The importance of pre-employment screening and the consequences of misrepresentation
In a world of unlimited information with access to plenty of services that enable us to verify that information, taking the risk of a bad hire is not worth it.
Investing in pre-employment/background screening can reduce your hiring failure rate, help you meet legal requirements, and ensure that you are hiring the right employees.
CV embellishment: a very common practice
When candidates aspire to a job, they tend to embellish their career path and certifications. Thus, using background screening services is highly recommended for any company (regardless of its size), as it can uncover erroneous information.
Hiring a candidate who is underqualified can have far-reaching consequences for your company and partners. What’s more, if a candidate was hired based on a falsified diploma, for example, your company would have to dismiss them for serious misconduct, which can result in serious damages for you as an employer.
On the other hand, if a candidate lies about having certain qualifications, that may expose them to heavy penalties (e.g., up to 1 year in prison and a fine of EUR 15,000).
The most common types of deception encountered during background screening:
- Forged or exaggerated qualifications
- Incorrect dates of employment/accomplishment(s)
- Falsified criminal records
Why it is important for companies to screen candidates?
As the job market gets more and more competitive and difficult to navigate, job applicants must be creative in their applications, cover letters, and interviews. However, providing false information has harmful consequences for both applicants and companies.
A bad hire can have a significant impact on your company’s reputation, and that is one of the highest risks you face if you employ candidates based on false information.
Quality pre-employment screening exposes potentially fraudulent activity and helps your company reduce staff turnover and cut costs on training/onboarding. If you would like to receive more information about our products and services, please get in touch with our team at contact@icover-services.com
April 2022
