How Background Screening Integrations Transform Your Hiring Process

Recruiters are often faced with two opposing hiring strategies: Hiring quickly to avoid losing good candidates and hiring thoroughly to avoid hiring bad employees. While there is the common misconception that background checks increase time to hire, with some planning and thought, you can conduct efficient background screens while actually decreasing your hiring time. One of the easiest ways to do so is by integrating your applicant tracking system (ATS) with your background screening (BGS) program. Integrations are the transformation your hiring process has been looking for.

How common are background screening integrations?

In her SHRM webinar, Pamela Devata, employment attorney and equity partner at Seyfarth Shaw, discovered that half of her webinar attendees don’t use any integration between their applicant tracking system and their background screenings. More specifically, less than a quarter said they do, 18 percent said they just use their background screening company’s portal, and 8 percent said they didn’t know. 

So why are so many organizations not using background screening integrations? Many HR pros chalk it up to time. While it's true that some BGS providers can take weeks to integrate, providers like Verified First can take as little as 10 minutes. Integrating your background screening platform into your ATS, gives you a great opportunity to get ahead in today’s competitive hiring market. With competition as high as it is, it’s important to think about long-term time savers; BGS integrations are a great place to start.

What are the benefits of integrations? 

According to Aptitude Research, 60 percent of recruiters say that candidate experience is one of their top priorities. However, candidates are often frustrated when they have to submit the same information multiple times. For example, an original job application might require a candidate’s contact information and address, as would a background check. When you combine your ATS with your background screening, you significantly decrease repetitive data entry. 

There’s also time saved on the recruiter’s side. When your HR team has to log into multiple platforms during the hiring process, they not only lose time, but they potentially lose data, which could cause you to lose track of your top candidates. Keeping your ATS and your background screenings in one program will quickly increase both time and efficiency.

How to integrate your background screening program with your ATS

Some HR teams have wanted to integrate their background screens with their ATS, but they’re concerned about the time it takes. Honestly, the integration process depends on your ATS and your background screening provider. Some background screening providers aren’t compatible with some applicant tracking systems, and vice versa. So, when you’re looking into BGS integrations, find a background screening provider that is not only compatible, but find one that makes things easier for you. For example, Verified First has integration compatibility with more than 100 ATS providers, and it takes just minutes to get started. 

Other ways to transform your screening process 

Integrating your background screening provider with your applicant tracking system is an easy first step to balancing time-to-hire with quality-to-hire, but there are a variety of other tactics. For more tips and tricks on transforming your hiring and screening process, watch Pamela Devata’s webinar, “Do more thorough candidate screens in less time.”