CUSTOMER RESOURCES

The Candidate's Experience with a Background Check and Hiring

When applying for a job, what will a candidate experience? From the background check and beyond, we review the process from start to finish.

woman with computer and phone applying for job

Many employers may view the hiring process simply as a tool or a pipeline to bring talent into their business. Attract applications, vet candidates, make selections, hire them and slot them into an existing team. However, it is vital not to take a one-sided view of the process—hiring is about more than attracting assets to support a company's functioning. It is also about achieving buy-in from applicants throughout the process. It is essential to focus on the candidate experience, from how you background check them to how you run interviews.

A good candidate experience can create a motivated team member eager to demonstrate that you made the right call. An unpleasant experience can mean offers left on the table and an inability to attract or retain talent. For a small business, the quality of the workforce and its importance are amplified. Every person counts.

That doesn't mean the way forward isn't immediately apparent. Instead, we need to take a step back and evaluate the entire process. What is an applicant's journey? As we answer that question, compare your own processes and imagine what a job-seeker experiences with your employment process. Think about reshaping your process to empower and excite those who will be the best fit on your teams.

What Creates a Positive Candidate Experience?

Before we break down each stage of the candidate experience in recruitment and hiring processes, what should every SMB strive to achieve? You can take action at each stage, but there is also a holistic approach to consider. The following are key factors and feelings that should be present throughout the entire process, not only at any one stage.

Developing a better hiring process and a work environment based on your brand and its values should involve the following core components.

  • Demonstrate interest and engagement with every applicant. Foster a warm, inviting atmosphere founded on your values and centered on your mission. Remember that applicants evaluate you just like you assess them.

  • Personalize experiences wherever possible. Don't be a faceless business with opaque processes disconnected from human experiences. Applicants don't want to be just another number. SMBs have unique opportunities to build teams by fostering a personal connection.

  • Reduce friction from as many places in the process as possible. Don't make completing applications complicated, frustrating, or annoying. Test the systems yourself and imagine a job-seeker in your position.

  • Be communicative. The more engaged you are in exploring a candidate's employment history, the more they feel seen. That can make a difference to successful job offer levels in competitive industries and roles. Don't cease communications and disappear.

  • Be transparent. From pay scales to the types of background checks you use, help applicants establish clear expectations.

  • Be prompt. Job-seekers don't want their time wasted any more than you do. Communicate clearly about timelines around their pre-employment background check.

  • Be kind when you decline. When disqualifying an applicant due to a background check result, satisfy your legal obligations. Let applicants know when you've decided not to proceed with the process.

Let's investigate how Human Resources or a hiring manager can apply these principles across the process to create a better candidate experience.

The Job Applicant's Journey, Step by Step

Individuals seeking jobs will have a range of experiences throughout the hiring and onboarding process. Many people submit multiple applications to different businesses simultaneously, and some may even continue applying to other jobs throughout the process. Differentiating your business fosters a great candidate experience, which can make an impact further along in the process.

Not every job offer you extend guarantees acceptance. Crafting an improved experience can help you stand out from the competition. For SMBs, that's one key to developing a team that can call attention to your brand. It all starts with the job posting.

Discovering and Recognizing Job Opportunities

A well-crafted job listing and an informative, well-made business website help job seekers notice SMBs in crowded job markets. Researching your business and breaking down the details of your job posts are among the first things a candidate experiences. Avoid dryly written listings that only offer bare facts and no sense of your brand, its voice, or your mission. Tell a story with your postings. Make it a story the suitable applicants will want to involve themselves with.

Job-seekers will often research your business more directly. Tailor your web presence with this in mind, at least in part. Be engaged and visible on social media to promote your business's best aspects. Spotlight any charitable efforts or community engagement programs you organize. When possible, feature stories or testimonials from current or past employees.

When qualified applicants feel optimistic about your business because of their experience during the research stage, they're more likely to move to the next step. Don't expect the right individuals to appear; make an effort to invite their interest.

Completing and Submitting Initial Applications

There's no shortage of stories online from job seekers who have truly appalling experiences with the application process. From TikTok to Reddit and across social media, tales of woe abound – clunky software, systems that demand repeatedly inputting the same resume data, and personality tests that waste hours of time. A lousy application experience is a fast track to souring applicants about your company and its capacity to be a good employer.

