Featured article by Ben Davies, Independent technology Author
In today’s hiring world, speed and efficiency are key. According to research conducted by Glassdoor, a job interview process in Australia takes an average of 28 days to complete. However, an employer that wants to hire the best talent has to do better. Why? When a person is in the job market, chances are they’re going to be applying to multiple jobs. This means the employer with the fastest process will have stronger bargaining power as the applicant, at that point, doesn’t know what the outcome of other jobs they applied to will be.
Background checks are one of the hiring components that typically delay the process. However, they cannot be discarded because they are extremely important to making sound hiring decisions. While carrying out national police checks, criminal history checks usually take a couple of days, other checks like education and past employment verification can take some time due to many factors.
However, in the past few years, technology has streamlined the background check process; from a police clearance (australian national character check) that can be obtained in less than 24 hours to online school platforms that allow for education verification. Although there’s still significant room for improvement, it has surely revolutionized the entire process.
✔   Fast and Convenient
Many HR technology companies offer a plethora of online checks. The most common being national police checks that are used by over 86% of employers. From the comfort of their office, employers can now order national police checks by just filling some form fields and get the result within 24 hours, or in, at most, 3 business days. No longer do HR professionals have to stand in long queues just to order a police check. This greater comfort and shortened delivery time help employers to make quicker hiring decisions.
✔   Wider Reach
Today more than ever, there’s a greater effort from employers to fill positions from top talents all around the globe. But how on earth will an Australian employer carry out a background check on a foreign applicant from say Germany? International backgrounds are now available – thanks to technology companies. They make it easier for employers to verify the suitability of a candidate, irrespective of where they are on the globe.
✔   Versatility
To paint a coherent picture, employers need to carry out different kinds of background checks, as necessitated by the job role. A criminal history check shows the criminal past of an applicant, while a credit history check determines the applicant’s spending habits. A driving test or drug test may also be relevant to the role. Carrying out all these checks in the past would take ages. But thanks to technology companies, many checks can be carried out simultaneously in a reasonable amount of time.
Conclusion
The role of technology in today’s hiring landscape cannot be overemphasized. It has made carry out background checks fast, efficient, and versatile. In short, it has streamlined the entire process.
