#OZREC 7: Background checks in a connected world

Caveat emptor (let the buyer beware) may be as applicable for recruitment today as it is for the more often referenced discipline of Real Estate. As sourcing candidates becomes a more even playing field for all, one of the very real challenges becomes the ability to legitimately validate the skills and experiences of those candidates.

Historically the domain of the humble phone reference check, today’s online world creates as many opportunities for validation as it does for creation of fictitious, misleading or down right fraudulent information sources.  Research on the subject of resume validation suggest four in five resumes have some element of inaccurate information and this creates a massive risk potential for hiring managers the world over.

In a drive to reduce recruitment and sourcing costs there must be also be given careful consideration, to the business risks in employing people who may not be who or what they say they are.

Questions to tackle:

1. What value is a reference check today given that candidates usually source a favorable point of contact?
2. What other forms of validation or verification are people using?
3. As an individuals’ online footprint grows, where should the boundaries of checking an individuals’ background start and stop?
4. What safeguards can be employed to mitigate the risk of people gaining employment then subsequently being found lacking?

Our host this week is Andrew Cross, MD Ambition

Andy has been recruiting and consulting in the Information Technology sector both in the UK and Australia since 1996 after initially believing he would enjoy a career in the Law and studying for way too long! With a specialisation in employment issues, Andy has worked for a number of blue chip clients throughout his career including Hays, Accenture and Minter Ellison Lawyers.

Joining the Ambition Technology business in 2006 as Managing Director, Andy has grown the business nationally and has been actively engaged in the Recruitment Industry, spending three years on the board of ITCRA.  Out of the office Andy takes his competitive nature to the pursuit of Triathlon and after four outings in the green and gold strip, best placed 8th in the recent 2012 World Triathlon championships.

Image credit: https://www.flickr.com/photos/chasblackman/7481747884