In a little more than a decade, social media has become fundamental to the way billions engage with one another. With social media such an important part of many people’s lives, it’s not surprising that it has also influenced the world of recruitment, with HR professionals using social network background checks for hiring and screening needs.

These checks have actually been going on for quite some time, with employers often conducting informal research of a job applicant’s social profiles, with the intent of learning more about the candidate and ensuring there are no red flags. In fact, according to a recent  survey: half of employers check up on current employees on social media, with 57% of businesses finding social or online content that caused them not to hire candidates.

A compliance problem

While many hiring teams conduct social media screening in this way, there are a plethora of compliance issues that arise from this method. But at the forefront of these problems, is running the risk of discrimination. In most cases, looking at a candidate’s social media pages will provide a more in-depth glimpse of their personality and background. However, even for hiring teams with good intentions, it’s difficult to remain objective after being presented with so many intimate details, many of which will be entirely unrelated to a candidate’s professional skills, expertise, or potential. Even if they are not conscious of it, employers are more likely to hire people who are like them, meaning that social media screening in this way can reinforce existing biases. It also runs the risk of recruiting based upon ‘protected characteristics’. These are categories which were laid out in the Equality Act 2010, and are illegal to discriminate against. If a candidate can prove that protected characteristics influenced a decision not to hire them, the business will face a legal dispute.

So why use social media screening?

Despite the risks of social media screening, HR teams across the country have been using social channels, both formally and informally, as an increasingly popular means of assessing potential candidates. In fact, Sterling’s very own research report, ‘Hiring Reimagined’<, which provides a realistic outlook on the state of hiring, background screening, and candidate experience — as expressed by more than 1,200 HR professionals and over 3,700 recent job seekers globally, indicates that this trend is only set to continue, with more than half of respondents planning to add social media vetting to their current screening process. And for good reason, as these checks provide vital information that helps employers minimise the risk of a bad hire and identify behaviours such as bigotry, sexism, and violence, and recognise practices that do not align with a company’s culture.

While some may think of employment screening as just another step to complete in the hiring process, the way that background searches are conducted can actually have a major impact on how candidates experience and perceive the overall hiring effectiveness of an organisation that they are considering joining. In fact, more than half (54%) of our candidate respondents agreed that their screening experience made them feel more confident about working with the organisation or pursuing the job. Clearly, professionals place a significant value on feeling safe at work and knowing that a future employer has a robust screening process certainly appears to have a positive impact on the candidate experience.

Moving forwards, it’s very likely that HR teams won’t want to run the risks of managing social media screening themselves, instead trusting a third-party provider to perform a thorough, redacted, search on the publicly available web.

It’s undeniable that these platforms can offer hiring teams a huge amount of insight into applicants, but for many companies, the etiquette and ethics of using these channels is still ambiguous. With considerable risks to be aware of and a number of professionals unwittingly breaking the rules, it’s crucial that HR teams are up to date on acceptable usage of these channels. This type of screening is bound to continue to become a crucial part of hiring, and something that will be essential in engaging the best quality talent and reducing the risks associated with recruitment. As a result, HR teams shouldn’t allow any complacency, ensuring that they have the proper measures in place to conduct compliant screening so that the benefits of social media vetting can be enjoyed – without the risk of harming a business’s most important asset – its people.

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.

There is no hiding from the fact that the hiring landscape has been a bit bumpy over the last couple of years, with even more changes happening over the last six months. Whether you’re involved with recruiting, background screening, and onboarding, or whether you’re a job candidate currently going through these processes, navigating hiring shifts and challenges is front-and-center for many of us.

We are seeing HR professionals push forward and adapt to these shifts, but how well do they understand what candidates actually want? Sterling often hears directly how job seekers view the hiring experience, and we value the constructive feedback they can provide around the entire hiring process. That’s why we surveyed more than 3,700 recent job seekers for our 2022 “Hiring Reimagined” report.

