5 Ways Applicants Can Help Make the Background Screening Process Easier
Article written by Nicolette Lepresti
As people, we are all unique individuals. The person sitting across the room from you can have different values than you and have a different life than you. However, one universal shared characteristic of all people is that we have all applied for jobs to pay our bills and support ourselves. At some point or another, we are all required to undergo a background screening on our way to obtaining our careers. Sometimes a background screening can run quickly and smoothly. Other times, it can take longer and encounter hurdles. As an employee working for a background screening agency, I can assure you that we strive for the former. We want the process to be as speedy and seamless as possible. We want applicants to succeed as much as we want to create a consistent, effortless experience for our clients. We want employers to hire great employees, and we want employees to land great jobs.
At Justifacts Credential Verification, we do our due diligence in going the extra mile to maintain accuracy and verify information with a sense of urgency. However, roadblocks can happen. While some things may be unavoidable on both the background screening agency’s end and the applicant’s end, such as emails or phone calls not being returned by employers, for example, there are certain things that applicants themselves can do to ensure that their background screenings have the best chance possible of running smoothly. We are going to go over some tips and things to keep in mind that can help us help you, the applicant, to our best ability. After all, we have the same goal in mind – your success.
- TIPS FOR YOUR REFERENCES
When an applicant comes to their background screening prepared, obtaining great references is usually a breeze. Unfortunately, that is not always the case. Sometimes references simply do not respond after several attempts are made to contact them. Other times, they are caught off guard and unwilling to provide a reference, and then there are times that they may provide a reference but provide negative feedback that is not in the applicant’s favor. Below are some suggestions to prevent these undesirable outcomes.
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- Alert Your References Ahead of Time
You should ask permission as your first step. Make sure that the person you wish to be a reference on your behalf, is willing to do so. Once they agree, let them know that they will be contacted. Why is this important? It is important because if a reference does not know that they have been provided as a reference, they may not answer a call from an unknown number or they may not trust the background screener attempting to contact them. I have personally experienced references who misunderstood me to be a telemarketer or a scammer, simply because they had no idea they were going to be contacted as a reference. Sometimes references never respond, and we must go to the applicant to obtain additional references. Ensuring that your references are willing to help and that they expect to be contacted will ensure that we get a response from them.
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- Make Sure That Your References Are In Your Favor
When you select a reference, make sure that you really know the perspective that this person has of you. Most of the time, references give glowing reviews, but there are times when a reference provides answers that reflect poorly on the applicant. Communication is the simplest way to indicate this. Talk with your reference beforehand and get a feel for how they view you. You may ask questions like “What do you think I can improve on?” “Have you ever had a bad experience with me?” or “What would you want an employer to know about me?” You can gauge their attitude towards you with a candid exchange.
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- List More References Than What Is Required
Some employers require three references, others require two, and some only require one. Although it might be easier to come up with less references, always provide extra references, if possible. Even if you have done your due diligence and your references are willing and expecting to hear from your background screening agency, people still have busy schedules which could prolong the amount of time it takes to reach them. Having back-up references gives us a wider net of options and a greater chance of obtaining all your required references much sooner.
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- Professional References Versus Personal References
Take note of what type of references are being asked for. While some companies do accept personal references, which can be friends, most companies prefer to obtain professional references. A professional reference must be an individual who has worked with you or volunteered with you in a professional capacity. Professional reference questions cover information that is related to professional relationships, after all. If you list a personal reference but a professional reference is required, your background screener will not be able to accept the reference and will need to contact you for additional references. This will prolong the time it takes to complete your references. Read every requirement before providing references, as some professional references even require the reference to be a supervisor.
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- Provide Thorough Contact Information
If possible, provide a phone number and an email address. The more contact information we have, the better chance we have of reaching your reference sooner. Indeed.com suggests providing the reference’s full name and title, company information, phone number, email address, and relationship to you. Nowadays, many people prefer the convenience of email over phone calls. Therefore, we offer the option for references to be provided via email as well. This is helpful for those who work long hours and may have limited availability during our hours of operation, as well as for those living in different time zones. We also recommend that if you provide their company landline number, to also provide their extension if you know it. For larger companies, it can be cumbersome to reach the appropriate voicemail box, and if it is a general mailbox that we must leave a message with, our messages may not be returned by the operator. Also, companies that have automated answering systems may not have an option that routes directly to the reference’s office or department. Having an extension and department available to us enables us to make contact directly. This is helpful to the applicant because it saves time and connects us directly with the reference, immediately.
- TIPS FOR PROVIDING SUPERVISORS ON EMPLOYMENT FILES
Justifacts Credential Verification verifies employments that only require basic employment information, as well as comprehensive employment verifications, that require performance reviews to be completed by past or present supervisors. If you are listing a supervisor on a past or present employment, there are a few things that we recommend.
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- Provide Your Supervisor’s Full Name
When an applicant only provides a supervisor’s first name, there is no way to confirm that we are contacting the correct individual. For example, if you list the first name “John” but do not list a last name, there could be dozens of employees named John. Even if we know that John’s title is manager, there could be several managers named John if the company is very large with numerous branches and departments. This can hold up your background check and we may need to contact you for clarification, as we want to guarantee that we will reach the correct individual you had in mind.
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- Provide Your Supervisor’s Company Phone Number and Extension
As a background screening agency, we always strive to obtain performance reviews from a company’s landline number or a company email address. Try to avoid providing your supervisor’s personal cell phone number, unless the company does not have a landline number. A direct extension is, of course, the most efficient way to contact your supervisor directly. A professional email address is also a great piece of information to add, since the more modes of contact we have, the more quickly we may reach your supervisor and move your background check along.