Reduce the number of steps to complete an application for your job. Follow modern best practices rather than discredited selection methods. Use applications that users can complete on their chosen platform, including mobile devices. Be clear about expectations and empower individuals to complete applications with ease.

A smooth application process creates a positive impression. The experience at this stage can set the tone for the remainder of your interactions. Better back-end solutions, such as applicant tracking systems, help you stay on top of the process to create improved experiences.

Waiting for Evaluation and Initial Candidate Selection

How your business works once it receives applications is vital. For an applicant, this is one of the least transparent parts of the process. It often requires waiting and hoping for communication from the business. Of course, you must review application data, examine resumes, and ultimately select the individuals you'd like to interview. Selecting the most promising individuals is important—but you shouldn't keep applicants in the dark. Likewise, you shouldn't keep them waiting a long time, either.

A better experience involves immediate personalized communication upon receipt of the application. This communication can establish expectations and elaborate on when applicants can expect more information. If you decide not to select a candidate for an interview, kindly let them know. Continue using personalization in communications with those moving on to the next stage.

Connecting With the Business: Interviews and More

Job interviews still have a valuable place in the application process. They are an employer's chance to ask specific questions and gauge someone's suitability with the organization. Likewise, applicants often see the interview as their chance to judge the company. A frustrating candidate experience with the interview process can leave them disinclined to accept a job offer.

There are many things businesses can do to improve outcomes in this area without sacrificing valuable information. Some of those actions include:

  • Employ skills tests or practical assessments as interview components. Tailor any practical assessments you use so they are not labor or time-intensive.

  • Give applicants a chance to prove themselves or demonstrate their passion. When asking questions, avoid cliches, such as " What is your biggest weakness?” Engage applicants in conversation about real on-the-job challenges and assess how they might respond to a hurdle.

  • Invite the applicant to learn more about the business, such as providing a tour through the building or conversing with an existing employee. Provide more information about your culture. Create a sense of the environment the individual will experience working in the business.

  • Communicate promptly before and after the interview. Offer flexible options, such as remote video interviews.

Just as the candidates do, put your best foot forward during the interview process and make the experience positive. Now, you'll need to decide who moves forward. Politely and personally notify those you won't move forward and conclude the process.

The Background Check Process

For many employers, the background check process begins after the job interview cycle identifies the most qualified and well-suited individuals. Beware of any ban the box or Fair Chance laws in your state or local area. These rules may demand that you postpone background checks until making a conditional job offer. Understand any other regulatory requirements, such as when the law requires you to check an applicant's driving record for DOT-regulated jobs.

Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, you must obey several directives when conducting background checks. First and foremost is obtaining an applicant's informed consent. You must provide a standalone disclosure of your intent to use background checks for employment. This disclosure informs applicants about the process. A statement of their rights under the FCRA is also key. After providing such documents, you can get an applicant's signed consent to the check—you can't proceed without it.

Even for applicants with clean records, going through different background checks often proves nerve-wracking—especially since it means more waiting on answers. You can help calm nervous candidates by providing clarity and insight into the process. Offer clear timelines related to your consideration process. Obtain and evaluate detailed reports as quickly as possible. Keep individuals informed about the status of your evaluation from stage to stage.

Receiving and Considering the Job Offer

Now comes the time to make the job offer. If you decide not to offer someone a position (or to rescind an offer) because of a background check result, you have compliance matters to consider. Disqualifying candidates because of information in their report falls into the category of adverse actions.

The FCRA mandates that you send a pre-adverse action letter detailing your intent. You must give the candidate time to respond and dispute your findings. Be patient and understanding if a dispute does arise. Otherwise, you may send a final adverse action notice and conclude the process. Consider wishing candidates well in your final communications.

Now comes the time to celebrate with those you've chosen to hire. When you craft offers, be competitive. Build benefits packages that can make a real difference for employees. Focus on tangible things like health insurance and better wages rather than in-office creature comforts. SMBs can define themselves differently from the competition by building offers that clarify that the company cares about looking after its employees.

Be sure to draw attention to all your unique value propositions for employees. Such UVPs could be remote or hybrid work opportunities that help reduce commuting. A variable schedule that's flexible for parents or young professionals is often an attractive feature.

Be as excited to bring a new worker on board as the individuals will be about receiving excellent job offers. Spotlight that joining the team is an exciting opportunity. When a job candidate accepts, you have one last duty in the hiring process: creating a seamless onboarding process that affirms the experience you've crafted from the start.

