Background screening can be considered a commodity in today’s employment market. With the On-Demand Industry and a more engaged and accessible candidate pool to draw from, organizations need to ensure their screening process can keep up. When evaluating potential vendors for background checks, there are a number of components you should be searching for and by following the checklist below, you can not only ensure your background screening process is compliant – you can improve your overall hiring process as well.

There are 6 components to a successful background screening process that all employers should be looking to their screening vendors to provide:

1. Speed
Is your background check process slowing down your hiring or onboarding? A fast turnaround time for background checks is important to retain candidates. If the background screening process takes too long, a candidate might move on to a competing offer.

By utilizing modern technology, API connections are available between many of Canada’s leading information bureaus. Direct connections increase the speed at which data is transmitted and reduce the amount of human involvement that can slow the results down or lead to manual processing errors/delays.

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2.  Technology
Investment in modern technology should be top of mind when evaluating potential vendors.

a. New Feature Development
Look for an organization that has a robust development roadmap and is leading the way in developing new features and technology.

b.  Integrate your ATS and Background Screening Account
‍By utilizing one Applicant Tracking System (ATS) to hire employees and order background checks, hiring managers can reduce the amount of time spent on recruiting new employees.  When this integration is in place, it removes the need to go back and forth between your ATS and your background screening account. Using a seamless integration, the recruiter or hiring manager can launch the background check for a candidate from within their ATS or HRIS account.  

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3. Compliance
Conducting pre-employment background checks typically requires the use, capture, transfer and storage of sensitive data and candidate personally identifiable information (PII). As such, selecting a vendor with a thorough understanding of compliance requirements is imperative. Ask your provider if they have industry experts on staff that ensure compliance and stay up to date with the latest industry regulations.

a. Privacy Laws and RCMP Policy
‍Collecting and using personal information in Canada is regulated by Federal laws such as the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) and Provincial specific privacy laws, such as British Columbia’s Personal Information Protection Act.  Your background screening provider should have a strong commitment to compliance, not only around privacy laws but also with the RCMP’s Dissemination of Criminal Record Information Policy.

b. Consent
Candidates should be asked for consent for all searches being conducted on them as part of a background check. As part of this consent, the candidate must be given information on how their personal information will be used by both the hiring organization and the background screening provider.

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4. Security
Ensuring the security of a candidate’s sensitive information is extremely important when selecting a background screening provider. All data should be stored in Canada to avoid being subject to the US Patriot Act. A background screening provider should have measures in place to ensure the security of all personal information, such as having redundant Canadian data centers that automatically replicate data, and ensure uninterrupted service should a geographic region be delayed by severe weather or a natural disaster.

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5. Candidate Experience
‍Stop losing candidates to a broken process! 60% of candidates confirm that they will abandon a poor application experience in the middle of it. The majority of top candidates have offers from more than one organization, and if any part of the application experience is frustrating, they are likely to move on to the next offer.      

a. Mobile Optimized Process
‍To avoid candidate drop-off, the background screening experience should be seamless. The process to provide their details, consent to the background check and complete ID verification should be something a candidate can do from any device, including their mobile phone or tablet.

b. Convenient ID verification options
‍Completing ID verification should be done quickly and without requiring the candidate to stop the process to attend a Canada Post location or go back to their Hiring Manager. If an individual does not pass the electronic ID verification step, having a remote ID verification alternative is imperative to a great candidate experience and to getting as many candidates through the background check process as possible.

c. Candidate Transparency
‍Make the most informed decisions by allowing candidates to add supporting documents and notes directly to their file. Modern background checking workflows include the ability for candidate to provide context around potential convictions that exist on their record. Not all convictions are recent and relevant to a given position and should be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.

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6.    Customer Support
Customer service is paramount to a successful background screening provider.

a. Extended Hours
Many organizations are not limited to hiring during the week, and often candidates are completing their background check on weekends. Having customer support available 7 days a week means that they will no longer have to wait several days for a response to any questions that may arise throughout the process.

b. Easily Accessible
Making support as accessible as possible is also a key to great customer service. Look for a company that has support available through a variety of mediums, such as web chat, email and phone.

It’s time to ask questions about whether or not your screening process and procedures are hitting all of the marks that will make your process effective, compliant and seamless for your candidates and hiring managers.

ScreeningCanada™ is Canada’s most technologically advanced background screening web application designed by the same team that pioneered background screening in Canada. For more information or to schedule a demo, contact our product team here.

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