Why employers should background screen new employees.

Rachel Bedgood, CEO of Complete Background Screening believes it is crucial to vet candidates before bringing them into your business in order to really know who you’re hiring. She explains why this is so important and tells us how informative background checks can actually be.

Recruiting a new member of staff can be a scary prospect as you are searching for an individual to join your trusted team as, they will be an extension of your business. You clearly want to bring someone into your business who is experienced, who is right for the job and who is qualified. You may also be searching for a person who will fit into your team or business culture with ease. Traditionally, employers have relied on CVs for this information, but as more CVs are being proven to be false or inaccurate, background screening is becoming a crucial resource for businesses.

According to research, around 80% of CVs have been proven to be inaccurate. This could mean that a qualification has been exaggerated or perhaps the candidate doesn’t have the experience that is boasted on the paper in front of you. Recent studies have also shown that 11% of people have claimed to have a degree on their CV when in actual fact, they don’t. A lot of the time, hiring without a background screening process in place usually means that employers are hiring from gut feeling and rely on the impression given during the interview process. But research has shown that doing this leads to a 50% hiring failure rate, meaning extra costs in the long run and more time that your HR team will spend searching for the next perfect candidate. As a business owner, it’s crucial to look at these figures and realise you cannot afford for that to happen.

Background checks can expose any lies and will provide you with accurate information before employing a new candidate. For example, background checks can look at any potential criminal history and can also give you a referencing check on your candidate so that the information they have put on their CV can be validated. This may also help you to predict how they will work within your team. Some employers may feel that this is an extreme measure before recruiting a new team member but actually, 11% of background checks highlight a criminal history which was not originally mentioned. At CBS, this week we exposed three false criminal histories, helping our clients to keep on top of safeguarding and employment procedures. Not doing these checks can compromise your brand and the safety of your employees and the people that you work with. Also, from an education aspect, it has been found that one third of jobseeker exaggerate their qualifications on a CV. Unfortunately, more people lie than you would expect and it’s our job to get to the truth.

There has been so much research conducted around CVs and their inaccuracy over the last several years which cannot and shouldn’t be ignored. Before you make a job offer to any candidate, you need to be sure that you have all the facts and don’t rely on the information that the candidate gives you. A background check can provide you with all the information that you would need to make an informed decision and if you want to have a better chance of a successful hire, you need to be implementing this process.

If you would like any more information about services from CBS or would like to speak to a member of the team, you can call: 01443 799 900 or email: info@cbscreening.co.uk

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