HR teams in organizations of all sizes are increasingly finding themselves searching for answers relating to international hires. Even small and mid-size companies are becoming “transnational” by either employing folks who have lived or worked in another country or remotely employing people who live anywhere. Creating a global workforce adds great value by increasing diversity of opinions, skills, and perspectives, but it also adds significant complications for your HR group.
One particular area of concern is employment verifications. Security is important and verifying an applicant’s past employment is a critical component of safe and responsible hiring practices. For example, verifying a candidate’s employment history such as where they worked, job titles or credentials will allow employers to make better hiring decisions for the open positions within their organization.
Why Screening International Candidates is Important
Conducting background checks on all your hires, including your global ones, delivers the following benefits:
- Legal Compliance. There are several components involved in legal compliance. First, many positions require employment background screenings. Teachers, healthcare professionals, and financial advisors are examples of positions that often have mandated screening requirements. Second, some jobs require the employee to possess specific degrees, certificates, or licenses. Third, most countries demand that employees prove they have a legal right to work in that country. Accurate’s international background screenings will help satisfy these and other similar legal compliance requirements.
- Credential Verification. Just because an applicant lists something on their resume is no guarantee they actually hold that qualification. Resume fraud is sadly all too common. Accurate’s credential verification services help you know for certain that resume information is correct and reliable.
- Risk Mitigation. While past behavior is not a perfect predictor of future behavior, information about past behavior can help you avoid hiring an individual who poses an obvious threat to your organization. It can also protect you from negligent hiring lawsuits if a crime is committed at your workplace.
- Quality Hires. At the end of the day, the purpose of employment verification is to help you find high quality new hires for your team. That means hiring folks who are qualified, honest, and safe. Accurate’s international employment screens help with all that and more.
Why are International Hires on the Rise?
More and more companies are taking advantage of modern technological solutions that make conducting verifications fast, easy, and affordable. At the same time, the ready availability of global travel and the increase in remote working options mean that running these background checks involves locations and information outside the United States. As our world gets smaller, these types of verifications will become the rule rather than the exception.
What Makes International Hiring So Challenging?
A number of factors make international employment verifications more challenging than domestic checks. These challenges include the following:
Local Laws
Every country has its own unique laws surrounding background checks and the use of personal information. What’s legal here at home is not necessarily legal abroad and vice versa. You need experienced help to stay in compliance with laws around the world.
Local Customs
It’s important to acknowledge that best practices differ from country to country. Finding and hiring great talent necessitates demonstrating sensitivity to local customs; you never want to lose a top-notch hire because your request for background information was confusing or offensive.
Multiple Jurisdictions
It’s not unusual for international candidates to have multiple jurisdictions on their applications and resumes. People who move around move around, which means they’ve likely lived, worked, and studied in a variety of places, making the verification process more complicated.
Availability of Information
Different countries handle information differently. Some have searchable databases; others still conduct manual searches. In France, there are no credit reporting agencies, so credit checks are nearly impossible. Accurate has the experience and resources to help you get what you need from nearly 200 countries.
Interpretation of Findings
Attaining the information is only one challenge; understanding the information is another issue entirely. Certain credentials can be defined differently around the world. Furthermore, professional licenses can also look different depending on the occupation or location the license was acquired. Once you get an applicant’s information, you need expert help to make an informed decision. Accurate’s Accurate’s years of experience with international employment background check services cover the full scope of screenings, from ID verifications and directorship searches to Global Watch and more.
What Other International Services Does Accurate Provide?
The phrase “background check” can mean a variety of things. As an employer, you can choose to screen potential employees in any number of ways depending on the requirements of the position. Accurate offers the following services for international candidates:
- ID verification
- Directorship searches
- Driving records
- Sanctions searches
- Credit reports
- Drug testing
- Criminal history
- Global Watch searches
Global Expertise
At Accurate, we know the rules about conducting thorough, compliant, reliable international background checks. We’ve built country-specific rules into our platform and processes and we keep our eyes constantly on the changing regulatory environment so our clients always stay compliant. With the help of our advanced technology, you can request and review background checks from around the world with the help of a single platform.
If the prospect of conducting compliant international employment verifications has your HR crew quaking in their boots, call the team at Accurate for help today. We’ve got the tools and experience needed to help you make solid hiring decisions anywhere in the world.
