Hiring the right candidates is crucial for any organization's success, but the costs of thoroughly vetting applicants can quickly add up.
Employment verifications, the process of confirming a candidate's work history details, often come with a hefty price tag – one that many employers may be overpaying.
Major third-party employment data vendors routinely charge between $10 to $120 per verification request made. For businesses hiring hundreds or thousands of applicants, these excessive fees can snowball into hundreds or even thousands of dollars.
How about any customization or enhanced data searches? You guessed it – more surcharges tacked on.
But what if there was a cost-effective alternative that could provide employment insights without breaking the bank?
We'll explore a smarter, more economical approach to employment verifications that can save your organization substantial costs while still ensuring thorough candidate vetting.
What Information Can Be Verified?
Employment verifications can uncover a wide range of details about a candidate's previous jobs and work history. The key pieces of information typically verified include:
Job titles and positions held.
Start and end dates.
Reason for leaving each role (voluntary or involuntary termination).
Eligibility for rehire.
Salary or compensation details (if your state allows).
Depending on the specific request, additional data points may also be gathered, such as:
Gaps in work history.
Job responsibilities and duties performed.
Performance ratings or feedback.
Disciplinary actions or issues encountered.
It's important to differentiate between the information accessible through an internal human resources (HR) verification versus a third-party service.
Internal verifications done directly with a former employer's HR department can sometimes provide more comprehensive details, including performance assessments and the circumstances around the employee's departure.
Third-party verifiers, on the other hand, often have limitations on the depth of information they can access as they rely on data provided by the employers themselves. However, they can still reliably confirm core employment facts like job titles, dates, and compensation.
Regardless of the verification method, the key advantage is gaining an objective, fact-based understanding of a candidate's true work experience – something that can be difficult to discern from resumes and interviews alone.
How are Employment Verifications Performed?