Why Verify?

In recent years,  numerous high-profile cases have been reported in the media involving the appointment of people to positions in New Zealand companies and organisations,  who have subsequently been found to have fabricated their CV's, used false identities to gain employment or later defrauded their employer.

Some of these appointments were facilitated by recruitment agencies and highlight deficiencies in those organisations that clearly lack a robust verification procedure.

A poor hiring decision can have disastrous consequences for a company.  Not only is there the cost and inconvenience generated by an employee who does not have the qualities and credentials necessary to do the job,  but there is also the loss of the investment in the hiring process,  the possibility that the financial security of the business may be undermined and the risk to the reputation and integrity of the employer to be considered.  The accompanying media reporting of the consequences of such a decision can have considerable impact on the company’s standing in the business world and wider community,  leading to a loss of trust and ultimately,  profitability.

In order to reduce this risk,  it is essential to appoint only those employees who have been carefully verified and investigated.  Business integrity is enhanced by practicing “due diligence” in the hiring process.

The most basic background checks undertaken in New Zealand are a criminal records check,  a credit check,  and enquiries with nominated referees.  You can do these yourself,  but increasingly, employers (and Employment Agencies) are turning to specialised employment screening companies to do this for them.  The advantage in using a professional employment screening provider is that they will be conversant with all the legislative and privacy requirements associated with undertaking employment screening.  They will know which questions to ask,  which questions are unlawful and they will verify your candidates’ background without offending them,  or their referees.

In addition,  employment screening companies offer services which enhance the basic checks you can do yourself.  They will have access to Government and commercial databases (such as immigration status,  drivers’ licence records, Companies Office and bankruptcy records, etc) as well as an efficient means of confirming academic records with educational institutions and/or verifying a person’s eligibility to practice their profession with the relevant professional body.

There is also the question of arranging overseas enquiries if the candidate has lived or worked in another country.

Some providers are able to augment the process by offering very specialised services.  They have tools at their disposal which can predict a candidate’s predisposition towards theft,  bribery, gambling,  substance abuse,  loyalty, inaccurate reporting and other counter-productive job behaviours.  It is even possible to detect deception within a candidate’s job application by using forensic language analysis.

This type of testing is an inexpensive way to gain information about candidates that might otherwise take years to surface and it is of course just as valuable in assessing the veracity of any applicant.

No matter what size your business or organisation,  if you are serious about reducing your legal and financial exposure to hiring unqualified and unsuitable employees then outsourcing the personal verification and background checking of your candidates to a professional pre-employment screening company is well worth considering.