Tips for Selecting a Screening Partner with Updated Information

Hiring the wrong candidate can cost you. To fill a position with a new hire in 2022, your company will have to pay around $16,999. But that’s not even a fraction of what it costs to replace a bad hire. Gallup states that replacing an individual can range from one-half to two times the employee’s annual salary. That’s a lot of money for one error! 

Background screening is a critical component of the hiring process. But selecting the wrong screening partner comes with its own list of potential downfalls. If your needs aren’t met or the partnership isn’t a good fit, you’ll be wasting even more time and money. All in all, you want to select a screening partner that’s the perfect fit for your organization. 

To help, we’ve updated our list of tips to help you select the right screening partner. Check out these ways you can ensure your potential screening partner will fulfill your every screening need. 

1. Start by Looking Internally

In order to assess screening partners, you need to start by assessing your own needs. Background screening needs vary by industry and position. For example, the required types of screens in the healthcare profession won’t translate over to the needed screens in transportation. Or maybe it’s a mix of both. Maybe you have a specific opening for a driver who transports patients between units. The needed screens for that position could be a combination of screens from different industries, and you want one provider to handle them all.

Confused yet? You don’t have to be. A screening partner should have the knowledge of what types of screens they offer and how those screens overlap between industries. All you need to do is present a potential partner with an internal needs analysis. 

An internal needs analysis is an exploration of an organization’s strengths and weaknesses and how they want to improve. According to the 2021 TA Tech Buyer’s Guide, you can conduct an internal needs analysis on potential screening partners by determining:

• The success of your current provider in offering accurate and compliant results
• The type of screens you need 
• The number of screens you do in a year
• The company’s rescreening policy (if any)
• The support needed from additional resources (IT, leadership, etc.)
• The infrastructure of your current HR tech stack

This information will help distinguish which provider can best support you in your screening needs now and in the future.

2. Keep Compliance Top of Mind 

According to SHRM experts, the best background screening providers are accredited by the Professional Background Screening Association (PBSA). When a company possesses this accreditation, you know that the provider has been audited to confirm it adheres to best practices in procedures and policies. In short, the best screening provider will always conduct compliant screens.

The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) provides guidelines for every screening company in how they acquire the information to run a background check. This law ensures accuracy, fairness, and privacy in how the information is acquired and processed. And that’s not the only law providers must abide by. Background checks must comply with both federal and state legislation.

To get a sense of a provider’s ability to protect your information and maintain compliance, consider asking them these questions:

• Are your checks conducted in the United States or overseas?
• How often do you keep up with state and federal screening policies?
• How will my candidate’s information be protected?
• Are your checks conducted in real-time?

3. Ensure a Positive Candidate Experience

The background screening process significantly impacts the candidate experience. According to CareerBuilder, about 2 out of 5 employers have lost candidates due to poor experiences with their background screening process. Most background checks are run when a hiring decision is being made, making it critical to have accurate and on-time data. No one wants to keep a quality candidate waiting.

Top partners will be innovative in the way they offer solutions. Many offer unique capabilities that improve the overall candidate experience like:

• Text updates - To update candidates on their screens and keep them in the know on the screening process
• Feedback opportunities - Forms or other ways of gathering candidate feedback on the screening process 
• Assessments on mobile devices - Candidates can fill out information from their phones without having to use a computer

Considering your needs and the candidate experience will bring you closer to selecting the right background screening partner for your organization! 

4. Opt for Efficiency 

Automating screening capabilities can improve efficiency and reduce the administrative burden placed on recruiters and hiring teams. 

An efficient screening provider should be able to do it all. A stat from the 2022 TA Tech Buyer’s Guide states that a solid TA platform will include four major tech solutions: CRM, ATS, onboarding, and internal mobility. Finding a background screening partner with integration capabilities that matches your existing technology infrastructure enables a better experience, eliminates manual processes and improves data quality and consistency. Thus, you save your team time to devote to other recruiting and onboarding processes. 

In conclusion:

Choosing a screening partner that’s the right fit for your company can be a big undertaking. A screening partner is an important relationship that should help grow your employee base. Fortunately, Verified First makes the screening process easy through our integration capabilities and client care.  See what else we can do to streamline your hiring process and create the best screening experience for your company.