How Tech is Accelerating the Background Check

Employment screening is a routine part of the hiring process, but it also demanded a lot of time for employers. Background checks can be costly, and one used to have to wait for the results for days or even weeks. Today, technology has accelerated this process exponentially and here are just a few of the methods currently in use.

Social Media

Most pre employment checks involve a glance at the candidate’s Internet results and social media. This helps employers get an idea of who they might be meeting with, but isn’t a substitute for a full background check. The Web simply helps expedite the decision of whether a candidate should attend an interview. The resume may look appealing, but it wastes everyone’s time if the candidate wouldn’t be a good fit for company culture. Social media posts are an effective means for determining whether a candidate has the right mindset for the job.

Databases

Nowadays, a great deal of information that is publicly accessible is stored in databases. Paying for criminal background checks is essentially querying these databases. We know, from sites like Google, just how fast it can be to query a database and get results (Google’s search results are nothing more than a display of URLs and other information stored in a massive database).

If you needed to make a hiring decision rapidly, querying a database would give you all the information you needed on a candidate to make an informed decision. For just a few dollars, employers have access to this information and can even check multiple databases for accuracy.

Data Collection

Thanks to better data collection, a more detailed profile of the candidate is built. When an employer requests that background, a more complete picture is formed. Further, databases may have flagged other potential risks (such as the Federal Terrorism Database) that would have been difficult to locate even a decade ago.

Because data collection and delivery has gotten better, it’s much easier to query a range of databases to provide a more complete picture of who the employer is hiring.

Final Thoughts

Technology has greatly improved the efficiency of the criminal and pre employment background check. Employers can now make better informed decisions about the candidates they hire, and the costs for doing so are low. Screening employees isn’t usually a federal or state law, but it is part of responsible hiring practices. Know more about the people you hire, and preserve your company culture.

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