A 10-step checklist for safe screening
Part of what makes a great recruitment agency, is their ability to provide their clients with top quality talent that has been vetted, checked, screened and are free to accept offers of employments. It’s part of the reason our clients use us, to take away the headache and stress of checking candidates and the legwork that comes with that. Which is why a candidate screening procedure is so important and robust processes will save you time and trouble later down the line. Here’s ten steps to help you with an effective screening flow:
1. Audit the process
Take a look at your current screening process and see what works and where the blocks are occurring. What happens if an offer of employment is made before screening and background checks have been completed? Ensure you know exactly how the current checks are working so you can improve and iterate.
2. Develop a toolkit
This is as much looking at your internal processes as your candidates experience. Ensure that the correct steps are in place throughout the screening journey and your consultants know exactly what they should be using at what stage, and importantly, what needs to be checked.
3. Stay compliant
Naturally, this goes without saying, but compliance will save you when it comes to your screening process. Ensure that all your practices have been reviewed for legal compliance and procedures are put in place to notify applicants of your activity. In addition, ensure that there is a procedure in place should anything slip through and someone is recruited, and negative information later found. Review your application forms to make sure you’re recording data correctly and can always back up your screening policies.
4. Write your responsibilities down
Ensure that you’re always documenting your screening responsibilities, and the consequences of failure to provide the correct information. Ensure everyone knows the process internally and there are never any shortcuts.
5. Train your people
You cannot assume that every recruitment consultant will understand how to screen, and coming from different agencies, everyone’s process will be slightly different. Train your people in your procedure and how you’d like it to be done.
6. Communicate your screening policies
Just like you can’t assume every consultant knows the full screening process, you cannot also assume that they have been spoken to, or that your screening policy has been communicated to them by other managers. Ensure you’re always communicating the policies and they are visible throughout your organisation.
7. Empower individuals
Allocate responsibility throughout your agency to key individuals regarding best practice, essential procedure and communication. Use the people around you to help communicate and highlight the importance of safe screening when it comes to candidates.
8. Manage outsourcing
If you do outsource your screening procedures to a third-party provider, ensure you understand exactly how they will screen your candidates and what their policies are. Be involved and take an active role in understand their business.
9. Check your screening techniques
This might sound odd, but ensure that all the techniques you’re using to currently screen candidates have the right information on them, and are collecting the right data. This might mean reassessing your application forms or practices to ensure you’re always staying compliant and collecting the right information on behalf of you clients.
10. Constantly iterate
Screening policies are not stagnant, and new legislation is always just around the corner. Constantly iterate what you’re doing so you can refine and update your processes. Your clients will also be updating their own requirements, so it’s important you’re always changing and adapting your screening methods to keep up with them and provide high quality candidates.