Engaging With Onboarding

Make onboarding simple, from completing I-9 forms to undergoing orientation and learning about company policies. Use the onboarding process to educate newcomers about all the opportunities they can access in the business. If you run any internal training programs or career development opportunities, highlight them. Make their accessibility a selling point. Showcase examples of internal promotions and how other employees in your SMB have moved up over time.

If you've done everything right, this process will result in a talented and motivated new employee ready to contribute to everyone's success. Considering the applicant's journey, the importance of the candidate's experience is self-evident.

The Impact of Background Check Processes on Candidate Experiences

Let's take a step back to zero on one particular aspect of the process described above: the screening stage.

This moment is critical for employers, especially in ban the box jurisdictions. A criminal background check may reveal disappointing and potentially disqualifying information. Reference or verification checks might showcase problems you didn't anticipate during the interview. You may change your mind based on these check results.

All this takes place while applicants wait nervously to hear back from you. Many companies don't provide any transparency or insight into this process. Leaving applicants in the dark is an upsetting experience. Beginning from a place of openness is critical. So, too, is working around the risks you face.

FCRA non-compliance is the biggest of those risks. Remember, you must obtain informed consent from applicants. That requires particular paperwork with meticulously defined language. Including disclosures with the wrong paperwork has been the root cause of lost lawsuits for many businesses. You must review your obligations carefully to create a good experience for individuals submitting to background screening.

Provide applicants with a general time frame for when they can expect a background check result. Some online websites and other utilities let users see the status of the process. Displaying the various stages, from “submitted” to “report obtained” and “evaluating,” can help applicants understand how much longer they need to wait. When you decide, move on to the following steps: communicating an offer or sending a pre-adverse action notice.

Build Better Experiences and Hire the Right People Today

It's easy for employers to get tunnel vision when dealing with the hiring process. When you refocus your efforts beyond your own needs to create a positive candidate experience, everyone benefits. You can attract more talented job applicants and onboard individuals excited and motivated to work for you. Doing so requires effort, though, especially in areas such as applications, interviews, and background checks.

Reduce friction as much as possible in the recruitment process. Prioritize positive interactions and fast turnaround times on questions or concerns. Develop a candidate experience with the background check that doesn't induce anxiety but provides transparency. Adopt best practices for screening compliance so you can focus on better experiences without concerns about violating the FCRA. Take stock of the experience you provide and explore how you can streamline key parts of your process with backgroundchecks.com today.

Additional Resources

Legislation and Compliance Update: North Carolina Administrative Office of the Courts Proceeds with Proposed Data Changes

The North Carolina Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) has proceeded with their plans announced last December to change the manner in which data is returned to third-party providers such as backgroundchecks.com. This change reduces instant results for criminal records to basic elements (name, DOB, case number, etc) without an indication of the charges or disposition. While a court case is pending to return the results to their previous standard, an injunction has been denied, allowing North Carolina to provide the significantly limited data pending the lawsuit’s final judgment.

Kenneth Morales • April 7th, 2011

background checks questions and answers - county and state criminal record check

County and state criminal history searches: which is important and which is indispensable? Let’s start with county criminal history searches. Knowing what we now do about criminal history databases, many of you are probably unsure why a county criminal history is necessary. There is a reason why we recommend that US OneSEARCH be run with a county criminal history search rather than as a standalone search. As stated previously, county criminal history searches are perfect for digging deep and getting every available detail in targeted areas. Most importantly, county criminal history searches are most likely to yield felony or misdemeanor charge results.

HubSpot System • March 17th, 2011

North Carolina Administrative Office of the Courts Proceeds with Proposed Data Changes

The North Carolina Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) has proceeded with their plans announced last December to change the manner in which data is returned to third-party providers such as backgroundchecks.com.

While a court case is pending to return the results to their previous standard, an injunction has been denied, allowing North Carolina to provide the significantly limited data pending the lawsuit’s final judgment.

background checks questions and answers - definition of a name and address history search

Which is the most basic definition of a name and address history search?

Your Right to a Safe Home – How Background Checks Can Help

 

In 2006, Tammara Erica Reed was murdered while visiting one of the residents of a complex on Acovy Road. The murderer was Willie R. Gunn, who held four prior convictions that were marked on a criminal background check: two convictions for DUIs, one for shoplifting and one for sexual battery with solicitation for criminal sodomy with a minor. He had also committed murder previously, which was marked on file in the county clerk’s office.

