For many organizations, background screening is often viewed as a mere commodity, a transactional process driven by price and speed. And while these factors are undeniably important, they only scratch the surface of what background screening can truly offer for employers investing in hiring efficiencies to attract desirable talent.
At its core, background screening is about people and swiftly onboarding the most suitable individuals based on your size and needs. Let’s look at a few scenarios that drive efficiencies based on organization size.
Scenario 1: You’re a large enterprise organization with unique needs.
On an annual basis, you’re typically filling more positions, engaging with more applicants, and experiencing a higher employee turnover rate compared to companies half your size. You may be hiring for multiple locations across a region, the country, and/or around the world. Your industry and a patchwork of compliance regulations likely dictate the scope of your background screening program.
And everything, from your hiring volume to your compliance requirements, is fluid…constantly changing in response to subtle (and sometimes abrupt) market shifts, evolving legislation, and more. In short, it’s complicated.
There’s also the risk. According to a customer survey in our new 2024 Global Trends Report, 48 percent of our global customers say that “managing applicant hiring risk” is the biggest factor in their background screening programs—more important than speed and costs.
In this complex and risk-filled hiring landscape, you need more than just a background screening provider. You need a trusted partner with a proven track record and deep industry expertise. A partner who can help you navigate the uncertainties of today’s hiring market with confidence. You need a partner as invested in your hiring process, your applicants, and your employees as you are.
It means intentionally structuring our technology, solutions, and service model so you’re able to meet and enhance your hiring, screening, and onboarding processes to help you go faster.
- Benchmark: Use data-backed ideas and answers with strategic consulting. Maybe you want to know how others in your industry are screening their executives and C-suite leadership. Or you’re getting pushback from applicants who expect on-demand updates and visibility into the hiring and screening processes. Or maybe there’s a glitch in your onboarding process but you can’t pinpoint where it’s happening.
Our strategic consulting team—founded on Lean Six Sigma methodologies, analytics, deep data knowledge, and our experience with hundreds of enterprise employers worldwide—is your greatest advantage here. Based on your unique process and program concerns, we empower you with data-driven insights gleaned from your hiring, onboarding, and program performance data.
This is no guessing game. You get hard data to help you identify opportunities for improvement, make proactive program adjustments, and formulate your next best step forward. We then skillfully pair these insights with the right technology and solutions—with everything aligned to your current HR priorities and roadmap—to get the job done for your organization.
- Put Your Buying Power to Work: Background screening is like other scenarios: the more you buy, the lower your costs. However, a “bulk buying” concept only works if you can find a provider that has everything you need.
Inclusive solutions span dozens of different global background screening options for criminal checks, contractor screening, volunteer screening, verifications, reference checks, and compliance checks.
There are options for compliance support, individualized assessments, and more. Industry-focused support is available for healthcare, retail, transportation, education, and many other industries.
Technology integrations are one of our strengths. We offer standard and tailored integrations, partnering with top HR tech providers and up-and-coming tech firms primed to transform the market.
For large organizations, this inclusive offering means everything. Get help to:
- Significantly reduce your screening costs with bundled options and maximum buying power.
- Simplify administrative workflows by centralizing all background screening under a single provider.
- Improve operational efficiencies by plugging background screening services into your existing HR system for a true “one-stop” interface.
- Drive seamless program visibility across all screening components (background, drug, and international) and actionable performance insights that inform future program adjustments.
To help further position your large business as a leading employer, we continuously innovate and expand our solution offering on a local, national, and global scale to deliver key advantages that help you hire faster and onboard smarter.
Takeaway: As a leading employer, your business and your employees are your top concerns. Knowing this, look for a screening provider that can offer solutions tailored to your company’s unique needs, screening volume, and future trajectory of your hiring program.
Scenario 2: You’re a small or mid-sized business focused on cost and speed.
To compete with larger employers for top talent, you need a hiring process that runs like a top—one that whisks applicants through the background screening process with minimal hang-ups. After all, speed and agility are widely considered to be hallmarks of smaller companies.
Then there’s inflation, which is driving pay increases, cramping budgets, and demanding a greater emphasis on hiring speed and costs. According to a recent SHRM examination of upcoming hiring challenges, 68 percent of HR executives say that “finding ways to reduce costs/improve efficiency” is a top priority for 2024.
Make Faster, More Informed Decisions: Work with a vendor who is committed to reducing background check turnaround times and improving overall cost efficiencies. Here are a few significant advances revealed in our 2024 Global Trends Report.
- 15 percent faster criminal searches. To put criminal record search results at your fingertips faster, we’re partnering and integrating with more government criminal record reporting sources, and increasingly automating our criminal record processes. Since 2022, our ongoing efforts have produced big benefits, including 15 percent faster statewide repository criminal searches in 2023.
- 70 percent faster verifications, compared to traditional methods. To give you employment verification in less time for less money, our innovative Verified! solution offers a repository of previously verified employment information. You get what is needed to make a hiring decision more than 70 percent faster than traditional manual verifications. Likewise, anytime a record is found in Verified!, it saves you the cost of performing a manual verification or expensive third-party fees associated with other verification databases.
Takeaway: If speed, agility, and costs are integral to your hiring and screening strategy, take a close look at whether providers can deliver the level of efficiency you need and want. Also, consider their commitment to building and implementing new technology and partnerships that foster continuous improvement over time.
There’s a lot more to background checks than meets the eye. Yes, speed and costs are top factors, but when you take the time to ask questions and explore a screening provider’s knowledge and deeper motivation, you’ll quickly discover what’s most important. We’re here to help. Connect with us to learn how we can help your business Hire Smarter and Onboard Faster®.
Access the First Advantage Global Trends Report 2024 here: https://fadv.com/2024trends/
