The hiring process can be long and taxing on both hiring managers and applicants. While your team needs to fill a position quickly, you shouldn’t overlook critical steps such as employment verification, which could protect your company from unqualified candidates.
While every candidate deserves consideration during their job search and we want to see the best in people, unfortunately, there are times when an applicant is less than qualified and may be dishonest about their experience, including their job history. Employment verification helps identify falsified information in an application.
At Barada Associates, we specialize in accurate, fast employment verification to help you make informed hiring decisions. Check out the rest of our blog to learn the best practices for confirming employment.
What Can You Learn By Confirming Employment
Employment verification is a type of background screening in which one of our professionals fact-checks a candidate’s previous employers. Many prospective employers tell potential new hires when verification is performed, but this is a courtesy and no notice is legally required.
When your hiring team decides to take part in employment verification screening to see if an applicant is right for the new job, you can learn whether or not the information about previous work experience is accurate or falsified.
While your interview process may be thorough, this information often won’t be revealed in a face-to-face setting. This can vet dishonest candidates, allow you to discuss discrepancies with them, and make the best hiring decision for the success and safety of your existing employees and operations.
This type of screening can reveal:
- False employment claims
- Gaps in employment
- Fabricated job titles
- Invalid job responsibilities or an inaccurate job description
The Difference Between Job References and Employment Confirmation
Employment confirmation is a very narrowly focused background screening – it zeros in on a job candidate’s work history. On the other hand, job references are a different type of background check for the hiring process that provides insight into less tangible elements of an applicant, including their work ethic, work skills, and personality.
When is it Better to Talk to a Supervisor than Confirm Employment?
While both checking references and employment information can help confirm the details of an application, each has its own focus and benefits. For example, you could check a candidate’s references and receive a glowing recommendation but be unaware that one previous position on their resume, one they did not provide references for, is completely fabricated.
Alternatively, if you perform an employment check and decide not to check their professional references, you may confirm that all of their information is accurate but not know that they have a history of tardiness and poor time management. A former or current supervisor can inform you of these details.
That’s why reference checking is the companion piece to an employment verification check – it helps ensure that you hire the best person possible for the job.
What Can You Learn By Talking to a Supervisor?
Good references are always a person the candidate worked closely with as they have the most insight into who the candidate is off paper. Professional references, or work references, include former or current coworkers, subordinates, and supervisors/managers.
Was the applicant timely? Do they have good time management skills? Are they reliable with sensitive company information? How do they respond to authority? You won’t find the answers to these questions in a candidate’s job application, but you can learn them when you talk to a supervisor.
Talking to a supervisor provides a unique perspective, as these references not only act as character references but also have knowledge of the candidate’s performance and soft skills. They can answer how an applicant interacts with external clients, or whether or not they are a good team player.
More often than not, a job reference will speak positively of a candidate. After all, you wouldn’t pick someone to represent you if you didn’t get along or have a good experience with them. However, a potential employer can get more honest answers from a supervisor than some other types of references. Asking good questions and establishing a confidential conversation also help ensure honesty.
Additional Types of Job References
An ideal reference list will include more than one type of professional reference. But did you know there are other types of references you can request?
Academic References
Academic references may be college professors, classmates, academic advisors, or other related individuals who can speak on an applicant’s academic achievements. These types of references are useful for entry-level positions when a candidate may be entering the job market right out of school.
Personal References
A personal reference includes family members, friends, community leaders, religious leaders, and any individual whom the candidate is close to outside of their work and school spheres. These make a good reference when you want to know more about a candidate’s character and personality. This is especially beneficial for potential employers who place company culture at the top of their priority list.
No matter the type of references you choose to request, you’ll be faced with the question, how many references should I ask for? The ideal number is always 3, and the goal is to have the most diverse list of references possible to ensure you get the most accurate picture of who a candidate is.
How Do You Confirm Employment: A Step-by-Step Guide
Many employers feel it is essential to confirm the past employment history of candidates for employment but they don’t have the time or knowledge to perform the screening themselves. That’s where Barada Associates comes in. Our experienced team will perform detailed employment verification to ensure you have the information you need to hire the best candidate.
We understand your sense of urgency to fill open positions. The average turnaround time on our employment verification process is about 48 hours.
Our employment verification process goes beyond the simple act of contacting previous employers and asking if an applicant worked there. We screen employment dates, job titles, promotions, professional achievements, salary, job duties, and even reasons for termination or leaving the company. We use our extensive national resources to get you the most accurate information possible and ensure all our tactics are within compliance with the Fair Credit Reporting Acts and other applicable federal, state, and local legislation.
The Benefits of Professional Employment Background Screening
Confirming employment is only one step in the critical pre-employment background screening process. As we’ve established, even the simple act of adding on reference checking can revolutionize your hiring process. Choosing a comprehensive background screening process, such as our tailored solutions at Barada Associates, gives you the best chance of developing and maintaining a quality, productive, and trustworthy workforce.
Our additional background screening services include:
- Background checks
- Pre-employment credit background checks
- Driving record background checks
- Social Security Number trace
- Academic verification
- Criminal history checks
- Drug and alcohol testing
- Skills/cognitive assessment
Contact Barada Associates Today
Since 1979, Barada Associates have evolved our proven employment screening strategies to bring our customers industry-leading services and accurate results. We partner with national laboratories and industry resources to ensure a fast delivery so your hiring process doesn’t face delays. Contact us today to schedule your consultation or get a quote on employment verification screening.