Hiring surges and rapid expansion is a daunting process considering everything that has to fall into place outside of the actual hire. Here are some strategies to help you plan your background screening for this unique and complex event!
What was your last mass hire head count? 10? Maybe 100? It takes giants like Elon Musk and his Tesla Gigafactory to say, “I think I’ll hire six 6,500 people to build lithium batteries in my new factory in Reno next year.” YIKES!
As incredible innovator (Tesla Motors, Pay Pal and SpaceX) and possibly one of the most impactful individuals of our time, Mr. Musk along with the colleagues who somehow keeps up with him have a lot on their plate… as do most companies facing large scale expansion or a major initial “launch” (shameless SpaceX reference).
During periods of rapid growth, comprehensive background screening of your applicants is especially important and should contribute to and enhance your large-scale hiring.
Make background screening the masses a topic of conversation early on!
This will significantly improve understanding of what you’re getting with each service, why you’re running different packages and when, as well as establish a consistent and compliant approach. You’ll also have 100% confidence you’ve partnered with someone you can rely on and trust… and who can handle the spike!
How to pick your services. You can view it from two points: the resume and the person. Per the resume: If it’s achieved (education, certification and professional licenses), described (employment history), listed (professional reference) or in any way relates to the position and would play a role in whether or not you make a decision to hire, include it with your verification services. Per the person: If it’s related or required (MVR and drug tests), could impact safety (criminal history and sex offender registry) or could impact your financial stability (civil history and credit report), include it with your request. In addition to these, Choice Screening Form I-9 ComplyTM can greatly help you mitigate audit risk and remain efficient while you process all these new hires.
How to be strategic with your approach and budget. First, every situation is different so talk to your Account Executive to find a few options. Here is a strategy our clients embrace, especially during a spike in hiring: use phases that coincide with stages of the hiring process to spend incrementally and keep moving forward. Consider this 3 Phase approach: Phase 1: Select searches that could quickly disqualify applicants that are essentially yes/no answers (professional license verification, degree verification, MVR for drivers). Phase 2: Screen the cream of the crop by running searches that give you more information about your applicant as a person (criminal history when in accordance with legislation, credit report if permissible, and employment verifications). Phase 3: Wrap up with any applicable products to affirm your decision (drug screen, criminal or credit if you haven’t already run them).
How to stay compliant. Once you have your policy figured out, assembled your required online consent form and adverse action letters, and decided on your services (and possibly phases) – talk to your attorney! Keep in mind, cheap advice leads to expensive litigation. If you’re hiring for multiple locations, make sure you consider all applicable laws - these could be based on where your applicant's records exist, where the applicant is hired, where they'll work or where you're headquartered. If mismanaged, this applicant pool, literally at this one point in time, could be a class action pool as well.
How to be confident. Seek out a company like Choice Screening who sees you as a partner rather than a revenue stream. Signs of this sort of company include: we provide answers without runaround, we demonstrate willingness to demo the application and commitment to making sure your entire team understands it, and (most importantly but so overlooked) we exhibit patience if you have to call back with additional questions. You should feel comfortable and informed as we build our relationship, not stressed...
How to leave no stone unturned. Don’t overlook the applicants no one wants to talk about: screening executives and directors. As we stated in this previous post, Higher Ups = High Profile. There is a lot for you to manage in an ordinary year; the year you hire 6,500 people and open a plant worth billions?? Wow. Soft qualifiers for a C-Suite candidate, such as reputed experience, can only be solidified if you run background checks based on what qualifies your CFO as a CFO, just the same as everyone else you’d screen without question.
How to plan ahead (while it’s easier). This is the time to implement ReScreen policies for ongoing employment: Regular or random drug screening, promotion and transfer background screen, current employee re-screening and regular Motor Vehicle Report checks. If you start operations with a current employee screening policy in place, your expectations will be established and you'll avoid the strain felt by implementing after the fact.
How to stay organized. Set up all users with their own user profile and discuss options with your Account Executive regarding unique features that improve your control and protect your bottom line. Keep us on notice lists for contact information changes and involve all users in scheduled training. Not to mention those running the background checks will likely have to be checked themselves so let’s talk about how best to manage that as well!
To have such an impact on the economy and employment of a single population is just incredible. How exciting a large scale hiring must be despite all the work and effort involved in doing it right! Background screening should fit right into your plan, supporting your efforts to hire a well-vetted, strong and dedicated workforce.
It is to your advantage to get this very important slice off your plate by finding someone to guide you through the process. Knowing you have a comprehensive, compliant, easy to use service in place that is supported by a reputable and dedicated background screening partner will quickly become invaluable!
Choice Screening wants you to have the best experience when setting up your background screening service! So, Mr. Musk and everyone considering mass hire – whether mass to you is 6 or 6,000 – Contact Us once you decide to grow!
Here are some more posts you might enjoy:
Adverse Action Letters: Is it time to review your policy?
Making the Decision: My Candidate Has a Hit