What is Background Verification?
It is now a requirement of the hiring process to conduct background checks on prospective employees. Background verification appear to be becoming more effective with time. Employers are thoroughly checking candidates past credentials.
Background verification appear to be becoming more effective with time. Employers are thoroughly checking candidates past credentials.
Maintaining Quality
Improved Regulatory Compliance
Reduced Risk of Negligent Hiring
How does – BGV performed and what is the procedure?
Companies cannot afford even a small mistake on a CV in light of the evolving workplace and new data privacy requirements. Your years-earned market reputation can be destroyed by hiring the wrong applicant.
At Crystal, background check procedure is made possible by our real-time verification capabilities. Our data-driven checks deliver accurate results more rapidly, and you may easily verify thousands of employees.
A few quick background check procedures can lead to a beneficial change in your company.
Employment Check
Sometimes candidates/ job-seekers would give false information about themselves in an effort to land the position or try to pass off someone else’s experience as their own. Although it is simple to identify that during the interviews, there are situations when they are still able to sneak in even with all the checks in place. Companies therefore rely on immediately validating the information with the previous company.
Education Check
The education verification process is one of the most important aspects of background screening. The workforce of today needs to have some form of educational qualification for their work, be it a blue-collar job or a white-collar one. Understandably, companies might want to trust the applicant’s educational qualification based on the appearance of their documents. However, it is extremely important to legally check any educational claims made by the candidate.
The market conditions are increasingly becoming tougher, forcing
Identity Verification
This is the most important thing that companies examine to see if the applicant they are interviewing is indeed who they claim to be. Additional documentation are requested to confirm the identity in the event of any discrepancies. Here, businesses check the fundamental information such as name, age, sex, location, citizenship, and country of residency. An identity verification authenticates the national ID’s of the individual such as Voter’s ID, Passport, driving license and so on, and validate whether the individual submitting the documents is who he claims to be depends on a number of factors.
Address Verification
Address validation is the process of comparing the candidate’s provided permanent and current addresses to a reliable database and physically verifying the address to ensure its validity.There have been examples of staff who vanish after making client account defaults. Address verification will be helpful in finding such defaulters as well as preventing such concerns. We at Crystal, carry out this check by sending a field officer to the given address to verify the address information, the length of stay, the ownership status, and the information of other occupants. If the door is locked or the address is incomplete, we proceed to verify the information with locals in the area and the nearest courier and post office.
Criminal Court Record Check
Checking a person’s criminal record in order to determine their trustworthiness is known as criminal verification. The criminal history of a candidate should be considered before hiring. Knowing their history will enable the organization to choose the best course of action while balancing risk and corporate standards.
Crystal ensures the information is correct and validated by looking up any court records associated with criminal or civil litigation for any cases filed against the name of the candidate in the police station records.
Global Database Search
Global Database is a database of Politically Exposed Persons (PEPs) and heightened risk individuals and organizations is used around the world to help to identify and manage financial, regulatory and reputational risk.
The creation of the database was in response to legislation aimed at reducing the incidence of financial crimes. To begin with, World-Check’s intelligence was used by banks and financial institutions as a
Drug Test
Employers should consider pre-employment and employment drug screening for the presence of prescription and illicit drugs because it helps them maintain a safer, more productive workplace. This will decrease employee absenteeism rates as well as turnover; prevent accidents from occurring on site or near sites where construction is happening (therefore lowering risk), identify any potential future problems before they become serious issues by identifying those employees consistently displaying suspicious behaviour patterns around certain substances – all this with lower workers compensation premiums too.
Crystal conducted all panel of drug test, hair panel test and complete health check-ups.
What are CRYSTAL’s USPs for the BGV?
- Exclusive databases: Ability to access over 10000+ academic institutions. Contact established with over 18000+ employers.
- Industry knowledge
- Adaptable and customizable
- New BGV request initiation with a single click
- Real-time tracking of each BGV check’s progress
- The fastest turnaround-time
- Dedicated customer relationship team (Single point of contact)
- Vigorous platform to scale up operations instantly
Easy steps – BGV cases initiation via PORTAL?
