Six Characteristics of a Smart Global Background Screening Solution

Posted Thursday, March 9th, 2017 by Debbie Lamb, Sterling Talent Solutions

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In this day and age, a world away means so much less than it did mere decades ago. Connected now, more than ever, job seekers are making the trek from one end of the globe to the other in search of rewarding employment. The world has tech systems available that aim to supply HR professionals with the means to do their jobs, but those systems have not been without some major headaches.

Characteristics of a Smart Global Background Screening Solution

Below are six characteristics of a well-rounded global background screening program that can easily be incorporated into an organization’s background screening program:

1. The Game of Compliances – It’s a big world out there with a vast, endless sea of laws and regulations. There are over 196 countries and territories each with their unique set of laws. Not every country or territory has robust rules and oversight. This means that some have complicated regulations, while others have little or no policy. On top of the many rules, there is also the challenge of tracking the never-ending regulatory updates. Compliance is critical and your plate doesn’t have room for becoming a guru of international law. Your system should do that for you.

2. True Hub – Global screening becomes much easier when using just one platform: a single hub that can gather that nation-by-nation information dynamically based on the information provided by the candidate. With a single compliance management system, consent forms can be configured per-country and per-customer. By giving the applicant access to this hub, companies remove the lag created by multiple phone calls and back-and-forth emails and faxes, making the passing of information quick and direct.

3. Sidestepping Roadblocks – With international compliance, there are a few circular conflicts that are prevalent. For example, an employer simply cannot ask a candidate what nations they have previously resided in to obtain the proper consent forms and can’t possibly know which ones to give them without asking. By asking the candidate to provide their current residence, you can send a consent form for them to sign specific to their location. Once this is completed and returned by the candidate, the authorization to request the remaining background information to move forward is granted and the screening process can continue. This is made even faster when done electronically, through a secure candidate portal and using electronic signatures.

4. Knowing Cultural Differences – Much like HR professionals or hiring managers cannot be expected to know international law they are probably not an anthropological Ph.D., either. This is problematic, as part of their job relies on cultural sensitivity. Sometimes that goes as far as knowing that asking a candidate from India for a maiden name – a practice commonplace in the United States – would be insufficient as a paternal identifier. Similarly, while it might not step on toes, asking a candidate from Mexico for a social security number will leave them scratching their heads. You need questionnaires that are sensitive to international differences in practice and culture and you can avoid these cultural landmines with country-specific background screening packages.

5. Trusted Network Serving Your Needs – Sensitive candidate information should be sent securely to the local resources performing the background screening. Their findings consolidated in a single platform available anywhere, anytime on any web-enabled device. Using the same location to send and receive information from the fulfillment partners enhances data security and accuracy, avoiding outdated, risky methods such as snail mail, fax or email communication.

6. Quality Is a No-Brainer – A lot of the currently available international screening solutions rely directly on teams spread across the globe. This makes managing quality very difficult. The smart solution is to provide centralized support to eliminate the barriers caused by time differences. Response times can go from days to hours, but not at the cost of quality and trust.

Developing a Global Background Screening Program

Organizations must weigh the availability of information and compliance concerns with your company’s desire to monitor costs and turnaround times. Businesses must take this into consideration when developing their recruiting processes for foreign workers or candidates with international experience. Companies need to work with legal counsel to create a compliant global background screening program. Global screening involves running different types of background checks depending on the type of hire, the regulated status of the position, level of risk the position poses to the organization and the past countries of residence.

Using a reputable provider of employment screening and background checking services, such as Sterling Talent Solutions, to navigate the complexities of global compliance could save a company a whole world of costly errors. To learn more about having compliant criminal background checks in the United States by downloading our white paper, Keep It Legal: Five Critical Steps to Criminal Record Check Compliance.

This publication is for informational purposes only and nothing contained in it should be construed as legal advice. We expressly disclaim any warranty or responsibility for damages arising out this information. We encourage you to consult with legal counsel regarding your specific needs. We do not undertake any duty to update previously posted materials.