to remain in compliance through the establishment of a well-researched process, training relevant staff members accordingly, staying consistent with each job candidate, and reevaluating their hiring process regularly.

Disclaimer Statement: All information presented is never intended as legal advice and is for information purposes only.

Effective Background Screening And The Unexpected Benefits

March 21, 2017 by screeningintel Leave a Comment

Effective Background Screening

No manager wants to find out the hard way that they’ve hired someone that could put their operations or company perception at risk, but liability shouldn’t be the only motivator when it comes to effective background screening. Determining the truth of your potential employee’s work history and educational achievements, will help you determine the best fit for them within your company. Verifying the information on their resume using employment verification services helps both your company and your new hire start on stable ground and build the foundations of a good working relationship.

Effective Background Screening Benefit #1: Match Background to Company Needs

Resumes are typically tailored to the position an individual is applying for; this is especially true if the job market in that industry is competitive. As a result, schooling that doesn’t directly coincide with perceived position duties might be downplayed or even omitted altogether. When educational history is requested and verified using education verification services, it opens the door to a conversation about what your new hire may be capable of, potentially revealing the capacity for expanded job duties or even a better fit in another open position.

Effective Background Screening Benefit #2: Mitigate Unnecessary Candidate Elimination

Much like any record-keeping system, errors and mistakes do happen. Effective background screening and the subsequent “unpacking” of found information gives the potential new hire a chance to explain irregularities and correct problems to ensure you’re getting the full picture. Willing candidates are often far more abundant than qualified ones, and the effective background screening process gives you the best chance at connecting with quality talent. Going through this effort upfront saves time and resources, unlike hosting a revolving door of unqualified “catch and release” style candidates.

Effective Background Screening Benefit #3: Settling In Goes Faster

When a manager has the chance to peek at what is, essentially, a highlight reel of a candidate’s life, he or she can transition that much faster into onboarding. Finding common ground – a city lived in, a college attended, and so on – helps build familiarity and starts your new hire off on the right foot with their team. While your management team must be cautious not to discuss or question any background check aspects outside the realm of legality, the onboarding process is still a great shortcut toward getting to know a new employee.

Remember: effective background screening doesn’t simply tell you if something is “wrong” or not, the hiring process invites a discussion and exploration of capabilities. Ultimately, those skills and that life experience can prove a huge benefit to your company and add efficiency to your management functions.

Disclaimer Statement: All information presented is never intended as legal advice and is for information purposes only.

5 Key Components of Effective, Compliant Employment Screening

January 30, 2017 by screeningintel Leave a Comment

More and more businesses are using compliant employment screening to ensure they are connecting with the very best candidates for each open position. The U.S. Small Business Administration estimates that for each dollar spent on employment screening, a $5 to $16 ROI is possible. This is due to better worker productivity and attendance, lower turnover, and reduced liability.

Compliant Employment Screening

The following are five of the most essential components for effective, fair and compliant employment screening procedures:

1. Be Sure to Obtain Consent

Applicant consent is foundational and crucial to success in compliant employment screening. This is because the law requires it, as stated in the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA). Employers have a responsibility to make job candidates aware they will be undergoing a background screening check. A signed consent form should be obtained before commencing a compliant employment screening search.

2. Customize Assessments to Each Job

Each job type can potentially require different types of screening. For example, jobs working with children should have screening that scrutinizes past history in terms of crimes and sexual offenses. Jobs that require working with money should involve screening for financial and credit history as well as criminal past. The compliant employment screening used should be appropriate for the job duties required by the position. EEOC guidelines should be considered as individual circumstances are assessed.

3. Be Consistent

One of the most crucial elements of fair and compliant employment screening is consistency in practices. For example, if social media accounts are considered during the screening process for one worker, the same standards should be applied to all job seekers. All applicants should have a fair chance at employment with the company regardless of differences like race, religion, skin color and family status.

4. Screen Temps and Subcontractors

Just because a worker isn’t a permanent or in-house hire doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be held to the same standards as these workers. Every worker, no matter what the status, should be subject to relevant and appropriate employment screening.

5. Partner with a Professional Compliant Employment Screening Company

Businesses should strongly consider working with an experienced, professional employment screening company for this crucial step in their hiring process. An employment screening company can perform a comprehensive range of searches to ensure candidates are top caliber. A professional employment screening company is well-versed in all the laws that govern this realm and can see to it that screening is done effectively.

Employers should consider these five elements to help ensure fair, effective and compliant employment screening.

Disclaimer Statement: All information presented is never intended as legal advice and is for information purposes only.

Leverage Big Data to Hire the Best Employees

November 22, 2016 by screeningintel Leave a Comment

As technology advances, so does pressures from competitors. Regardless of what industry your business is in, your competitors are constantly looking for ways to gain more market share and increase their revenues. You have to do the same to remain competitive. The process starts by hiring the right employees.

Big Data

You need employees that will help you usher your business into the new, innovative state of business. But, how do you do that? You use big data to help you find the right employees.

What Is Big Data?

Today, we process so much data that we have to create new words to capture how much data is processed. It’s enormous. Google processes 20 petabytes of data every day. Facebook processes 500 TB of data each day. Although your business doesn’t process as much data, you certainly process more data than you once ever conceived.

Big data doesn’t refer to the size of the data you process, but how you manipulate that data. It is the science of analyzing large data sets computationally to assess trends and patterns that can benefit your business. It is most helpful when analyzing human behaviors.

Big Data and the Hiring Process

In recent years, both Xerox and Google have used big data to decrease their employee turnover rate. They leveraged the data they have about job candidates to help them select the candidate that was the best fit for their organization. Guess what? It worked.

Personality tests, IQ tests, and skills tests are great tools to help weed out job candidates, but the data generated by these hiring tools aren’t enough alone. By using big data, you can analyze how long a job candidate will remain with your organization by analyzing their resume. With the aid of big data, your business can weed out individuals who don’t meet predetermined thresholds, allowing your human resource representatives to only interview candidates that will be a good fit. Then, you can use the skills aptitude tests and IQ tests to reduce the pool of applicant’s further to help with the interviews and hiring decisions. Within your hiring process, you can use a number of algorithms that assess data from around the United States to ensure you choose the candidate that is the best fit for your organization.

Screening Intelligence understands the power of big data, as our name implies. We encourage you to give us a call or visit our employment screening background checks website to learn more about what our company can do for your background screening process.

Disclaimer Statement: All information presented is never intended as legal advice and is for information purposes only.

6 Key Steps to Compliant Employment Background Screening

The following covers six key areas related to compliant employment background screening and best practices in hiring: