When hiring new employees, it is important that you adequately vet their history and experience. In order to gain the most complete and relevant picture of a potential hire’s history – and therefore, their future performance – you may perform a reference and/or background check. What's the difference between the two? And which is more valuable?
The information uncovered in a background check can encompass a wide variety of subjects. A background check usually searches public records such as driving records and criminal history, education and licensing verification, and personal credit history; it can also check the job candidate’s social media and online presence.
Depending on the type of information requested, background checks can become expensive. However, some job types and industries require this type of pre-employment screening. These include positions of security and positions of trust, such as for those caring for vulnerable groups such as children, the disabled, and the elderly.
Reference checks seek out information from a candidate’s former employers to confirm their date of hire, the title of their position, and salary and incentive information, as well as soliciting information regarding the applicant’s job duties, experience, and performance. Employers are prohibited by law from giving false or misleading information in their references, or couching their statements in inflammatory terms.
HiringThing is a modern talent management platform as a service that creates seamless HR experiences. Our white label solutions and open API enable HR technology and service providers to offer hiring and onboarding to their clients. Approachable and adaptable, the HiringThing HR platform empowers anyone, anywhere to build their dream team.