- TIPS FOR VERIFYING YOUR EDUCATION
At Justifacts Credential Verification, we verify diplomas, degrees, enrollments, certifications, and GEDs. There are also important points to note in what you should include to help your background screening move along smoothly.
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- Provide As Much Information as Possible
When verifying an education, certain information may be needed by the institution. Likewise, some institutions utilize third-party verification services such as Parchment or the National Student Clearinghouse, as two examples, but there are others. Each institution and third-party service has their own requirements. Some require special waivers to be completed by the applicant, while some require the start date, graduation date, and even testing location, for GEDs. Also keep in mind to list the correct name that you graduated under, as the institution will not be able to locate a record of your education if they do not search for the correct name. If you have gotten married since graduating, they will need your maiden name at the time of graduation, for example. It is wise to provide as much information as possible to avoid unnecessary delays.
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- Confirm That the Information You Provided Is Accurate
There can be many institutions with the same name, even in the same location. I personally encountered this once when the respondent at a school informed me that there were three schools with the same name in the same area. It is best practice to look at the full address of an institution, confirm that it is indeed the correct address, and give your background screening agency the address so that the verification specialist contacts the correct institution, without a shadow of a doubt.
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- Be Forthright
Be open and honest to the best of your knowledge. Confirm that the institution you list that you graduated from is the correct institution. There have been instances when an applicant claims a graduation from a high school, and it turns out that they had withdrawn and transferred to another school. Obviously, this is an honest mistake, but it can impact your background screening if the file must be completed with adverse results. Someone might also think, “It will hurt me if they know I did not graduate,” and may falsely indicate that a diploma was received out of fear of not appearing qualified enough. Remember that honesty is more valuable to employers than how you look on paper.
- TIPS FOR VERIFYING YOUR EMPLOYMENTS
The same tips above also apply to employment verifications. A lack of response from employers is certainly nothing that the applicant can control, but there is good news. There are other things that you can control to your own advantage.
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- Never Guess
Never guess your start date, end date, salary, or company information. Provide only what you are certain of. If you only know the year but are unsure if you started working in March or November because it has been so long, do not take a wild guess. The reason for this is if your past employer provides a date that is many, many months off from the date that you provided, that will affect how your report is flagged. Be confident that the information you provide is accurate.
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- Provide All Periods of Employment
If you worked for the same company from 2012 until 2018, and then from 2020 until 2023, for example, share both sets of employment dates. If you provide only the original start date and the final end date, the company may provide your most recent start date, in which case, the information will not match. Additionally, the company may provide all employment periods, but if you only provided one set, that could affect how the file is flagged.
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- Confirm That the Information You Provided Is Accurate
As with education verifications, follow the same guidelines and confirm that you have the correct address for the company that you worked for. There are many companies sharing the same name, some within the same location, and we want to contact the correct company. Otherwise, a report may be closed with no record found, if you have accidentally provided an incorrect address and phone number.
- TIPS FOR DRUG TESTING
The main point to keep in mind when it comes to your drug testing, is to be transparent and straightforward. If there are substances in your system, they will be detected. If you possess a medical marijuana card, be proactive in disclosing that beforehand and be prepared to share proof of it once requested.
Roadblocks can happen even when all parties involved do everything right. Despite that fact of life, the silver lining is that many things can be prevented with the right measures. This falls on all parties involved, the background screening agency, the employer, and the applicant. We all play a part in an interwoven process. There are also some general rules of thumb for applicants regarding the background screening process. These rules can be applied to every moving part and will be highlighted below.
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- Be Involved and Prepared
This is your background screening that will help you snag the job that you applied for. Your role begins by promptly completing all tasks sent to you to jumpstart your background check. Stay involved throughout the process by regularly checking your emails, ensuring that your voicemail box does not become full so that we can leave a message if we need to call you, and if there is anything that we need from you, please keep in mind that the sooner we receive the information, the sooner we can proceed. Waivers, forms, questions, and so on may need to be completed by you during the process, so responding promptly helps the background check flow quicker.
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- Be Careful of Making Errors
Human beings make errors. We understand that. Sometimes we come across errors that we can recognize as obvious errors, simply because of logical deduction. When this occurs, although we can conclude it was an obvious error, our policy requires that we never change what an applicant provides. We must flag the results based on what the applicant has provided. In this case, we will reach out to you to clarify this. Be sure to respond in these instances, so as not to delay the completion of your file. This can most significantly cause a delay when we reach out to an applicant multiple times with no response.
Staying involved has never been more convenient. We have recently developed a more efficient way to keep you updated with the progress of your background screening. After you receive your link by text message or email, you can create an account that will allow you to monitor your report. You will have the ability to log into your account at Justifacts.com, where you can view your ongoing progress, what has been completed and what is pending, and the overall percentage of completion for the entire report.
Justifacts Credential Verification prides itself on accuracy and quality information. For over 35 years, we have provided trusted background checks for companies across the globe. Disputes to our reports have a track record of being below 0.01% of all reports submitted. That means that more than 99% of our reports see applicant agreement with the results. This quality rating stems from the dedication of our team members who are committed to our clients and the applicants we serve. Because we care, we encourage applicants to read this helpful tool and consider the tips provided to streamline and expedite their background checks. A quick and straightforward process helps you, the applicant, get to that next chapter in your life with ease.