Employment Verification in a Virtual Environment

Pre-employment Verifications Required for Remote Hires

Recruitment tech has been on the rise for years, benefiting busy hiring teams looking for more efficient and consistent ways of assessing the suitability of candidates. 

But in early 2020, technology went from being a point of difference to a necessity. 

The COVID-19 crisis has been the catalyst to a sharp increase in the adoption of software platforms that allow recruiters to keep their hiring moving when taken out of their comfort zone and thrown into new ways of working. 
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An increased need for employment verification

Adapting to virtual alternatives requires teams to apply a little more creative thinking to their processes, such as ensuring they’re asking the best questions during a video interview and creating a sense of company culture with remote onboarding. 

Many of the processes that were previously conducted manually will likely remain software-driven and improve the experience for everyone involved in the hiring journey. 

But while these changes are simply adaptations to traditional ways of doing things, many are also seeing a need for additional steps in their hiring process. 

In a remote environment, trust and transparency are absolutely essential. Knowing everything you need to about a candidate becomes less about just the questions you ask and also about how much you trust them as a person, since you are assessing them from a distance and bringing them onto your team without ever having met them. 

Online platforms that consolidate and expedite employment verification have become increasingly popular, providing fast and reliable assurance that candidates are not just great on paper but also: 

• Are capable of the skills they claim to have
• Have done what they say they have done
• Are who they say they are 

A full suite of online verification tools 

Assessing candidates in this depth has never been easier (and can all be done from the Xref platform!) - there are three main forms of employment verification that are relevant during recruitment. 

Here’s what they are and how they benefit recruitment teams: 

1. Reference checking 

What is it? 

Reference checking is one of the only elements of the recruitment process that calls on the opinion of someone other than the candidate. It provides an opportunity for employers to ask those who previously worked with a candidate to offer their thoughts on the skills and capabilities they say they can deliver.

How does it help? 

While a candidate might look great on paper, interview well (even remotely!) and claim to have all the skills and experience required to perform the role in question, the only way to really understand their suitability for a role is to ask those who have worked alongside them in the past. 

By tailoring an employment verification or reference check to each role and candidate, an employer can also build a picture of some of the soft skills and general approaches to work that are important for them to perform well in a certain role or business. 

How is it done online? 

Traditionally, reference checks are conducted by phone - a process that is slow, laborious and poses risks, such as discrimination and data privacy breaches. 

When conducted online, reference checking becomes fast, insightful and secure, allowing employers to feel confident that they are gathering information compliantly and are making hiring decisions based on reliable feedback. 

2. Background checking

What is it? 

Background checking involves confirming details about the candidate using various third-party authorities. The checks needed will often depend on the role type. For example, a role in the childcare industry will require “working with children” checks offered by local, legislative sources. 

How does it help? 

Conducting background checks protects employers from the liability of any misconduct from an employee once they’re in the workplace. 

Background checks can include (but are not limited to):

• Criminal history checks
• Employment checks
• Qualification checks
• Visa & work entitlement checks 
• Credit financial & business checks
• Traffic & license checks
• Predictive psychometric assessments
  

How it is done online?

Given the magnitude of checks available globally, managing an efficient process to ensure no delays are caused by the struggle to obtain checks, can be difficult. Online platforms - many of which can be integrated with Xref - provide a fast and reliable service, driven from one central platform. Meaning employers can easily change up the type of checks they require per role and ensure they are obtaining the relevant background details of every new hire. 

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3. Identity verification 

What is it? 

Identity verification is traditionally associated with the physical forms of ID that we carry with us, such as our driving license or passport. However, as our lives are increasingly led online, there are also a number of online sources that now lend themselves to our digital identity. ID verification was once limited to heavily-regulated industries such as financial services but it has become an increasingly popular mechanism for employers looking to validate the authenticity of new hires. 

How does it help? 

Confirming a candidate’s identity can save valuable recruitment time if utilised early in the hiring process, confirming they are who they say they are before the employer spends time confirming they can do what they say they can do. 

How is it done online? 

Traditionally, identity documents will be assessed and often scanned and filed by a recruiter or hiring manager in person. In a world where this in-person verification is no longer possible, the online alternative becomes a necessity but will also demonstrate how the process can be handled more quickly and securely going forward. RapidID uses biometric identity verification technology to reduce the risk of identity fraud. It enables employers to verify candidates’ ID using just their smartphone, by securely matching ID documentation to real-time data sources and generating a one-time, instant verdict and creating a true picture of a person's digital identity.