Pre-Employment Screening
What is Pre-Employment Screening?
Pre-Employment Screening is the term used for the checking of an applicant's CV or application details when they are applying for a new position. Though it is referred to as pre-employment, some companies are now opting to check current employees and even perform regular reviews.
Why Perform Pre-Employment Screening?
In today’s competitive employment market, twenty five percent of people willingly commit fraud to obtain employment. Once employed that person may cause major damage to the company employing them, be it through an inadequate ability to perform their duties or through illegal activities. Some companies have lost millions of dollars through the actions of an employee who may never have commenced work had they been properly screened.
With the emergence of sophisticated computer equipment, applicants are able to create an entire education history, including detailed records of studies at any of the leading universities.
The unscrupulous can obtain false documentation from just about anywhere in the world for a fee. False degrees, passports, drivers' licences and resumés, can all be readily obtained.
Misleading information about previous work history can be provided in order to hide prior criminal convictions or unsatisfactory work histories. Applicants may create a non-existent company for the purpose of having a relative or friend pretend to be a former employer so that a favourable reference may be given.
Identity fraud is an ever increasing issue. One of the aspects of pre-employment screening is to ensure that the people you employ actually are who they claim to be. There are almost no limits that people will go to, to obtain employment.
Work rights should be checked. Any employer employing a non Australian citizen with no work rights may be committing an offence under the Crimes Act 1914 which attracts a penalty of up to $10,000.00.
Pre-employment screening demonstrates that an employer has exercised due diligence, providing a great deal of legal protection in the event of a lawsuit.
The Legality
Corpsec's procedures comply fully with the applicable legal standards paying particular attention to the Information Privacy Principles (IPP) of the Privacy Act 1988, and Australian Standards HB 322-2007 and HB 323-2007. Any person can be checked as long as they have signed an authority document allowing the prospective employing company and their agents to perform the pre-employment screening processes.
Corpsec’s Role
Whether you recruit your staff or use an agency, Corpsec’s thorough pre-employment screening service can help make informed hiring decisions that support your recruitment and selection procedures.
Pre-employment screening is subject to numerous legal regulations. It is a time consuming and detailed task that requires highly specialised knowledge and resources.
Our experience in performing pre-employment screenings has enabled us to;
- Detect misrepresentations that may have seemed normal.
- Uncover claims of employment in bogus companies or
companies that have ceased operations. - Reveal criminal offences which have not yet been to court
or not revealed to the employer. - Identify university degrees commenced but not completed.
- Expose friends and relatives pretending to be previous employers and
false employment claims in overseas companies.
- Discover gaps in employment history which could not be explained.
- Expose immigrants or visitors with incorrect or missing visas.
