Industry Research: What to Look for in a Background Check Provider

Key traits that will help you build cultures of trust and safety

In this state of flux, maintaining safety and establishing trust among workers borrow heavily from the social investment employers have made in their company culture. For organizations bringing on new hires, robust background screening and identity solutions can help promote trust and safety by assuaging concerns about truly knowing the person you’re hiring.

One of the biggest hiring decision challenges employers face is staying current with compliance-related matters. The Covid-19 pandemic proved the adage that the only constant is change. Guidance from public health authorities and other government agencies is just one thing that has evolved over the past weeks and months, and will likely continue to change as the pandemic unfolds.
   

Cracking the Criminal Check Conundrum with Accuracy

Background screening is an essential part of the hiring process, and one that cannot be overlooked. Your candidates may check every box, and ace the interview with their great attitude, but they may not reveal everything you need to know. Criminal background checks can help make your company aware of a candidate’s criminal history, providing you with valuable information that can assist you in determining employment eligibility while promoting workplace safety and protecting your brand.

One such example is noted by our client Texas A&M University, which realized that without deep insights and data on applicants, it could be missing parts of a candidate’s criminal history. “What sold us on Sterling was getting the most comprehensive coverage for criminal background checks and a strong return on our investment,” says Rita Bowden, Manager of Recruitment and Workforce Planning, Texas A&M’s Division of Human Resources and Organizational Effectiveness. Read more about how Rita and her team optimized their background screening and criminal record check program in our client story.

Identity Upfront

In a rapidly evolving world, agility and nimbleness are key to managing important operational processes. This applies particularly to hiring and onboarding a company’s most precious asset — its people. This starts with verifying identity up front. Verifying candidate identity at the onset of the hiring process offers several benefits: increased confidence in employee data on file, more accurate background checks, and accelerated onboarding of top talent. Whether your office doors are open, or your team has transitioned to being 100% remote, up-front identity verification should be an essential ingredient to your hiring practices.

Identity verification is simple: capture candidate information up-front in the hiring process with an identity verification solution. Capturing accurate data helps give you confidence that candidate information in your system is accurate. Results are fast with the right identity verification solution, which can reduce costly delays and improve background check accuracy. Don’t wait until after a candidate has joined your company to verify their identity. Know who you’re considering bringing into your company from the get-go. For more insights into the changing landscape of hiring, watch our recent webinar available on-demand and learn how identity technology can speed up your background checks program.

Caring for Candidates as much as Clients 

With a mission that’s laser-focused on helping our clients create great work environments, we realize that it’s their candidates that form the heart of our work. A seamless candidate experience simplifies and continuously looks to improve the background screening process at every stage of the hiring process.

Our new modernized Candidate Hub delivers a seamless, more efficient background screening experience for candidates so that they can provide information at their convenience, receive timely text alerts through a native mobile experience, and easily complete the essential information required for a successful screening experience.

On the other side of a background check, a seamless and secure client experience establishes the trust that we’ve worked hard to build over the years. Sterling’s recently launched client authentication feature is designed to provide a more streamlined and secure experience for employers prior to giving access to a candidate’s confidential information across our cloud-based services. This added feature augments the existing client hub with its simplified login experience, faster interface, and a seamless unified access for employers.

Sterling can help organizations on all of these fronts by partnering with you in times of crisis and beyond. To learn more, send us your questions or simply start a conversation here.

Legal disclaimer: The information contained herein is for informational purposes only. Sterling is not a law firm, and none of the information contained in this notice is intended as legal advice. Clients are encouraged to consult with their legal counsel about the impacts of any requirements. This, and other important information can be found on the Sterling website at sterlingcheck.com.