Employers need to adopt ‘screen’ tests when hiring

EMPLOYERS need to implement personal due diligence procedures as recruitment activity hots up.

According to BTG Intelligence – part of the Begbies Traynor Group – enhanced profiling needs to be carried out to ensure that information given by candidates is accurate and that there are no “skeletons in the closet”, which potential employers need to be aware of.

Chris Taylor, of BTG Intelligence in Leeds, said that around every three in 10 CVs are estimated to contain untruths from overplaying current responsibilities to citing false qualifications and even claiming experience in make-believe jobs.

“What’s more some candidates may have criminal records of bad debt histories, which are unlikely to come to light in interviews but could prove harmful to the business,” he continued.

“In the US there is a long tradition of carrying out vigorous vetting of job candidates but surprisingly this had been much less common here. Many organisations readily concede that their staff are there greatest asset and therefore it seems logical to invest in screening processes to ensure that only the best candidate is hired.”

According to Mr Taylor candidates first need to be told that the potential employers is planning to carry out some background checks.

Advisers will ask the candidate to fill in a simple questionnaire and then carry out checks to ensure validity of qualifications and employment history as well as looking at criminal records, credit ratings and litigation history.

He said the findins could necessitate further investigations such as interviews with former colleagues or research into the candidate’s lifestyle.

“The grim reality is that candidates may be economical with the truth when seeking a position and cost cutting on the selection procedure could prove very costly for the business in the long-term,” Mr Taylor said.

“We believe pre-employment screening processes should be a standard operating procedure for all UK employers.”