Although most organizations understand the value of conducting background checks during the hiring process, it’s essential to choose a qualified provider that can also help you develop an assurance program: a systematic approach to measure the likelihood of success of any new hire.
An assurance program is best supported through the use of verification services (education, employment, and otherwise), utilizing screening resources and expertise to ensure the accuracy of any acquired or reported candidate data. An assurance program helps your organization comprehensively vet a promising candidate, but it also safeguards against the reporting of false or inaccurate information during the hiring process. By prioritizing informational accuracy and conscientious verification practices, your organization can also mitigate risk as you navigate local, state, and federal regulations to remain legally compliant during the hiring process.
In this article, we’ll explore the benefits of implementing an assurance program to strengthen hiring practices and why collaborating with a qualified background screening provider can provide peace of mind about receiving accurate, timely, and compliant applicant data.
Benefits of an Assurance Program
When an organization’s screening process fails to prioritize accuracy, including the verification of any acquired or reported data, it can lead to a host of issues. First, an initial records “match” that indicates a criminal record could unfairly disqualify a candidate whose reported information was actually inaccurate, unverified, and simply due to a shared “common name.” Not only does this lead to a missed opportunity for the organization to hire a desired candidate, but it can create legal repercussions due to unfair hiring practices that stem from a lax verification process.
It's essential to choose a background screening provider with the resources and experience to verify and double-check the accuracy of any information (especially potentially disqualifying information) about a candidate. The same applies to verifying educational credentials or employment information that is integral to job responsibilities or legal qualifications for a particular position.
Fundamentally, a qualified background screening provider should be able to confirm that any records or reported information aligns with the specific candidate and individual under consideration. This can be a very involved and sometimes tedious process, but when it is supported with the best technology, verification services, and data resources available, it allows organizations to receive full verification of candidate data quickly. More importantly, developing an assurance program creates peace of mind that your organization is screening and hiring responsibly and fairly. This is all the more essential as a growing number of “fair chance” and “ban the box” laws impact how employers can navigate and address criminal history during the hiring process.
The Core Components of an Assurance Program
With the central goal of ensuring that all reported information is up-to-date and accurately linked to a specific applicant, an assurance program (with support from a background screening provider) should do all of the following:
- Perform comprehensive education, employment, professional reference, and/or license verification that includes interviews and acquisition of additional candidate information.
- Complete additional and supplemental searches as needed – ranging from county and federal civil court searches to federal bankruptcy searches and SSN tracing or verification.
- Thoroughly review and resolve any discrepancies between candidate-reported information and information found on a record (criminal, educational, employment-related, or otherwise).
- Maintain accuracy standards and requirements internally and among any vendors or researchers who are used to assist with the background screening process.
- Foster greater confidence in the results of any background screening process and the effect and legality of any subsequent hiring decisions.
- Remain fully compliant with all local, state, and federal regulations that affect hiring, eligible candidate information, and background screening processes.
Responsible Screening and Hiring with The Orsus Group
In addition to education, employment, professional license, and professional reference verification, The Orsus Group's additional services go beyond the standard background check, providing clients with greater peace of mind when it comes to their hiring decisions. We ensure your organization can verify candidate information quickly and accurately to make more informed, responsible, and timely hiring decisions.
Take the first step towards enjoying expedited, compliant, and reliable screening and verification for your organization.