Late last year, the jury voted in favor of Reed’s family, granting $1.35 million due to the fact that the housing complex authorities were aware of Gunn’s criminal history, and contrary to their own housing agreement, leased the property to Gunn while failing to give adequate security to residents.

During his housing interview and on his application, Gunn lied about his criminal past, though the housing directors found the truth with a background check. The former housing authority director, Faith Johnson, admitted she was aware of the convictions, including the murder, but granted Gunn housing regardless, though it was contrary to their own housing agreements.

Seeking damages for the physical and mental pain of the surviving family members, suffering, funeral expenses and the full value of her life, the family was originally awarded $1.5 million. After a five day trial and six hour deliberation, this price was reduced by 10 percent, as Gunn was held responsible for 10 percent of the fault. The resulting money will be paid to Reed’s surviving two sons, who are now six and seven years old.

Gunn was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. He was also sentenced for possession of a firearm, though he was a convicted felon. Whether the seller of the firearm utilized a background check or not is not clear. According to witnesses, Gunn and Reed had an argument the previous night of the shooting about a set of car keys. Utilizing background checks is an important step for housing providers, and it is important to think of ways tragedies like this can be avoided in the future.

Kenneth Morales • February 7th, 2011

Is Your Own Criminal Records Check Really Worth It?

A criminal records check isn’t just about looking into the history of the people you come into contact with every day. We’ve all heard about the companies that run criminal history checks on their employees, either voluntarily or because it is a legal requirement, and we’ve also heard about private citizens that use information from the sex offender registry to make sure their neighborhood is safe. Sometimes, though, the most beneficial background check is the one you do on yourself.

Legislation and Compliance Update - HIPAA Final Rules Deadline Announced

The deadline for the final rule on modifications to HIPAA privacy, security, and enforcement rules is March, The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) writes in its semi-annual regulatory update—published last month in the Federal Register.

Refining Job Applicants with Background Checks

 

The employees you hire determine the success of your business. So if you want to be profitable, you can’t afford to be lax in your hiring process. The economy has had a strange effect on the hiring process, in that more people are applying for fewer positions, and if you aren’t careful, then you might be overwhelmed with the number of responses to your advertisement.

Sometimes, the need to fill a position immediately means that you do not have much time to carefully consider each applicant. With the competitive marketplace, you might think you have found the perfect resume, only to find out later that the applicant was a little too liberal when describing their work experience and credentials. While most people will not lie outright on their resumes, if they have something to hide (such as a criminal background) you might not know about it until after you have already hired them.

You want to give your human resources department all the tools they need to make a good decision, and background checks are a great way to ensure your future employees meet all your legal requirements.

Recently, employment background checks have become more advanced, and they let you verify dates of employment, job titles, recommendations and salary history. While you might not do this type of screening during the first round of interviews, once you become serious about an individual, it is increasingly important to run background checks.

Applicants who hold criminal pasts are more likely to stretch the truth on their resume. CareerBuilder.com published a survey that said 49 percent of employers had noticed applicants who fudged more than they thought appropriate.

To filter out unqualified applicants or to ensure you have made the right choice, a background check can help give you peace of mind in the employment process.

Kenneth Morales • December 30th, 2010

Background checks questions and answers - why carry out a national criminal database search

Today in our journey in continuing education, we’re going to tackle backgroundchecks.com instant database search options which we consider to be the best and the brightest of national criminal databases.

Economic recession leads to higher crime and resume fraud

As layoffs continue and jobs remain scarce, the competition for those scant few job openings becomes fierce. For those companies that are still hiring, and even those who are simply retaining employees, this recession leads to an even greater need to screen applicants and rescreen current employees. Well before the economic downturn officially became a recession, experts estimated that 50%-60% of people lied on their résumés and 23%-45% of résumés contained substantially misleading or inaccurate information.

Compliance and Legislation Update - Randomizing Social Security Numbers

Everyone is familiar with the basic format of a Social Security Number—3 digits, 2 digits, 4 digits.  Each of these sets of numbers have historically had significance more than simple randomization, though.  Since the inception of SSNs in 1936, the first three digits have indicated area, the second two have indicated group, and the final four have been random and are known as a serial number.  Beginning in 1972, when SSNs started to be issued by a central location (instead of the traditional field offices in each state), the three-digit area number indicated state as determined by the zip code provided on the application.

