Folks,
Need your expert opinion / experiences on how Indian companies do background / employment verification. From what I hear, they do not complete this ahead of employment and seem to continue this after you join.
In essence, no closure and confirmation that all is good prior to employment start, which is disconcerting for people who make the big move.
Would love to hear thoughts from people in HR function.
Background / Employment verification
Background / Employment verification
Am not in HR but recently have been exposed to hiring at my company. The background check does continue after the offer and even joining. Documents like relieving letter are (almost) essential to be produced when you join from your previous employer. Most of our new hires are on probation for 3-6 months and one of the conditions for confirmation of employment is background checks not turning up negative.
On the other side, if you are making a big move and joining at critical / senior roles, a lot of checking through contacts is done even before an offer is made. At these levels they do not want people coming in and getting access to your business critical information before you are assured of their reliability.
On the other side, if you are making a big move and joining at critical / senior roles, a lot of checking through contacts is done even before an offer is made. At these levels they do not want people coming in and getting access to your business critical information before you are assured of their reliability.
Background / Employment verification
HR usually outsources it to some specialist agency and if one has multi country experiences these agencies contact their arms/partner companies in these countries and consolidate the report. My personal belief based on my association with multiple recruitments is that for different companies some things in your background matter more than others. Most of the things that matter more are checked before offer is extened. These things are based on company, its policies and position one is hired for.
Checking for some of the those not so essential parametesr may continue after the hiring but its only done when the need to get the person onboard quickly is high and the initial checks are positive. This is also true only for Junior/Middle level positions. I have not come across instances where the background check continued after the hiring, simply because risks of waiting for them are well justified. Some of them can however be initiated later in some typical situations (one mentioned below) however I am pretty sure that this practice is not followed for senior roles.
Once in a while HR may come across multiple cases of say fake experience or education from a particular company/geography or college. In this case a list of all employees who have shown prior experience in that company or education credentials from that college is drawn and the employees on the list may be subjected to the limited but focused screening again. I have known people whose credentials were verified 2 years after hiring.
That said if one is caught faking in some of the non essential parameters this is taken very seriously for senior positions. People assume that these non essential parameter dont matter, well they dont but the intention to fake them in the resume matters and it puts into doubt the personal ethics and morals of the candidate/employee.
Probation period has an altogether different objective and background checks are usually not part of probation period unless someone reports to HR.
Checking for some of the those not so essential parametesr may continue after the hiring but its only done when the need to get the person onboard quickly is high and the initial checks are positive. This is also true only for Junior/Middle level positions. I have not come across instances where the background check continued after the hiring, simply because risks of waiting for them are well justified. Some of them can however be initiated later in some typical situations (one mentioned below) however I am pretty sure that this practice is not followed for senior roles.
Once in a while HR may come across multiple cases of say fake experience or education from a particular company/geography or college. In this case a list of all employees who have shown prior experience in that company or education credentials from that college is drawn and the employees on the list may be subjected to the limited but focused screening again. I have known people whose credentials were verified 2 years after hiring.
That said if one is caught faking in some of the non essential parameters this is taken very seriously for senior positions. People assume that these non essential parameter dont matter, well they dont but the intention to fake them in the resume matters and it puts into doubt the personal ethics and morals of the candidate/employee.
Probation period has an altogether different objective and background checks are usually not part of probation period unless someone reports to HR.
Background / Employment verification
mkngtrbl and ahirman - Thanks for the commentary.
I agree with the intent and we are very much used to background verification in this part of the world (US in my instance - pre-employment verification is norm). What is disconcerting is the thought that it is a long drawn out procedure. In one of my friend's case, the prospective employer in India is not willing and will not complete verification of current employment (even after he/she agreed it is fine to do so) and would wait to do this after he / she moves out. Reason being, "we do not want to upset relationship." Problem is employment verification in the US is mostly done through 3rd party providers such as "Work number" and hence all can be completed ahead of offer.
Knowing this is a senior position and being aware of horror stories (using weird mechanisms after the fact as leverage), it makes things disconcerting. I understand we always have the option to walk away, but the process seems to be complex.
Again, not questioning the intent of why, but the process of how.
I agree with the intent and we are very much used to background verification in this part of the world (US in my instance - pre-employment verification is norm). What is disconcerting is the thought that it is a long drawn out procedure. In one of my friend's case, the prospective employer in India is not willing and will not complete verification of current employment (even after he/she agreed it is fine to do so) and would wait to do this after he / she moves out. Reason being, "we do not want to upset relationship." Problem is employment verification in the US is mostly done through 3rd party providers such as "Work number" and hence all can be completed ahead of offer.
Knowing this is a senior position and being aware of horror stories (using weird mechanisms after the fact as leverage), it makes things disconcerting. I understand we always have the option to walk away, but the process seems to be complex.
Again, not questioning the intent of why, but the process of how.
Background / Employment verification
[QUOTE]In one of my friend's case, the prospective employer in India is not willing and will not complete verification of current employment (even after he/she agreed it is fine to do so) and would wait to do this after he / she moves out
I dont see why this is a problem especially if candidate is fine with it even before hiring. Sometimes applicants also choose to opt the current company out of verification checks because they dont want the current company to know that they are looking for a switch. In such cases its very routine to perform the the experience verification with the current company after hiring. But since the experience with current company is just one part of the overall background verification it can be delayed at candidates request. If a hiring company want to do it because they dont want to upset a relationship with the previous employer of the candidate why it should be an issue.
I dont know but my experience at senior level differs from your's entirely here. I have not heard of a single horror story on this front. Senior management hiring is lot more collaborative and objective to fall to such kind of counterproductive practices. Practices like these are anti to the whole purpose of hiring which is to get the hired guy to be loyal to the company and assimilate well with bosses to deliver as per the objectives. Instead such practice ensures that guy will leave at the next available opportunity. This brings significant risk to the hiree side.
I dont see why this is a problem especially if candidate is fine with it even before hiring. Sometimes applicants also choose to opt the current company out of verification checks because they dont want the current company to know that they are looking for a switch. In such cases its very routine to perform the the experience verification with the current company after hiring. But since the experience with current company is just one part of the overall background verification it can be delayed at candidates request. If a hiring company want to do it because they dont want to upset a relationship with the previous employer of the candidate why it should be an issue.
I dont know but my experience at senior level differs from your's entirely here. I have not heard of a single horror story on this front. Senior management hiring is lot more collaborative and objective to fall to such kind of counterproductive practices. Practices like these are anti to the whole purpose of hiring which is to get the hired guy to be loyal to the company and assimilate well with bosses to deliver as per the objectives. Instead such practice ensures that guy will leave at the next available opportunity. This brings significant risk to the hiree side.
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aakashjoy05
- Posts: 1
- Joined: Tue Dec 16, 2014 1:04 pm
Background / Employment verification
Hi,
In India background screening done as per the employer requirement. Some employer need to verify educational background, address verification, employment verification of all last employers. In other hand come companies just check your last one employment and skip the educational verification.
So that it is on employers hand how many and which components they want to verify.
In India background screening done as per the employer requirement. Some employer need to verify educational background, address verification, employment verification of all last employers. In other hand come companies just check your last one employment and skip the educational verification.
So that it is on employers hand how many and which components they want to verify.