How Background Checks Help in Hiring Strong Tech Candidates

Over the last few months, the way individuals work and how companies operate, changed forever. An estimated 16 million U.S. “knowledge workers” started working remotely to practice social distancing or self-quarantine in a short amount of time. This transition to a new digital workforce is expected to remain, with an estimated 25-30% of employees working-from-home multiple days of the week by the end of 2021.

The technology industry was met with a unique set of circumstances when all at once, people across the world began relying on your technologies more than ever. Suddenly, work, school, doctors’ appointments, fitness classes, and social gatherings became remote. During the pandemic, technology became so important that 93% of U.S. adults said a significant interruption to internet or cellphone service would be an obstacle in their daily lives.

To support this increase and growing reliance on technology, many tech companies began ramping up hiring. According to a study by Dice, Silicon Valley saw a substantial increase in job postings as they “…produce products and services vital to remote work and life, from messaging software to email and cloud platforms.” Even with this significant increase in tech job postings, COVID-19 has turned the table from an “employee-market” to an “employer-market” with the tech talent pool being larger than ever.

With this influx of applications, finding the right candidate for your company is more important now than ever. Background checks can help you vet candidates and prioritize trust and safety throughout your organization.

So, how can you use thorough background checks to hire the strongest candidate? We’re glad you asked. Here are five components that will help you create a robust screening program that is responsive to your company’s values and needs. Or, would you prefer to skip to how Sterling can help? Click here to start a conversation with us

Tools for Making Informed Choices

Look for a screening provider who partners with you and offers customized background screening tools and supporting information that suits your business needs. Tech companies struggle to confirm that each hire can fulfill job requirements, is forthright with their skills, and has a strong knowledge base. In fact, according to a recent report from Blind, 1 in 10 tech pros lie on their resume to get a job. Tech companies dominate the list of companies most likely to employ people who lied on their resume. Candidates can exaggerate their education, job titles, or prior experience. Anything stated that relates to pre-employment can be potentially fabricated. These situations are frightening when recruiting for jobs that require a specific knowledge base – a key component of tech jobs.

To mitigate the risk of hiring the wrong person, you can partner with a background screening provider that caters to specific industry needs, is compliance-focused, and can adapt to changing industry trends. Robust background checks can help you verify that your new hire has the right education, skills, and experiences that they claim.

Global Knowledge Backed by Compliance Expertise

Technology companies are often spread across cities, states, and continents. From a legal and compliance standpoint – hiring, recruiting, and screening employees becomes more intricate across regions and global jurisdictions. Background screening requirements vary domestically and internationally based on laws, rules, and regulations. International companies need to stay ahead of the curve by addressing the everchanging landscape of rules and regulations that comes with hiring across the globe. Technology companies are looking for the same seamless candidate experience regarding background checks, both domestically and across the world.

A secure background screener enables you to remain compliance-focused in global markets. Look for a screening provider that can extend their services globally in the same efficient and diligent framework while addressing regulations at various levels of jurisdictions, including local, state, national, and global. As your company expands, you should focus on finding the right talent instead of depleting your valuable company resources.

Employees Embody Brand Values on Social Media

The numbers are written on the wall — particularly the numbers around the global use of social media is staggering for both businesses and personal use. According to a 2019 study by Global Digital Report, there are over 3.48 billion social media users worldwide. The average person spends 2 hours and 22 minutes a day on social media. With all this online usage, social media is gaining a greater importance for businesses, and even assists in their hiring process.

With all of this personal information online, how can you use social media screening during the hiring process? Online profiles can provide insights into a person that work histories may not reveal. When hiring managers or internal company resources look at a candidate’s social media accounts, they can consciously or subconsciously discriminate based on what they see online. Additionally, there are compliance and legal requirements around preforming social media searches. Partnering with a third-party to review a candidate’s social profiles mitigates bias. Social Media Screening can help protect you from hiring people who present problematic or discriminatory behavior regarding sex, race, disability, religious beliefs, and gender. With this type of screening, companies can preempt red flags and advance towards embodying its core values.

A Strong Candidate Experience

Just as you are using background checks to assess candidates, candidates form an impression of your company during their background screening process. These checks can be an extension, and initial introduction, to a successful candidate experience. After the interview process, background checks are an employee’s first interaction with your company. The overall onboarding experience allows you to make an impression on your new employees that can stick with them as they begin work. Throughout the onboarding process, you can use a personalized approach to reflect a positive, efficient, and painless experience. Instead of becoming a nuisance, background checks can be seamless, timely, and convenient. These interactions and efficiencies are indicative of a strong candidate experience, and can leave new hires with a great impression of your company.

Robust Background Checks Complement Technology Companies

As the technology talent pool expands, efficient, robust, and compliance-focused background checks can help you choose the strongest tech candidate and help create a safe and responsive workplace. In a detail-oriented landscape that is a trademark of the technology industry, partnering with a reliable background check provider is critical. Exceptional service is punctuated by creating a plan tailored to your needs, with the added ability to scale globally.

Have more questions or just want to brainstorm how our technology industry-specific background checks can work for you? Our team is here for you, click here to start a conversation.

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.