By: Joy Henry, Executive Vice President, Americas
With companies facing more sophisticated identity threats, new technologies are helping companies provide solutions.
As 2025 kicks off, the technology sector is experiencing a hiring surge, with an impressive 476,000 open positions reported. Traditional degrees are no longer the primary requirement, as employers now prioritize specialized knowledge and skillsets.
In an industry driven by innovation and forward-thinking strategies, employers can integrate new technologies into background screening to streamline their processes while modernizing their hiring practices.
Keep reading to learn more about the major screening trends set to affect the technology industry in 2025.
Identity Fraud Mitigation
According to a recent study by AuthenticID, identity fraud is at a three-year high, registering a 2.10% increase in 2024. The technology industry is itself vulnerable to cutting-edge tech exploits, with deepfakes and generative AI providing fraudsters with ever more sophisticated tools producing convincing IDs and false identities. Using these documents, bad actors can conceal past criminal activities to pass the screening process and gain access to proprietary systems and confidential information, with potentially costly consequences for employers.
The risks of identity fraud can also be higher when hiring remotely. A misguided hire or a compliance misstep can easily jeopardize benefits of having an international program in the first place.
With companies facing more sophisticated identity threats, new technologies are providing equally new and effective solutions. First Advantage offers multi-layered, digital identity solutions and methods – including biometric data, liveness detection, document review – to flag potential identity fraud. Digital Identity can be integrated at the start of the hiring process to uncover additional records and improve the accuracy of the background checks.
Global Expansion
As the demand for skilled talent increases, many tech companies look overseas to fill gaps in their workforce. No longer reserved for entry-level positions, international hiring is a great way for employers to find qualified employees and executives while cutting costs to better invest in other areas, such as new technologies. Some specialized skillsets, particularly in new fields like AI and automation, may be more readily available in other countries.
Global expansion is not without risks, however. Adapting hiring and screening processes to the needs and expectations of candidates across different regions can pose significant logistical challenges. Compliance requirements also become increasingly complex when multiple jurisdictions are involved, each of which has its own laws and regulations.
For technology companies facing these challenges, building a robust international background check program is important. The screening process should take into account compliance considerations, linguistic and cultural differences, and the requirements associated with each position. First Advantage provides global checks in over 200 countries, with tailored packages for the technology industry including criminal history checks, education, employment and credential verifications, executive screening, and more.
Social Media
Research shows that 5.24 billion people are active on social media, representing almost 64% of the world’s population. The popularity of social networks makes them an excellent source of insights about individuals’ personalities and behavior. While social media screening may not be the first type of background check that comes to mind when people think about pre-employment screening or monitoring, it is essential to help technology companies find employees who reflect their values and protect their reputation.
Some companies have hiring managers review candidates’ social media activities in-house. However, this practice can implicate legal concern because it can provide information that could lead to unconscious bias, for example about ethnicity, religious beliefs, or political affiliation, or tread on prohibited grounds of discrimination.
In addition, the process of manually combing through social media to find relevant activities is extremely time-consuming, which is why technology companies outsource social media screening to third-party providers. At First Advantage, we offer social media screening customizable based on each employer’s preferences and risk profile.
Monitoring
Insider threats are another major concern for technology companies. Some employees may take advantage of their privileged access to their employers’ data and other assets for harmful purposes; to embezzle funds, for instance, or to leak confidential product information to a competitor. According to the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners, the technology industry is heavily impacted by insider threats, reporting median losses of $145,000 across 65 incidents.
How can technology companies protect themselves against insider threats? A preemployment background check, with additional due diligence for executives, provides a solid first line of defense. However, a continuous monitoring program is also key to detect adverse activities that occur after the initial hire.
First Advantage’s monitoring solutions allow you to upload a roster of employees that our system will automatically monitor for potential reportable criminal record history that happens post-onboarding. . Help mitigate risk to your assets, your data, and your reputation with a monitoring program tailored to your needs.
As an industry leader, First Advantage provides advanced screening solutions to help technology companies remain at the vanguard of a fast-evolving world. Defend yourself against identity fraud and insider threats while managing your business’s unique needs and compliance requirements.
Contact us to build a screening program designed and optimized for the tech industry.
