Keeping up with the latest trends in background screening is essential to your business. These trends help you better identify and assess candidates that may be a good fit for your company.
In addition to conducting criminal history checks, employers in a company like a background screening company are now utilizing continuous monitoring programs to alert them to potential illegal activity on an employee’s background after hiring.
Social Media Background Checks
One of the latest trends in background screening is the use of social media. These checks are used to find information about a candidate that isn’t available through traditional searches, such as a resume or an interview.
They also identify red flags that may indicate a person isn’t the best fit for the position. These include extreme political views or photos of hard partying, which could put an employer off.
However, there are also some issues with this type of screening. First, verifying that a social media profile truly belongs to the person being checked is difficult.
Second, many states and local jurisdictions have passed laws that regulate or restrict employers’ access to a candidate’s social media profiles.
Therefore, it is essential to run a social media background check in-house or have an independent third party do the research for you. This can eliminate the risk of violating any privacy policies or hiring discrimination.
Artificial Intelligence
The latest background screening trends use artificial intelligence to speed up the hiring process and make it more efficient. This greatly benefits hiring managers as it can save them time and money in the long run.
It also ensures that candidates get an accurate and fair assessment of their qualifications for a position. For example, it can sift through a candidate’s resume and find any employment history and criminal records relevant to the job role.
AI can also sift through a candidate’s social media profiles to identify suspicious content or comments. This is an excellent tool for gig economy companies, as it can help them find and hire the best candidates quickly.
However, there are some drawbacks to using AI. It may only work for some hiring needs, and it can exacerbate biases in the background screening process. Before incorporating AI into your hiring process, it is essential to be aware of these issues.
Legal Compliance
When conducting background screening, employers must comply with state, federal, and local laws. These rules are designed to protect job applicants and other consumers from the unauthorized use of private information.
The federal Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) governs how, when and why an employer may request, receive and use a consumer’s background check information. These laws also require an employer to follow a multi-step pre-adverse and adverse action process before making employment decisions based on background check findings.
Moreover, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s guidelines require employers to avoid policies that disproportionately disadvantage candidates because of their race, national origin, or other protected characteristics. These policies can include refusing to hire a candidate because they have a criminal record, for example.
As these legal requirements evolve, employers should periodically audit their current policies and procedures for compliance. This is a crucial step to ensure that your hiring practices are geared towards compliance, and it can also help you evaluate workflow efficiencies and mitigate litigation risk.
Continuous Monitoring
When you hire a new employee or volunteer, it’s common practice to conduct background checks on them before they start work. These checks help you make a confident decision, protect your organization and employees, and ensure that the hiring people meet your standards.
However, the months between a new background search and a rescreen can bring up new criminal offenses that were hidden in the initial report, including low-level ones that don’t require termination or disciplinary action but could be a threat to your organization or your employees.
Continuous monitoring proactively alerts you to these crimes as soon as they are entered into the police system, giving you a head start on closing risk gaps and ensuring that your employees are safe at work.
A key part of a successful continuous monitoring strategy is to ensure that all stakeholders are included in the conversation early on. That includes your IT, legal, and compliance teams and those in departments that rely on software or other third parties that present a considerable security risk.