To start the BGV process, Candidates receive an Email from Employer or Crystal Screening to complete the document submission process through a BGV form and upload the necessary documents. Candidate will also signed consent form for verification.
Update all the information and documents then select the checks you want to conduct like Residence, Education, ID, Employment, etc. And HR will perform the quality check and approve once it is received.
The BGV cases provided to CRYSTAL can be tracked and followed-up through the HR Dashboard on real time basis.
Why is background verification important?
There are countless reasons why background checks are important, but we wanted to highlight three main reasons that we believe are crucial to every firm.
- Conducting a thorough background check contributes to the perception that the applicant you’re hiring is well-qualified and has the necessary experience for the position. This is crucial since you do not want a lack of expertise to cause your project to be delayed or leave deliverables unfinished.
- Background checks before onboarding provide mental peace and eliminate liabilities about candidate qualifications and whether or not their credentials are accurate.
- The candidate’s honesty and integrity, which are among the most crucial characteristics that provide value to the organisation over the long term, are demonstrated by a positive background check.
Faq – Frequently Asked Questions
Why is Employee Moonlighting/ Dual Employment Check Important?
Employers give substantial resources to recruiting, hiring, and training their employees. Consequently, they expect their employees to be loyal to their primary job and give their best effort to help the company achieve its goals. But, employees who work multiple jobs may not be able to fulfill their commitments to their primary employer. This can lead to dwindled the productivity, missed deadlines, and deprived job performance. Moreover, employees engaged in multiple jobs may use company time, resources, and copyrighted information to promote their secondary job or business. By verifying whether an employee is working for another company, running their own business, or self-employed, employers can detect and inhibit any clashes of interest.
How does digital address verification happen?
In digital verification a link is share you with on SMS and Email which you need to complete from the address that you are verifying. It will capture the geolocation and the nearest landmark. You will also need to be ready with the address proof and for a selfie.
Which Laws regulate employment background verification?
Employers must follow the guidelines provided by FCRA (Fair Credit Reporting Act), State Consumer Reporting laws, and enforcement guidance by U.S. Equal Opportunity Commission 2012. Following these guidelines is necessary while conducting employment screening and preparing employee background verification questions.
How long does an employment background check take?
It depends on the number and type of checks the employer wishes to conduct. Regular screening may take two to seven days, depending on the candidate’s history and the post offered. Some pre-employment background checks may take 2 to 4 weeks. If the screening involves international candidates, it may take more time depending on the rules of the concerned countries.
What Causes a Failed Background Check?
Employers conduct various background checks like education verification for employment, previous employment history checks, verify credit history, criminal record checks, driving records and pre-employment drug test screenings. Any discrepancies such as fake licenses, criminal history, and incorrect credentials lead to a failed background check.
What should I do if a candidate fails background verification?
If an employee fails the background verification, they may be terminated and put on the No-Hire list, which means they can never get a job in that organization. In addition, if you have applied for a job and fail background screening, the employer will disqualify your application without notification.
How far back do background checks go?
In general, employers follow a 7-year-rule, which means they can check criminal history and other compliance issues for seven years. However, depending on the need and local state guidelines, this rule can be skipped. For example, In California, if the salary is above $125,000. Then, employers can go back up to 10 years for background checks.
If an applicant is new to this country or here on a work visa, are we obligated to conduct a background investigation in their home country?
No, you are not obligated to conduct an investigation in a foreign country, which can often prove impractical or cost-prohibitive. One alternative is to request a prospective employee’s visa file under the Federal Freedom of Information ACT, which often contains a fair amount of background information.
Can we deny a candidate a position based solely on a poor credit record?
The answer to this question may vary from state to state and from position to position. While some states allow the use of credit records as part of the screening process, other states have limited the use of credit to only positions where the applicant will be placed in a position of financial responsibility within the hiring company.
