Contrary to popular belief, when a business makes a hire it’s not just the salary that is noted on their outgoings. As well as this, there are a whole host of costs for them to take into account, ranging from HR fees (which some companies build in to the equation) all the way down to insurance contributions and pensions.
As such, that starting salary of £20k suddenly is a lot higher. It means that businesses are under more pressure than ever before to filter out unsuitable candidates, and land themselves with a good one.
One way in which many are prospering in this regard is through a people search by Checkpeople. In short, this allows businesses of any size to conduct a background check. That’s right, these are the types of checks that cost a small fortune several years ago, but more often than not they are completely free to carry out now.
Bearing this in mind, let’s take a look at some of the ways in which a company can filter out candidates via one of these checks.
The criminal record check
This is probably one of the most common ways in which a business can filter out applicants. While a criminal record certainly shouldn’t immediately disqualify a candidate from a job, in a lot of cases it’s going to have some bearing.
This is one of the first things that a background check of this ilk will flag up. It’s worth noting that there is a distinct difference between a criminal record check and an arrest record check. The latter isn’t necessarily legal to look at – for the simple reason that some people who have been arrested might not have been subsequently charged. Ultimately, it’s due to the innocent until proven guilty philosophy, and rightly so.
The education verifier
One of the most common areas of abuse for candidates applying for a job was to lie about their qualifications. A lot of the time, this revolved around their university degree. Some would state that they had one when they clearly didn’t, while others might inflate the final mark. Regardless, it was something that led an employer down the completely wrong path.
Nowadays, there are no excuses for falling for such misinformation. These background checks can quickly identify a person’s educational background, allowing a recruiter to know right away if they are being economical with the truth when it comes to their qualifications. Clearly, this can make a monumental difference to the quality of candidates that is being nominated for a position.
The employment history
This next point continues from the last one we looked at. Admittedly, candidates are more likely to be truthful about their employment history, as it’s something that can be checked relatively quickly through means like a reference. However, particularly in relation to jobs from years ago, it’s not been unheard of for job titles to be altered, and the recruiter to again be misled. A background check can again guard against this happening.