If you’re looking to understand what job candidates really want from your organization, keep reading. We’ll take you inside the minds of many job candidates as we compare and contrast their thoughts directly with those of HR professionals.

Tip: To download the full report, scroll to the bottom of the page.

A Shift in Hiring Power Dynamics

A shift in power can be observed, as 70% of recent job seekers claim they considered dropping out of their most recent hiring experience or did make the decision to fully drop out. If this many job candidates are confident enough to walk away from a potential new role, what exactly is happening during the hiring process to make them leave?

What we found is that these decisions are directly related to the hiring experience. The 70% surveyed went on to explain that the hiring process took too long, was too complicated, that there were too many touchpoints, that there was an issue with the background screening process, among other responses. A challenging and time-consuming candidate experience shifts the power dynamic and gives job candidates the option to start looking for other opportunities or stay at their current job.

In order to triumph in the future of hiring, it will be important for HR professionals to recognize job seekers’ frustrations with the process and to invest in areas that will accelerate and simplify the candidate experience.

Where Do HR Leaders’ and Job Candidates’ Views Differ?

We must look at the hiring process as a shared experience between HR teams and job candidates. When better aligned on this shared experience, HR professionals can successfully move candidates through the hiring process from start to finish, ultimately leading both parties to take the next step towards Day One of the new job. After all, a new job is a celebration for both the candidate and the company. To help achieve this, let’s look at the importance of expressing company culture and values.

 

When we compare and contrast responses from job seekers and HR professionals, we see markedly different opinions about how well organizations demonstrate their culture and values during the hiring process. Candidates do not agree that, when they went through a hiring process recently, the organization showcased their culture and values “strongly,” only answering, “somewhat.” This misalignment can easily result in a candidate dropping out of the hiring process, especially as company culture and values become more important to job seekers than ever.

Background Checks are a critical part of the hiring process to help organizations find authentic candidates and get them in the door quickly and safely. And while we often highlight the importance for organizations, job candidates also have their own perspectives and values when it comes to undergoing and completing a background check.

 

 

Here again we’re seeing a notable misalignment as job candidates place a premium on culture and values. Organizations should look to highlight these areas during the background screening process to attract and engage their ideal workers. It’s also helpful to know that job seekers don’t actually feel negatively about background screening. In fact, 59% of candidates told us that the background screening process made them feel more confident about the organization/job. This presents an opportunity for hiring teams to think about background screening as a way to build confidence with job candidates. Having a positive experience with your brand, improved by timely updates in the hiring process, can give your company a competitive edge and help secure top talent.

How Can HR Leaders Focus on What Candidates Want?

As we move into the future of hiring, there is no time for organizations to be guessing at what job candidates want from their hiring experiences. Our research puts a spotlight on the fact that there are many things job seekers want HR professionals to know. For example, we uncovered that individuals aren’t just looking at pay when choosing where to work. Candidates also place importance on safety in the workplace, both with colleagues and physical locations, flexible work hours, time-to-hire, and remote work options. Job seekers aren’t making decisions based off just one factor. Rather, their direct responses tell us that they want to work at organizations where they can trust that they will be safe, where they have a degree of control over when and where they get their work done, and where they can quickly get started at their new job.

While this comprehensive data tells a story, we also gave job seekers an opportunity to share, in their own words, what they wish HR professionals understood about the candidate experience from their perspective. Their responses mainly fell into four main categories consisting of time, choice, humanity, and communication.

 

Candidates are having a wide range of different experiences with hiring teams. In fact, the same hiring process at one organization may feel completely different from one candidate to another. HR professionals can benefit by keeping this top-of-mind when an individual is preparing to take the next step into a new role.

What’s Next?

It’s true that the hiring landscape is challenging right now, but there are many opportunities for HR professionals to address these challenges by better meeting the needs of job candidates throughout the overall hiring process, including background screening, and put strategies in place to improve and enhance the experience.

Don’t feel as if you need to do this alone. Seek out a background check partner like Sterling to elevate the candidate experience, optimize your background screening processes and timelines, and maximize the importance of culture and values in the hiring process. Discover more of what the over 3,700 recent job seekers and over 1,200 HR professionals had to say about the future of hiring. Download the full benchmark report.