This means that, for as long as SSNs have been in existence, you could determine someone’s origin based on the first three numbers.  It’s as simple as 261 is a Floridian, 303 a Hoosier, 134 a native New Yorker, and 387 a Cheesehead.

This will not necessitate a direct reaction from you, however this will cause some issues when it comes to SSN validation.  Currently, the SSA issues a monthly table called the High Group List that shows the assigned states and issuance range for the first five digits of an SSN.  This table is used to determine the validity of an SSN but, once the patterns are gone, this table can no longer be updated.

So what does this mean to you?  For the most part, our process will not change—let’s face it, the majority of the people receiving these new format SSNs won’t be entering the workforce for another 15 years at best.  The real difference is in those who are being issued new SSNs for any reason other than birth, from recovering from a stolen identity to immigration. 

BackgroundChecks.com Hits Milestone - National Criminal Database Reaches 400 Million Records

The national criminal database service from backgroundchecks.com has reached 400 million records. BackgroundChecks.com is a leading provider of background screening services. According to Craig Kessler, president of backgroundchecks.com, the size of a national criminal database is significant.

Legislation and Compliance update - Investigative Consumer Reporting Agencies: Disclosures

On September 28th California Governor Schwarzenegger signed SB 909 which amend Sections 1786.16 and 1786.20 of the Civil Code, relating to personal information.

Compliance and Legislation Update - The EEOC and Me

 

A few years ago, had you asked the average businessman his personal philosophy on background screening, his response would’ve likely been something to the effect of “better safe than sorry.”  Better to screen every applicant, to eliminate any applicant with a blemish on their record, than to face a due diligence lawsuit.

Now that opinion is changing.  By taking “better safe than sorry” truly to heart, businesses have started to run afoul of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).  According to the EEOC, making employment decisions (specifically hiring or retention decisions) based on arrest and convictions or on credit reports has a disparate impact on minorities.

The EEOC has also determined that they would generally analyze the following items to determine if a hiring/retention decision was a business necessity or if it was discriminatory:

These two differing opinions have put many businesses between a rock and a hard place. Businesses can’t stop doing background checks completely without opening themselves to due diligence lawsuits but to continue in the vein of running all checks on everyone opens the business to discrimination lawsuits.

Ideally, in order to avoid the potential lawsuits, each company would do the following:

What it comes down to is that each job class has a different risk profile and because of that, not each job class can be treated the same. The possible risks need to be carefully weighed for each class and policies need to be updated to reflect these risks.

HubSpot System • August 8th, 2010

Ongoing Criminal Monitoring - Once Just Isn't Enough

Across the board, the media focus on background screening is on pre-employment checks: whether and why you should do them, which types of checks you should do, and so on.  While these questions are undeniably important, they miss another whole aspect of screenings that can be equally important: post-employment background checks, most commonly seen in the form of ongoing criminal monitoring.

Ongoing criminal monitoring is exactly what it sounds like: a process by which you screen your current employees on an ongoing basis to confirm the employee’s continued eligibility for employment under your criminal background policy.  So, if you require an employee to have had no violent felony convictions in the previous seven years in order to begin work, you then check on a periodic or ongoing basis after the employee has begun work to verify that he still has no violent felony convictions.

While important in every company, those organizations that have a good retention rate particularly need ongoing criminal monitoring.  If your company only screens on a pre-employment basis and has a good retention rate, some of your employees may not have been screened for 10 years.

The possibilities of what could have happened in those 10 years are endless.  Maybe an employee in your accounting department has been convicted of credit fraud since he started there.  Maybe an employee who works with kids has been convicted of child molestation.  These types of employees can get out on bail before you find out they were arrested; if it is their first offense, they can receive probation, even for serious convictions, that allow them to continue working for you. Your best protection is to check your employees periodically to make sure that they measure up to the same standards they used to.

The catch is that this can’t just be done willy-nilly.  There are some additional considerations, among the most important of which is an item known as an evergreen authorization.  This is an authorization similar to one that the applicant would sign in order for any background check to occur however it is considered valid for more than one round of checks.  Another option would be to run annual background checks on your employees and have them sign a separate authorization each year.  In either case, you should check with your lawyer to make sure that your authorization is valid.

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