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Written By ESR News Blog Editor Thomas Ahearn
New HR technology is making background screening for employment purposes “faster, smarter, and easier” while integrations with HR systems have “changed the game” for Human Resource professionals, according to an article on the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) website. The fact that HR Technology will continue to improve the screening and hiring process is Trend Number 6 in the Employment Screening Resources® (ESR) 10th annual ‘ESR Top Ten Background Check Trends’ for 2017.
“As the need for speed grows as well as concerns about the applicant experience, new HR technology will play a key role for employers. Employers will also see the advantages of having the best of breed HR solutions work seamlessly together, but also need to be wary of firms offering so-called ‘disruptive technology’ that in reality is just a marketing buzz,” says ESR founder and CEO Attorney Lester Rosen. The list featuring emerging and influential trends in the background check industry for 2017 will be available at www.esrcheck.com/ESR-Top-Ten-Background-Check-Trends.
In the article “Background Screening Goes with the Workflow,” SHRM editor/manager Roy Maurer interviewed screening experts including Dawn Standerwick, Vice President of Strategic Growth for Employment Screening Resources® (ESR). Standerwick, who was elected Chair of the Board of Directors for the National Association of Professional Background Screeners (NAPBS®) for the 2016-17 term, told Maurer that “employers have demanded more seamless systems” for HR technology in screening.
“The shared goal is to create the best applicant experience possible, and, depending on the strength of the integration, data that is collected by the ATS and is needed for the background check does pre-populate to our system in most cases,” Standerwick told Maurer. HR technology allows applicants to complete the authorization and receive required disclosure forms for an electronic signature. After reports are completed, any adverse action taken is “automated and can be initiated through the ATS.”
HR technology enables screening functions to be linked to an Applicant Tracking System (ATS) where “candidate data flows directly to the vendor once an investigation is initiated and the results are immediately stored in the candidate’s file in the ATS.” Some employers “use self-service applicant portals that allow candidates to input their own data rather than relying on a recruiter to do so” that can help “streamline processes, eliminate duplicate data entry, and improve the candidate experience.”
Since it is also critical to assure legal compliance during the background screening process due to the numerous laws involved, HR technology should provide all necessary disclosures, acknowledgments, and consents while automatically updating – in real-time – when Federal or state requirements change. The complete article is available on the SHRM website at www.shrm.org/hr-today/news/hr-magazine/1016/Pages/making-every-background-check-count.aspx.
As reported by ESR News in March 2016, Standerwick – who has more than 25 years of experience in workforce screening solutions – accepted a nomination to become a member of the Advisory Board of HR Tech Alliances, a global HR portal designed to foster collaboration, strategic partnerships, and alliances in the HR Technology industry. She joins members of the HR Tech Alliances Advisory Board in their work with HR technology sector leadership teams to create “best-of-breed” service alliances.
HR Tech Alliances works with HR technology industry thought leaders to create a new global portal for those involved in Alliances & Partnerships in the HR technology industry. HR Tech Alliances helps vendors discover, create, and manage alliances and partnerships with other providers in the HR technology space. To learn more about HR Tech Alliances, and the HR technology industry in general, please visit https://hrtechadvisor.com/hr-tech-alliances/.
Standerwick also wrote an article entitled “Background Screening As a Commitment to Public Safety” about how the need to hire the most qualified candidate has never been greater and how companies that utilize background screening demonstrate their commitment to ensuring safety. The article is at http://www.futureofbusinessandtech.com/business-solutions/background-screening-as-a-commitment-to-public-safety.
However, while advancements in HR technology are very real and critical for the improvement of the background screening process for employment, ESR CEO Rosen also warns that employers and HR professionals can be bombarded with meaningless marketing buzz around supposed “disruptive technology” that promises to disrupt stodgy old industries and radically change outdated business models. However, these supposedly new techniques may largely be without substance.
“It’s popular for start-ups worldwide to claim they are disrupting stodgy old dormant industries and are radically changing outdated old business models, including HR technology in employment background checks,” says Rosen, author of ‘The Safe Hiring Manual.’ “However, it is important to really understand if an HR disrupter is really just an outstanding marketer who has convinced investors that they have done something new instead of just taking old processes and repackaging them with a pretty new bow.”
Rosen adds that “buzz” is real in the sense that perception trumps reality. “For example, in the HR technology space there are firms that have done the equivalent of taking a number two pencil and claiming they have re-invented and disrupted a dormant industry by putting the eraser on the other end,” Rosen says. “In other words, HR professionals need to be on the alert for HR technology solutions for background checks that come packaged as disruptive but do not really accomplish anything new.”
Rosen says the problem with applying “disruptive technology” solutions is that background checks are closer to rocket science in terms of sheer complexity than simple data retrieval and distribution. “Background check laws are constantly subjected to legislation, regulation, and litigation,” says Rosen. Along with the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), he says there are background screening laws for all 50 states and Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) guidance on using criminal records.
“There is nothing new about some HR technology but firms claim they are revolutionizing background checks when they are in fact doing the same thing ESR and numerous other firms have done as early as 2008,” explains Rosen, who explains ESR has long utilized a Background Check API (Application Program Interface), including a Representation State Transfer (RESTful) API, to connect with partners and employers. “The real question is how HR technology promotes legal compliance and ensures accuracy.”
Employment Screening Resources® (ESR) understands that compliance with laws that govern the background check process can be confusing at best. ESR Assured Compliance® technology – only from ESR – is constantly updated with required changes in hiring and employment laws making compliance with new regulations virtually painless in a totally paperless environment. To learn more about the ESR Assured Compliance® system, please visit www.esrcheck.com/Effortless-Legal-Compliance/.
ESR Top Ten Background Check Trends for 2017 Webinar
Employment Screening Resources® (ESR) founder and CEO Attorney Lester Rosen will host a live complimentary webinar entitled ‘ESR Top Ten Background Check Trends for 2017’ on Wednesday, January 18, 2017, from 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM Noon Pacific Time. To register for the free webinar, please visit https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/733293271056375556.
The webinar is approved for 1.0 (HR (General)) recertification credit hours toward PHR, SPHR, and GPHR recertification through the HR Certification Institute (HRCI). The webinar is worth 1.0 Professional Development Credit (PDC) from the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) for the SHRM Certified Professional (SHRM-CP™) and SHRM Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP™).
NOTE: Employment Screening Resources® (ESR) does not provide or offer legal services or legal advice of any kind or nature. Any information on this website is for educational purposes only.
© 2016 Employment Screening Resources® (ESR) – Making copies or using of any part of the ESR News Blog or ESR website for any purpose other than your own personal use is prohibited unless written authorization is first obtained from ESR.
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