It is common for organisations of reputation to do proper screening and background checks of candidates before onboarding them or welcoming them as employees. For some that have fallen victim to falsified certificates presented by employees, the damage to the organisation’s reputation often requires a lot of work to fix.
Following a recent investigative report on how Nigerians buy certificates from universities in Benin Republic, some government workers were let go of their jobs after the government discovered that some had bought certificates from these universities without actually graduating from the said institutions.
Situations like that and many more behoves organisations to do proper diligence before employing individuals to the organisation.
Background Check Employment
Background checks are considered to be an essential part of any hiring process which helps employers to verify the accuracy of information provided by job applicants. In addition to that, they also assess how suitable each candidate is for the role applied.As practiced in Nigeria, background employment checks usually involve verifying a candidate’s identity, employment history, criminal record if any and education.
Conducting a background check would often involve a notification to the candidates, as well as their consent. Candidates are often informed about background checks, sometimes they are part of the process, such as asking them to provide some documents for verification or informing their institution to respond to emails and messages sent by the organisation.By doing this, employers adhere to the relevant laws and regulations guiding this process. One of such laws to be complied with is the Nigeria Data Protection Regulation.
Types of Background Checks
In terms of carrying out background check employment on candidates, employers could decide to conduct any of these: background checks on employment; checks on academic qualifications; professional certifications; place of residence, and so on. Taking a step further, employers could also conduct a check on the candidate’s criminal record and how the fellow has conducted themselves in society.
The good thing about exercising this activity is that it is usually tailored to what the job demands or requires and is not extended beyond the norm.
Outsourcing Background Screening Services
Since it is not mandated by the law for the organisation to conduct background checks on candidates, they are free to outsource professional help in doing this. So, for this reason, employers can conduct background checks through an outsourcing medium. When this is done, employers are to ensure that the company providing such services is reputable and compliant with the laws guiding the process.
It is the responsibility of the organisation to grasp the scope of background checks on candidates, the information to be verified, and other activities to be carried out during that process. Whether the background checks are conducted through outsourcing companies or in-house, they are expected to be in compliance with the laws and regulations, authorised by the candidates, respect the rights of the candidates and other relevant laws guiding the privacy and protection of candidates’ rights.
Background checks have become even more critical and essential, not only in Nigeria but also in developing countries as well. Forgery of certificates is not limited or practiced in Nigeria or any other country in Africa alone, it is a global practice that demands a collective effort that frustrates the effort of attracting top talents.
In order to make informed decisions as an organisation during the hiring process, background check is the backbone of employing right and employing well for organisations.