 

Employee moonlighting i.e. having a second job, typically secretly and at night, in addition to one’s regular employment is on the rise around the world and around the clock NOT just at night

This growth in moonlighting has largely been attributed to increasing work flexibility and a search for creative satisfaction since the pandemic. However, recent high-profile cases have shone a light on how moonlighting can cause issues for primary employers.

What is employee moonlighting?

Moonlighting refers to employees who take up a second job or multiple other working roles in addition to their full-time job.

For example, an employee may work for your business during typical business hours, 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday, and also choose to take up additional employment with a separate employer from 6pm to midnight on certain weekdays.

Whilst moonlighting may be suitable in some situations, it may also negatively impact the primary employer due to customer data privacy and protection issues or a conflict of interest. This is particularly the case when an employee’s secondary employment is in the same industry and/or with a direct competitor.

What are the implications for employers?

It’s vital for employers to understand their rights in order to effectively manage employees who are working multiple jobs.

Employers should firstly ensure that all employees are fully informed of moonlighting policies. These are typically included in general HR policies or an employee handbook. The policy should specify the circumstances in which an employee may or may not have a secondary job, whether the employee needs to seek approval prior to taking up an additional job, and it should specify any industries, companies or roles in which the employee can’t hold a second job.

If a policy is in place and the employee does not meet the requirements specified in that policy, the employer may have the right to ask the employee to leave their secondary employment.

What additional precautions can employers take?

Employers can take two additional precautions to effectively identify and manage moonlighting employees. These safeguards will help to mitigate potential conflicts of interest.

One solution is to conduct thorough background screening prior to hiring new employees. This includes employment verifications, references, social media, directorship and adverse media searches, to name a few

Background screening can reveal whether a candidate continues to hold positions that they claim to have terminated. For instance, a candidate may lied about leaving their past employers but thorough screening, including a search on the candidate’s employee provident fund (PF) account, can uncovered that the candidate was still actively employed in two roles.

A supplementary solution is to conduct regular re-screening to ensure that no conflicts of interest arise during an employee’s tenure. It is often the case as an employee gains more experience and understanding of the market and especially in hybrid work environments where employees don’t necessary need to head into a physical office. Re-screening is one way to identify any employees who have taken up secondary employment during their tenure.

How can Sterling RISQ help?

Sterling RISQ provides background screening services by conducting thorough screening with direct sources, such as government authorities, local or national police agencies, and prior employers and referees and by conducting broad based media searches.

Sterling RISQ uses leading technology to conduct a wide range of background screening services in industry-leading turnaround times. Implementing a tailored suite of screening services can equip organisations with the valuable insights to better understand and manage their workforce.

Contact us here or drop us an email at info@sterlingrisq.com to discuss your screening needs today.

We’ve all seen the glitz and glamour of real estate sales on shows like Selling Sunset and Million Dollar Listing. But aside from the drama and high-flying life, what really goes into becoming a real estate agent?

New Zealand has recently made the requirements clearer for aspiring NZ-based real estate agents, managers and salespeople. In August 2022, the Real Estate Authority (REA) published guidelines about the considerations they make when determining whether an applicant for a real estate licence is “fit and proper”.

The guidelines, referred to as the Fit and Proper Guidelines, set out the principles and factors that the REA registrar will assess when reviewing an applicant’s character. These guidelines provide transparency and clarity about a process that was already in place but not previously made public.

The guidelines state that the registrar will consider factors such as whether the person is of good character, their ability to communicate effectively, their ability to treat others with respect and courtesy, and any potential risk to public safety.

In making their assessment, the registrar will also look at an applicant’s prior convictions, both in New Zealand and in other countries – particularly the nature of the offence, time since the offence, and the applicant’s age at time of offence.

