Job applicants should be clued up on recruiters’ background checks. Job applicants should be aware that prospective employers typically carry out a thorough system of background checks before taking on new recruits, finds new research.
Most employers seek a wide range of information as part of their background checks. The main areas that recruiters check up on are employment dates, job titles and the candidate’s performance and sickness absence records. References form the main type of background check conducted by employers when hiring new staff. Of those employers that carry out checks, almost all (99.5 percent) take up references on potential recruits. The research explores how often references reveal negative background information about candidates and what action employers take when this happens. Seven employers in 10 (72 percent) reported that they “hardly ever” received references containing unfavourable information about candidates over the past two years.
Although uncommon, when recruiting organisations receive adverse information on a candidate, this does not necessarily mean that the job is then closed to the potential hire. Employers typically take a number of steps when they receive a reference that contains unfavourable information or views about a candidate, including: weighing up the information in the reference against the nature of the vacancy (73.7 percent of employers); asking the candidate to give a response to this unfavourable information or opinion (64.8 percent); and not appointing the candidate (27.9 percent).
This research also examines employer practice when obtaining criminal records checks on candidates. Seven employers in 10 (70.1 percent) obtain criminal records checks on potential recruits, with the majority of these (70.9 percent) having received an adverse disclosure on a candidate in less than 5 percent of cases.??“Although most employers have rarely received references or criminal record checks that contain negative information on applicants, it is crucial that recruiting organisations follow good practice when dealing with unfavourable checks,” says Rachel Suff, XpertHR author of the report.
| Types of information employers seek when obtaining references | Percent of employers |
|---|---|
| Employment dates | 97.9% |
| Job title(s) | 88.1% |
| Performance in role | 73.1% |
| Absences | 71.5% |
| Disciplinary action taken against the candidate | 66.3% |
| The referee's views on the candidate's likely ability to do the job for which he or she is applying | 65.8% |
| Responsibilities of the candidate's role | 64.8% |
| Whether or not the referee would recommend the candidate to another employer | 61.7% |
| Time-keeping | 57% |
| Salary | 52.8% |
| Experience gained | 32.6% |
| Qualifications held | 18.1% |
| Relevant personality or behavioural traits | 16.1% |
| Training undertaken | 10.4% |
Source: XpertHR
