Don’t just scratch the surface. When it comes to fetching the best candidates for your organisation, it is imperative for you to go deeper than what eyes can see. More than appealing degrees and convincing physical appearance, performing thorough background checks should be part of routine practice during the recruitment process. However, while most employers recognise its importance, there remains popular myths that revolve around background screening.

So what should employers know about the process?

In today’s war of talents, leaders need to focus not only on how to fill up vacant positions, but also how to attract top-notch candidates for the job roles. On the other hand, the pressure to stand out from the crowd has tempted jobseekers to take the shortcut by lying on their resumes. Be it fabricating dates of employment or embellishing skill sets, candidates who start off with the wrong move might put your business at risk in the future if they are hired. Given the high cost of wrong hire, it is crucial for employers to avoid even the slightest discrepancy of information.

Conducting background checks is a great way to protect your organisation from fraudulent candidates and reduce the risk of wrong hire. According to new CareerBuilder survey, as much as 72 percent employers conduct background check for candidates before they are hired. Nevertheless, owing to some common myths, some employers are reluctant to perform background screening. If you belong to this group of people, the following truths about employment background checks will help you hire right:

See: Top 5 Background Screening Practices HRs Must Follow

Myth: Background checks are not necessary.

Reality: According to new CareerBuilder study, 18 percent employers said that they made bad hires because they did not conduct background check for the candidates. Considering how single bad hire could cost you up to $17,000, confirming your employee’s credentials is a crucial step in the hiring process. Even if you run small business with only 10 employees, you should conduct background checks to ensure that you have invested your hard-earned dollars to the right talents.

Myth: Background checks might cause legal issues.

Reality: Yes, there are particular regulations and limitations regarding to what kind of candidate’s data and information you can and cannot access in the background check process. However, as long as you hire reliable and professional company that has good reputation in the background check industry, you can be rest-assured about the legal issue.

Myth: All needed information are available online.

Reality: While the advancements of technology has enabled us to mine more data and information from online sources, there is no guarantee that everything you find online is accurate. For example, if you want to dig out candidate’s information through social media, they can easily put on fake information or even present exaggerated qualifications.

Myth: Background checks cost a fortune.

Reality: While it is true that you might need to allocate your company budget to hire the service, asking help from background check companies will be worth the investment. Rather than bearing the financial cost of making bad hire, taking preventive action by conducting background check will save your money in the long run. Additionally, it does not require long time to perform the screening, so you can make faster and better hiring decisions.

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