To confidently hire a promising candidate, an employer must first verify the employment history of the potential employee to ensure that their resume is accurate and confirms the relevant positions they’ve held in the past.
Although this process is designed to ensure that a candidate is fully prepared to adopt a high-responsibility role within your business, it’s also a way to safeguard against deliberate dishonesty or deception that could lead to legal or workplace issues early in the new hire’s tenure.
In this article, we’ll explore the multiple tools employers can use to verify a candidate’s past employment and overall qualifications for a position.
Background Checks
Background checks are one of the essential tools used to verify employment. At the Orsus Group, this includes criminal record searches, criminal database searches, Motor Vehicle Records as well as sanctions and excluded parties list searches for specific industries such as Healthcare, Financial and Government. During this process, an applicant’s identity is first verified by using a provided social security number, which can also validate residency details and other relevant information.
Verification Services
When it comes to confirming past employment and educational credentials, a comprehensive approach is essential. The Orsus Group offers employment verification, education verification, professional reference checks, and professional license verification. In the event that these verification processes must extend beyond records available within the United States, our International Employment and Education Verification Services can be used to investigate past employment, education, references, and other information located abroad. We’ll explore each facet of verification services below.
Employment Verification
In most cases, it’s possible to readily contact past employers to acquire information regarding all of the following details about a candidate:
- Skills and Qualifications: feedback from past employer or supervisor regarding candidate’s qualifications, skills and aptitude for the potential new position
- Past Job Performance: assessment from a former supervisor regarding a candidate’s performance and workplace contributions during their employment with the former organization
- Duration of Past Employment: confirmation from former employer regarding the duration of employment with former organization (to ensure alignment with provided resume timeline)
- Explanation of Separation or Termination: an organization’s account of why and when the candidate left the former organization
In some cases, state laws place limitations on what employers can disclose about former employees. Disclosure of the information listed above could, in some cases, require the employee’s advance consent. Additionally, some states require that employers provide former employees “service letters,” which catalog the employee’s pay rate(s), work history, and reason for separation or termination.
Although state laws vary widely, most employers can still request certain tax/payroll information like W-2s or pay stubs to confirm income earned at a former organization and the duration of that employment where permissible by state and local employment laws. Another option is a proof of employment letter, which a candidate can provide to verify employment status, duration of work with a past employer, and any relevant salary or wage information.
Education Verification
Beyond employment verification, many employers also want to confirm educational credentials that are essential to the job in question. Education verification confirms a candidate’s receipt of necessary degrees, dates of attendance, and other information necessary to validate core educational credentials. If the job requires professional licenses, the Orsus Group can also confirm professional license status (including legal receipt of the license and whether any further training hours are required for the license to remain valid).
Professional References Verification
In the event that your organization has requested professional references to complement the application process, it’s important to contact these references and, in some cases, request additional information regarding the candidate. In addition to providing perspective on the candidate’s professional contributions at the former workplace, it’s also possible to request a character reference letter, which usually requires candidate permission. During this process, you’ll also want to confirm the accuracy of any significant claims made during the interview process.
Verify Employment and Hire Confidently with The Orsus Group
Comprehensive background screenings and verification services confirm that a candidate is fully prepared and qualified for the position they seek. These processes also protect your organization against workplace issues or legal costs resulting from undisclosed or unverified information about a candidate’s past employment, educational credentials, or even their criminal and financial records.
That’s why The Orsus Group offers robust background screening services that provide a thorough investigation of a candidate’s suitability for an open position in your organization. We provide you with a complete picture of each job candidate so you can make an informed decision for your organization and enjoy lasting peace of mind about your choice.
Ready to simplify your background screening and verification processes? Contact us today to let us know how we can support you.