For those states that do allow the use of credit records, there is no express prohibition against denying an applicant based solely on a credit record, but the use of credit records alone has been challenged on the grounds that it is used as a proxy for other, clear discriminatory bases, such as race or sex. Federal law prohibits employers from discriminating against employees because they have filed for bankruptcy protection. Great caution should be taken when considering this category of information; the benefit of a complete background check is that it provides a multi-faceted picture of the applicant, allowing the employers to make a decision based on the entire record, not just one aspect of it.
What do we do if the candidate insists that the information contained in the background report is not accurate?
If the candidate is denied employment due solely to the negative background check, the candidate should be given an opportunity to dispute the information and prove that it is incorrect. Typically, the candidate will dispute the information with a credit reporting agency or other source of the allegedly bad information
How many years do criminal records go back?
Each state, county and city is different. Some courthouses choose to only maintain seven years of records, some hold on to cases for ten years and others have no time limit to age of their records. Arrest records are often maintained the same way. Whereas one state may keep arrest and conviction data for seven years, some for ten and others have records that go as far back as they have been recording them.Unfortunately, there is no set rule, but seven to ten years is most common.
Education Check:
The education verification process is one of the most important aspects of background screening. The workforce of today needs to have some form of educational qualification for their work, be it a blue-collar job or a white-collar one. Understandably, companies might want to trust the applicant’s educational qualification based on the appearance of their documents. However, it is extremely important to legally check any educational claims made by the candidate.
The market conditions are increasingly becoming tougher, forcing individuals to resort to any means to get a job. It has been observed that a significant number of job applicants are indulging in misrepresenting their qualifications to make themselves appear as suitable candidates. Unethical practices like degree forgery, false institutes and fake claims are not quite easy to detect, hence raising the need for background verification. India produces an average of 2 to 2.5 million graduates a year. With such an enormous influx of degree holders, it becomes all the more important to have stringent education check policies.
Reasons for conducting education check
- Identifying gaps between knowledge and job requirements- The candidates that you hire, must be qualified enough for the position they are applying for. Conducting a thorough screening of the educational background reveals details about the subjects taken up by the candidate and their relevance to the role.
- Safeguarding against fake degrees and diplomas- Diploma mills, providing fake degrees to candidates, are on the rise. These institutions provide fake certification in exchange for money and thus create gaps in the educational system. These institutions are not affiliated with any recognized body or government agency. Rather they partner with independent agencies whose curriculum and standards are not in compliance with the legally dictated norm.
- Confirm authenticity and relevance of foreign degrees- Seeking education in foreign countries is a popular trend among students. The curriculum offered in those countries may not match completely with the job description. Moreover, the authenticity of the foreign educational institutions and the value of their degree must be confirmed as a part of the education verification process.
GLOBAL DATABASE SEARCH:
Global Database is a database of Politically Exposed Persons (PEPs) and heightened risk individuals and organizations is used around the world to help to identify and manage financial, regulatory and reputational risk.
The creation of the database was in response to legislation aimed at reducing the incidence of financial crimes. To begin with, World-Check’s intelligence was used by banks and financial institutions as a comprehensive solution for assessing, managing and remediating risk. However, as legislation has become increasingly complex and its reach has become increasingly global, the demand for such intelligence has grown beyond the financial sector to include organizations from all sectors.
We monitor over 530 sanction, criminal watch list, EPLS, OIG, Judis, SAM and regulatory law and enforcement lists along with hundreds of thousands of information sources, often identifying heightened-risk entities months or years before they are listed. In 2012 alone, we identified more than 180 entities before they appeared on the U.S. Treasury Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) list based on reputable sources identifying relevant risks.
Information is collated from an extensive network of hundreds of thousands of reputable sources, including:
530+ sanction, criminal watch list, EPLS, OIG, Judis, SAM, regulatory and law enforcement lists
Local and international government records
Country specific data sources
International adverse electronic and physical media searches
English and foreign language data sources
Relevant industry sources
Global database search verification refers to the process of conducting comprehensive searches across various databases and sources to verify the accuracy of information related to an individual’s background. It is often utilized in background checks and due diligence procedures by employers, organizations, or individuals seeking to gather information about a person’s history.
