Is your background screening partner not meeting your organization’s needs? Or maybe you haven’t found the right partner to fit those needs? Either way, adopting new processes and technologies is scary. From increased cost to hire, pressure to recruit quickly, and constrained budgets, HR and hiring managers have a lot to consider when choosing the right background screening partner for their organization.

This is a guest blog by Verified First, a HR company that specializes in pre-employment background screening. Verified First can connect with over 100 HR tech platforms with its revolutionary technology and a slick, patented browser integration.

You know that background checks are a critical component of your organization’s hiring process. However, selecting the wrong provider for your business comes with a lot of potential risks and downfalls. If your partner cannot meet your needs, is ineffective, or just simply is not a good fit for your organization, it can end up costing you thousands of dollars in time, effort, and money.

You want to choose the right background screening partner for your organization the first time around – one that not only meets your current needs but can adapt and meet the future needs of your organization, too. To help hiring managers like you, we compiled a list with four simple tips to help you choose the right background screening partner for your organization. Check them out below!

Step 1: Assess Your Organization’s Needs

In order to evaluate potential screening providers, you need to assess your own organization’s needs and opportunities. Background screening needs and requirements can vary by industry and job position. For example, background checks required for the transportation industry or companies employing commercial drivers won’t be the same as screens regulated in healthcare. Sometimes, it can be a mix of screens. Say you run a more basic background check on all of your employees, but only require credit checks of employees dealing with sensitive financial information. No matter what your unique needs may be, you want a background screening provider that’s equipped to handle them all.

If this seems overwhelming, don’t worry. It doesn’t have to be. The right screening partner will have the knowledge of the checks they perform, and how those screens can overlap between industries and positions. To make this process as seamless as possible, conduct an internal needs analysis.

An internal needs analysis will help your organization determine its strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and areas to improve. You can easily conduct an internal needs assessment by answering the following questions:

How is your current screening provider performing? Do they offer accurate and compliant results?

• What type of screens does your organization need?
• How many background checks do you run in a year?
• What’s your organization’s screening policy, if you have one?
• What support do you need from additional resources? (IT, leadership, etc)
• What is the infrastructure of your current HR tech stack?

This information will help you determine which provider can support your current and future needs. However, an internal needs analysis can also help the partner that you select determine the best process for your organization. So make sure to take your time and conduct a thorough analysis.

Step 2: Prioritize Compliance

When evaluating background screening providers, it's common to approach it from a stereotypical purchasing perspective: find a user-friendly product at the cheapest price. However, this mindset often ignores several important considerations, such as risk management and legal compliance.

The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) provides guidelines around how consumer reporting agencies obtain the necessary information to run background checks. However, this is not the only requirement that background screening companies must abide by. There are varying local, state, and federal regulations to be aware of, too.

If your organization were to face negligent hiring claims, it’s likely that your screening process will come under intense scrutiny. Selecting an accredited, experienced background check partner will know the necessary regulations to adhere to and ensure compliance throughout every step of the process.

To understand a background screening provider’s compliance capabilities, consider asking the following questions:

• Where are your background checks conducted? (United States or international)
• How often do you keep up with changing state and federal screening regulations?
• How do you protect applicant information?
• Do you conduct your background checks in real time?

Step 3: Create a Positive, Engaging Candidate Experience

Many companies like yours have shifted recruitment and hiring practices to create a better, more engaging candidate experience. And they are doing this for a good reason, too. Did you know that 51% of candidates have abandoned the recruitment process due to poor communication from the employer?

Your organization’s background screening process can significantly impact the candidate experience, too. A seamless and efficient background check experience helps lay the groundwork for a successful, impactful onboarding experience. When you are evaluating background screening partners, it’s important to consider how they can improve your candidate experience. Consider how potential screening providers address the following components of the candidate experience:

• Communication
• Turnaround Times
• Compliance
• Ease-of-use

With heavy competition for top talent, you have to conduct a quick and seamless hiring process in order to stay relevant. The right screening partner will offer innovative technological solutions to help you prioritize a positive candidate experience, such as candidate texting, feedback opportunities, and digital document collection. Understanding your organization’s needs, the importance of the candidate experience, and how your screening partner can enhance both is essential to a successful recruitment and hiring strategy.

Step 4: Opt for Customization and Efficiency

Automating and streamlining your background screening process can improve efficiency while taking some of the work off your team’s shoulders. A solid talent acquisition or HR tech stack should include four major solutions or capabilities: candidate relationship management (CRM), applicant tracking (ATS), onboarding, and internal mobility.

The right screening provider for your organization will have the ability to integrate with your chosen tech stack to create a better experience, reduce tedious and manual processes, and overall improve efficiency.

The right background screening partner will also work with your organization to create a customized, tailored solution fit to your unique needs. Consider a provider that offers industry-specific and a la carte screening solutions, and doesn’t require long-term contracts or a minimum number of screens.

Improve Your Hiring Strategy With Verified First

Choosing the right screening partner for your organization can feel intimidating. A background screening partner is an important relationship for your business, so selecting one that makes you feel supported while addressing your needs is key. The right screening provider will work alongside your organization to streamline your hiring process, improve efficiency, and better your bottom line.

That’s why Verified First revolutionized the background screening experience. Verified First seamlessly integrates with 100+ industry-leading hiring and talent management solutions, including Zoho, so you can easily transform your hiring process. With our extensive partner ecosystem, you can effortlessly plug screening, drug testing, and more directly into your established HR tech stack and start screening in seconds.

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Author: Maddy Atwater is a Content Marketer at Verified First with over four years of writing and marketing experience.  She is originally from San Francisco, California but recently relocated to Denver, Colorado. Although working remotely, she enjoys trying new coffee shops, hanging out with her cat, and skiing.