The most valuable asset of any organization is its people. In order to hire the best individuals to move your company forward, you need a talent acquisition process that allows you to make informed hiring decisions in a timely manner so top candidates don’t fall through the cracks — or to your competition.
In episode 93 of HR Break Room®, Justin Cameron, Paycom’s manager of background checks, joined us to discuss all things related to employment screenings, including what to look for in a background check software.
Improve the candidate and employee experience
It’s crucial for HR and recruiting to ensure the candidate experience is top-notch to compete for the best prospects in today’s workforce.
“Organizations only get one opportunity to make a first impression,” Cameron explained. “If the process is not easy and efficient and they don’t have confidence in the process, good candidates will be lost and the culture of the organization is going to suffer. Recruiting and HR are your first-line defense.”
A seamless, streamlined candidate experience sets the tone for a positive relationship with an organization that will continue after a candidate becomes an employee.
“Protecting the culture of an organization or establishing a culture begins with the selection process and ensuring that you try and select the best individuals possible for your organization,” Cameron said.
That’s why it’s essential to empower your HR and recruiting teams with the proper screening resources to make the best possible hiring decisions.
Customizable background checks software can help HR teams ensure candidates don’t pose a risk to the safety of your employees.
“In order to protect your workforce and those you serve, it’s imperative to have a strong screening program so you get the full view of who the person is,” Cameron explained.
Exercise due diligence
The wrong hire could expose you to costs in the form of legal fees, damages and the loss of business that such an employee can create. Even college degree fraud could expose your organization to a host of consequences.
The most important way to avoid unnecessary exposure and compliance risks is to partner with a consumer reporting agency that provides the expert insight you need to help mitigate risk.
“Ensuring that you align with a really good screening partner that can come alongside and help consult, educate and make sure you understand those pitfalls is really, really important,” Cameron said. “Asking for a review of your screening program with your partners can significantly and potentially save you a tremendous amount of time and money and help you improve your process.”
Look for a full-service consumer reporting agency that is able to deliver the clearest possible insight into the history of an applicant, including educational verification, employment verification, credit checks, public records searches and drug and health screenings.
The role of reliable technology
The ability to make informed hiring decisions is a crucial part of effective talent acquisition because it affects nearly every part of an organization. To gain the most efficiency from your background checks process, look for a single HR software to manage every part of the employee life cycle — from hire to retire.
“We’re definitely seeing a shift to a more cohesive or single-platform approach, ensuring that HR technology works seamlessly from recruiting and evaluation and screening through onboarding and then the life cycle of the employee. The efficiencies gained with that are tremendous,” Cameron said.
Of course, this is only a small part of our chat with Cameron. Listen to episode 93 of HR Break Room® to get the full conversation.
