SYDNEY & HONG KONG & SINGAPORE -- (BUSINESS WIRE) --

First Advantage, a specialised background verification company providing comprehensive screening solutions to hundreds of Fortune 1000 companies globally, shares some guidelines for employers to consider before making a hire, in order to integrate watertight verification processes into their talent strategy. First, some facts:

• More than 1 in 10 CVs received from Asia Pacific candidates contain some form of discrepancy
• One in 11 candidates misrepresent their last job title/designation, while one in 14 showed a variance in the reasons for leaving a past job. Examples include an applicant who indicated he resigned due to “personal reasons” but when background checks were conducted, it was found that a candidate was asked to leave for “poor performance.”
• One in 25 searches identified a lower previous salary than listed on the application. We believe some of these salary discrepancies may be an effort by such a candidate to obtain a higher salary offer from the new employer.
• In Australia, 12% of all candidates were found to have major discrepancies in their CVs with a higher number of candidates found to have alerts on criminal and employment checks as compared to the other countries.

Why screen?

All over the world, employers rely on background screening to verify the information provided in the job application. This screening may be conducted by the company’s own staff, or, increasingly by third party companies that specialize in background screening. Unfortunately, incidents of job history and education history misrepresentation are on the rise worldwide. Validating the application information helps employers obtain and retain quality and competent employees.

Protecting your brand

Despite many flavors of “why” employers perform global screening, things like industry compliance, ensuring competency, protecting against physical, legal and financial risk, it often boils down to one salient point: protecting your global brand reputation. And studies by the Aberdeen group have shown companies who screen usually obtain quality candidates, see a decrease in turnover with a higher first-year retention, a decrease in the time to fill the position, and the candidates are considered “top ranked.

Key Takeaway

A simple background check to verify the information supplied by candidates costs far less than the media backlash for not doing it, as seen in recent incidents across Australia and in Asia Pacific.

To manage people risks and strengthen organisations background screening processes, First Advantage offers the following guidelines:

Importance of verification at source

Meet business needs by screening with speed, accuracy and having the ability to verify at source. Establish strong relationships with the entities including education institutions, employers. Evaluate your internal resources to follow a strict pre-approved process, conduct the verifications in a consistent manner from person to person, and document the attempts and results.

Adhere to compliance and local privacy laws

Background screening involves collection and transmission of personal information across borders. Checks are subject to data protection and privacy laws of many countries. These laws are dynamic and subject to changes. Develop a mechanism to be abreast of latest laws in your candidates’ source country.

Determine the number/type of checks to conduct

Asia Pacific Employers conducting 6 Checks and above are 11 times more likely to uncover a discrepancy as compared to those who conduct 2 Checks. Decide what screening components make the most sense based on the position being filled. Determine what data restrictions or limitations and employment screening guidelines are in effect within the country being searched.

Get a “one-world” view

You juggle many language differences, time zone, local restrictions, country guidelines on data privacy and manage multiple logins, passwords and reports for separate websites. Use advanced online technologies. Some screening providers unified all screening activities under one login and password. A screening provider with more branch offices and employees around the world will better understand local cultures, resources and regulations, minimizing your risk.

About First Advantage

First Advantage supports thousands of clients globally, including hundreds of Fortune 1000 companies, by providing integrated, single-source solutions that feature quality products and business practices, configurable technology, helpful compliance and managed services, and highly responsive client support. First Advantage offers verification services across 12 areas from employment verification to social media tests. We conduct over 23 million+ background screens globally in a year, for over 41,000 customers with a 99.78% accuracy rate.

CONTACT:

20:20 MSL
Vaishnavi Murali
Senior Account Manager
+919900141345
Email: Vaishnavi.murali@2020msl.com
or
First Advantage
Chin Wei Chong
Director of Marketing Communications, Asia Pacific
+65.6254.3189
Email: weichong.chin@fadv.com