The world of background screening has always been fluid and ever-changing. We respond to the needs of employers across the country. We adapt to changing privacy and data security laws. We embrace new technology and new ways of onboarding new hires for positions in all levels.

COVID-19 is another challenge for us to overcome. Will it be easy? No. Will the industry be changed? Probably. Will it be changed for the better? Definitely.

As the vast majority of employers scramble to launch a remote workforce, or to mass-recruit for positions in essential services like healthcare and food delivery we need to be cognisant of what will be on the other side of this crisis: a new beginning.

The workforce will be changed. Recruiting has changed. Background screening must change.

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Where are we now?

In 2020, we are already seeing a significant, albeit necessary shift in workforces becoming remote. Hiring for these positions poses a new challenge – how do we ensure that the person being interviewed, and background checked is the same person who shows up on day one? How do we ensure candidates have a safe way of completing the components of their background check without putting themselves or anyone else at risk? How do we give more power to our clients throughout the background screening process?

The outbreak of COVID-19 has been a stress-test for business continuity and disaster recovery for organizations across the globe. Some of us were ready; others were not.

ScreeningCanada remains fully operational because our technology infrastructure was built for this. We are currently experiencing no interruptions to our Operations or Support teams, and continue to operate 7 days a week, safely and remotely.

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What are we doing different?

As we move forward with this pandemic, and all the implications it poses, it is important for us to continue to adapt to the needs of the industry.

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‍Online Criminal Record Checks

Given the current public health risks, attending a local police station in person is not currently advised, even in locations where the police stations are still open.  This restricts access to criminal record checks that many candidates need for both employment and volunteer opportunities.

Our clients can feel confident in their screening partner because the ScreeningCanada platform is designated as API-first - this means we are effectively able to integrate our services securely with our police partners and minimize the impact of staffing challenges with any of our police partners.

For candidates, the platform is fully web-based and accessible from smart devices, laptops, tablets etc. Consent forms are completed digitally, ande-signatures are utilized to eliminate the need for paperwork. Even ID Verification has been fundamentally adapted to keep everyone safe.

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Contactless ID Verification Tools

‍With mandated physical distancing in place across all of Canada, it is vital that organizations can offer their recruiters, candidates and volunteers a fully contactless background screening process. Meeting candidates in-person in order to verify their ID, or sending them to a postal outlet, is no longer a safe option and with postal outlets currently reducing their hours, attending in person can cause unnecessary delays.

ScreeningCanada’s LiveVideoID™ offers a fully remote Identity verification solution that allows candidates to easily authenticate their ID from anywhere using their smartphone, laptop, or desktop. Using LiveVideoID, the candidate can conveniently connect remotely with a ScreeningCanada representative and engage in a live, person-to-person conversation to have their identity verified. This process is fully compliant and approved by Canadian police services.

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Mass Hiring Tools

COVID-19 has unleashed an unprecedented global health emergency and caused significant economic turmoil. During this trying time, so many essential services are struggling to rise to the challenge of mass-recruitment and background screening in order to keep up with a sudden increase in demand.

Many providers can facilitate batch ordering for clients in crisis – but what about making those tools available to clients independently? Instead of waiting for support, or working within your providers limited business hours, what if you had these capabilities yourself? The ScreeningCanada platform offers this.

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Where do we go from here?

In selecting future vendors/partners, whether in the background screening industry or at any stage of talent acquisition, organizations will be seeking two things: automation and adaptability.

Automation is self-explanatory and a reality of working in an industry that handles high volumes of data that must be processed quickly. Automation is not a method of replacing human touch points within the background screening process; it’s a way of re-focusing those human touchpoints to functions where they can have a more significant impact. Client support and the candidate experience throughout the process needs to be provided by a team that is competent, responsive and dedicated.  

As vendors move their data to more digital formats, and permit integrations and automation to take place, providers that are not able to adapt will fall behind. ScreeningCanada’s platform is web-based and facilitates integrations with vendors and client systems seamlessly. This enables faster turnaround times, lower costs and a much lower risk of human error.

Our adaptability is our greatest strength in a changing world.