Doing a background check before job offer is a common necessary step for many companies now. That’s how businesses make sure they hire a person with real credentials and job experience that match their claims from a CV. Discover the advantages and disadvantages of doing background checks with the X-Ray Research Team.
What Is Background Check Before an Offer?
It is a safety measure to protect the company from hiring a fraudulent candidate. Before hiring a candidate, it is both legal and common for many employers to check out an applicant’s information. Background checks serve as a risk-dodging process to make sure that untrustworthy people don’t penetrate the organization. You should know what employers look for in your background report:
- Legal name, documents, federal registers, etc.
- Employment and education history checks
- Criminal record checks
- Social media footprint checks
- Reference validation
Is It Better to Do a Background Check Before or After an Offer?
There are two main types of background checks: pre- and post-employment ones. Normally, doing background checks before employment is the best solution. If the organization commits to adopting this procedure, a widespread problem is deciding when to do it. A pre-employment screening is much more common since it helps to cut off sketchy candidates early on. However, a post-employment screening allows companies to save resources since they have to do checks only on one person who ultimately was hired or on current company employees. This approach is worse than pre-employment checks as ill-intended people can harm the firm from the inside.
Pros and Cons of a Background Check Before an Offer
You may wonder, is it sound to do a background check before offer? Let’s unpack the advantages and disadvantages of having such a company rule.
Pros
- It’s a means to boost the security of the organization.
- Checks save time and resources as you don’t waste assets on onboarding a fraudulent candidate.
- The company manages to hire only the cream of the crop professionals who can help the firm grow.
- The organization can protect its reputation. For example, you can reveal that a candidate has a past history of unethical behaviour prior to hiring them.
Cons
- Conducting background checks prior to making an offer can slow down the recruitment process.
- Some candidates may feel uncomfortable sharing personal details without a guaranteed job offer.
- This procedure requires additional resources and can end up being quite expensive.
- The candidate can claim that the hiring process was biased against them based on their past.
Do a Background Check With X-Ray Contact
You can conduct a background check on a person in a few clicks with the help of data aggregation services. X-Ray Contact assembles findings from 33+ providers, which can include such info as real name, location, contact details, education and employment history, relations, etc. You just need to input candidate data such as a name, phone number, email address, image, or social media link. This service can speed up the verification process and become a valuable step during background checks.
Key Takeaways for Employers
In the age of AI and massive online fraud, background checks prior to making an offer are a must to protect your organization. However, be sure to follow federal and state laws so that the hiring process is fair and transparent.
