In today’s world, a vast amount of information on potential candidates is just a click away. With a quick online search, you can find more than you ever wanted to know about almost anyone. So, it’s no surprise that hiring managers are tempted to dig up information about a potential candidate on their own.
We get it, you want to move quickly. You want to hire who you think is the ideal candidate before another company scoops them up. Perhaps a candidate wowed you in the interview and you feel this is the right candidate for the job. But here is the problem: doing your own informal background search can create serious issues for your company, employer, your reputation, and even your legal standing.
Snooping on job applicants without the help of a reliable third-party background check company can lead to many unethical and unanticipated risks. It can introduce undetectable bias and inaccurate perceptions of candidates. Third party background screening eliminates all bias and prior knowledge on candidates, which results in a fair opportunity for all applicants.
Why You Shouldn’t Snoop
Snooping, especially without consent, can risk breaching a variety of security and privacy standards. Using third party background checks results in secure and compliant work, which ensures all employer and applicant information is safe. It can also ensure privacy requirements such as GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) and PIPEDA (Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act) are upheld, and candidate confidentiality remains a priority.
Snooping can be inefficient and wastes valuable company time and resources. It can also result in erroneous and outdated information about candidates. Once a biased impression is formed, employers may unconsciously ignore or devalue factual, relevant job information.
Snooping deprives employers of the comprehensive resources and verified information that professional third-party background screening company provides. It can exempt job applicants from necessary verifications due to employers’ lack of knowledge about their importance or relevance. Not performing accurate and relevant screening can reduce trust, reliability, and comfort within employers and job candidates. Snooping can also prevent thorough detection of embellishment, fabrication, and deceit, which are all too common in the hiring industry.
Know Who You’re Hiring
Knowing who you are hiring is critical to the success of your company. Empathy and a strong verification process goes a long way to ensuring a good fit for you and the candidate. Understanding why job candidates lie helps employers not just spot dishonestly, but also build better, more transparent hiring practices. A solid hire contributes to a great work culture where people can thrive.
Hiring the right person is important but so is protecting your company from legal and reputational harm. Professional background screening exists for a reason. It provides accurate, relevant, and lawful information while respecting privacy and fairness.
So the next time you’re tempted to “just take a quick peek” into a candidate’s background, remember: what you don’t know might save you – and what you think you know could cause trouble.
Leave the digging to a team of professionals. We’ll ensure that the person you are hiring is really who they say they are. More importantly, we’ll make sure it’s done right!
If you are in the market for background screening assistance, reach out to Britton Management Profiles, Inc.