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How to strengthen your recruitment process with online candidate screening

As we speak to our clients and prospects within the Recruitment arena the importance and relevance of online candidate screening is ever present. The competitive nature of the job market means that candidates increasingly find themselves under pressure to embellish their career history or skip out important details in the interest of making a good impression. The unfortunate truth is that it is very difficult to eliminate a candidate you like when your first impression is positive, even if they aren’t the right fit.

No matter what type of organisation you may work for, in one guise or another, candidate screening is key to supporting a major compliance area for recruiters to build a complete picture on their prospective employees in order to reduce risk within this vital stage of the recruitment process.

Posted 09/05/2017

One size doesn’t fit all.

Of course, the precise level of online screening activity can vary depending on sector and specific vacancy requirements - and are incredibly broad in scope, ranging from security and compliance topics  including; Identity, financial, DBS, DVLA, Right to Work, through to personal profiling such as; employment background, appropriate qualifications or career break etc.

Also bear in mind that online screening is not just limited to new employees, they are equally important for any consultants, volunteers and contingent workers who may work with the organisation.

In addition, screening practices aren’t necessarily isolated to just your shortlisted candidates but can be conducted at the early stages of the recruitment process - 10% of candidates drop out of the application process due to screening policies   - ensuring  ongoing quality & consistency while also  safeguarding from potential future criminality. Conversely, screening also doesn’t stop at final selection as this process can also be carried forward to the on-boarding stage to ensure compliance against internal policy.

Why is candidate screening important?

The underlining purpose of online screening is to essentially reassure recruiters that the candidate is genuine, eliminate any legal liabilities and risks associated with lack of visibility, as well as safeguard the organisation’s reputation and existing staff.

Introducing online screening can provide some quick and tangible benefits. Firstly, they negate potential time and costs associated to hiring, on-boarding and training an unsuitable candidate – only to have to let them go and repeat the hiring process. Secondly, the ability to provide evidence of accountability and compliance against internal polices and industry regulations is also of major value.  

Therefore, there are a number of factors to consider when considering your screening criteria;

4 Top tips for selecting the right screening criteria for your organisation:

  1. Contemplate carefully the types of checks that reflect the role and responsibilities of the candidate. Relevance is key to ensure the scope of the assessment is not unnecessarily broad.
  1. Think about how you position individual questions to the candidate, including any scoring criteria. Ensure they are specific and appropriate.
  1. Establish your own tolerance to practices and policy criteria when assessing the candidate response or screening results. You may want to consider obtaining further feedback from the candidate on any areas of potential concern that arise from the results (for example; gaps in employment or a short tenure with a previous company)
  1. Ensure the candidate is aware and bought in to the process and ensure you always consider the rights of the applicant. The interactive online screening portal will assist in their buy-in of this as part of the assessment and screening process.

Managing screening online rather than manually has several other key benefits, in addition to aiding buy-in and delivering a good candidate experience. Online screening is proven to reduce turnaround times to hire (to help your internal SLA’s), takes away the responsibility of the company to perform manual checks independently (as these are automated out to the relevant bureaus) and reduces costly outsource fees.

Ignore employee screening at your peril

While some organisations do underestimate the importance of comprehensive screening practices, it is worth considering that the identified common risks associated with inadequate checks can include any number of potential future ramifications such as employee fraud, absenteeism, right to work complications and the cost and administration burden of employing unsuitable candidates.

If you don’t already have a comprehensive online screening solution in place, the essential elements to look for are an online, cloud based solution that removes any barriers to entry for candidates, and the ability to customise – ensuring you can configure the solution to cater for your organisation’s needs. Be sure to look at Safe Screening, part of the Access Group if you’re in the market for a more comprehensive screening provider.

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