Certain convictions like dishonesty offences, offences involving physical or sexual violence, and other serious offences are unlikely to meet the bar for a fit and proper licensee. The registrar will additionally consider whether an applicant is or has been subject to disciplinary proceedings or other complaints and inquiries.

What does this mean for you?

The published guidelines make it clearer for prospective licensees, renewing licensees, and the public to understand the requirements to be assessed as fit and proper to hold a real estate licence.

Concerned applicants and/or their employers may wish to conduct their own due diligence by seeking a criminal history background check and other checks prior to submitting an application for a licence.

Other screening to consider undertaking are bankruptcy checks, professional disciplinary matters, directorship checks, and adverse media checks, as these are all issues that may be considered with the application. Increasingly in the digital era, where we have multiple working arrangements, work in varying locations, and have a variety of candidates, e-referencing and social media checks can help bridge a gap between you and your candidate and help you determine if they are a cultural fit.

This level of due diligence can help to ease the pressure of the application by identifying any potential issues or red flags prior to submission, saving time and money in the long term, providing you a compliance safety that ensures your organisation is protected from fraudulent candidates posing a risk.

If you’d like to learn more about the new REA guidelines or about the screening services that Sterling RISQ offers in New Zealand for licensee applicants, contact us at info@sterlingrisq.com

According to recent reports, Tim Boyd successfully became the CEO at Christchurch City Holdings Ltd (CCHL) even though he faced multiple fraud allegations, civil lawsuits, alleged drink driving charges and active warrant for arrest in the United States, along with a restraining order taken out by an ex-fiancée.

Recruitment agency Decipher Group, who helped CCHL recruit Boyd, said civil matters in the US are not picked up by their ‘industry standard’ background checks. A lawyer for Boyd also advised that Boyd fully disclosed his work history and was not aware of any outstanding debts in the US when he applied for the position.

As these incidents were not discovered during the hiring process, Boyd was able to work as a senior adviser at the Ministry of Social Development for two years, and subsequently become the CEO of CCHL, controlling assets worth more than $4.5 billion

CCHL has advised that it is now pursuing an external review into Boyd’s employment history as well as an internal audit of all contracts and financial transactions during his tenure as CEO.

These reviews will cost CCHL significant time and money, not to mention considerable reputational risk, yet all could have been avoided if a global background screening framework have been put in place and conducted before he was hired.

Prevention Better Than Cure

Background Screening acts as due diligence to flag any candidate issues prior to making major hiring decisions. This protects companies in many ways – it mitigates reputational risk, minimises the need for rehiring, and safeguards employees and customers from interacting with people who have falsified their experience.

A thorough background screening process includes searches that are conducted globally in locations where the candidate has previously reside and work in. The screening should include adverse media searches, criminal history checks, social media screening, and reference checks with past employers

It’s particularly important to conduct comprehensive reference checks on candidates for senior management roles. Simple reliance on a CV is not sufficient as they are typically written by the candidate and presented in a way that paints them in the best light.

Reference Checks, on the other hand, offer a more genuine behavioural overview of a candidate. By speaking with colleagues and managers who have direct experience working with the candidate, honest information can be gathered about the candidate’s capabilities and suitability for the role. In the case of Boyd, several people in the US who knew Boyd described him as a sociopath. Former business associates say he lied or misrepresented information on business deals.

Holistic Background Screening helps to expose a candidate’s problematic history (if any exists) and enables recruitment teams to make well-informed hiring decisions.

How Can Sterling Help You Avoid A ‘Trail of Horror’?

Using an experienced global background screening provider like Sterling RISQ ensures that background checks are well rounded and conducted efficiently and accurately. This gives employers peace of mind, when hiring for a position of trust with full awareness and information about a candidate’s past.

Sterling has a global presence across the ANZ, APAC, EMEA and US & Canada regions, which enables us to deliver the most through background screening services on the market, with unparalleled access to official government databases.

Make sure you avoid a ‘trail of horror’ by establishing a holistic and robust screening framework at your company. Get in touch at info@sterlingrisq.com to discuss your global screening needs.