Background check — is it necessary?
All you need to know about it.
Background verification (BGV) is a procedure to verify that a person is who they say they are. For many professions, it is an important step in recruitment process. More and more companies, not only those connected with banking, finance and IT, are using BGV. In Poland, it has only been around for a short time; to be more precise, Polish companies have been using BGV since 2008.
BGV usually takes place at the same time as the signing of the contract. The candidate’s evidence, employment history and responsibilities, references and education-diplomas are checked. In short, it is simply verifying the candidate’s truthfulness and making sure that his or her competences are exactly as stated in the CV.
At Altimetrik Poland, BGV is an essential part of hiring. The majority of candidates on the market have no problem with this recruitment stage, but there are still candidates who do not agree with this process. Often they cannot give a specific reason why. Putting dates in the CV that are not in line with reality, for example the dates of starting or finishing work at a particular company. Everyone can make the mistake of putting the wrong month, but it is important not to make the mistake of years.
There are also situations where you put on your CV the completion of a school you never even applied to. Extreme situations are those in which the candidate falsifies certificates, high school or university diplomas, handwritten changes of dates on certificates of employment, etc. In such situations, the candidate risks not only losing a potential job, but even a fine.
The background check cannot be conducted without the candidate’s prior written consent (e.g. “I agree to undergo BGV.”) At Altimetrik Poland, after the first interview with the recruiter, an email is sent with a summary of the interview — information such as rate, notice period, working hours, equipment, benefits and guilty project details important to the candidate. Also, there is a document attached describing the BGV for candidate to read and decide if agrees to go through this procedure or not. Once the consent is received, we are informed that we can arrange further interviews foreseen in the recruitment process
Below we outline why an employer can check on a new employee — it’s the Data Protection Act (Ustawa o ochronie danych osobowych).
It is important to inform the newly recruited person about the preparation of documents in advance. This is best done at the stage of the first interviews with the candidate. Sometimes we don’t have all the data in one place, so the person is able to organise themselves early enough for the BGV to go through fairly quickly and smoothly. Open communication is also important, this gives you the opportunity to ask questions and discuss your concerns openly and honestly. This can help build trust among candidates and can be particularly important for international recruitment, as candidates in different locations may have different experiences and expectations of the recruitment process.
Below are the most frequently asked questions in relation to BGV (answers were prepared by Katarzyna Chmielarz from our HR department):
- Is the background check safe?
Yes, the background check is secure. We use HireRight, our trusted partner who is a global leader in data verification, to carry out this process. HireRight adheres to the highest security standards and ensures compliance with privacy laws by employing measures to protect personal data from unauthorised access, use, alteration or disclosure. Layered firewalls and other cyber security solutions prevent unauthorised access to HireRight’s systems. Your data is also protected during transmission — all information is encrypted via Secure Socket Layer (SSL) technology.
2. Is it necessary to upload a scan of my ID card?
One of the core elements of the background check is the Global ID Check, which involves verifying identity by having the applicant upload a scan of their ID card. The system digitally verifies the authenticity of the ID document using the latest advanced Optical Character Recognition (OCR) technology based on artificial intelligence. This allows you to safely complete the identity verification process anywhere, anytime, in a few simple steps and within minutes.
3. Do I need to provide contact persons for previous employers?
One of the required elements of the background check is Employment Verification. Employment Verification is based on confirmation of the start and end dates of employment and the position held. To verify these details, HireRight contacts your previous employer by email, usually an HR representative. However, you may choose not to consent to such contact — simply tick the appropriate option on the form. In this case, you should provide a document confirming the dates of your employment and the position you held (e.g. a contract, contract addendum, contract termination or employment certificate).
If such a document contains confidential information or any data you do not wish to disclose, you can blur or cover it up — the most important thing is that the dates and position, and of course the employer’s name, are visible.
4. Is it necessary to send invoices if the candidate has been employed on a B2B basis?
If you are a sole trader and have previously worked on a business to business model, HireRight can verify your employment history without looking at your invoices. Other documents, such as a B2B contract, can be used for verification. Remember that you can cover any sensitive data on the document, such as salary, contract terms or other confidential information.
5. How long does it take to verify a candidate after completing the form?
Verification usually takes between 4 and 10 working days. However, it all depends on the accuracy of the information you provide and the speed with which you respond to messages from HireRight (during the process, HireRight may ask you to, for example, send a scan of your diploma, additional documentation to support your employment or to provide contact details for your previous employer to verify dates of employment).
6. Is a background check necessary or is there another way to vet a candidate?
Background check is a standard process that all people working on projects are required to go through. It is a necessary procedure that cannot be replaced by any other means.
7. How many parts does the form consist of and what is the process like?
The basic background check consists of five parts:
- Checking that the candidate’s identity document is valid and that the information it contains matches the information provided during the recruitment process.
- Search public records to identify a history of publicly reported misconduct, using databases in national languages and searches of publicly available criminal and civil records.
- Determine whether a candidate is on any global watch list, is a politically exposed person (PEP) or is an immediate family member or close associate of such a person. Records maintained by international governmental and regulatory organisations, such as INTERPOL, the FCA (Financial Conduct Authority) or the Serious Fraud Office, for example, are searched.
- Verification of educational history based on contact with the school/university or documents sent by the applicant (e.g. copy of certificate, diploma or other document proving dates of education at the institution and degree obtained).
- Verification of employment history through contact with previous employers or documents sent in by the applicant (e.g. certificate of employment, contract or other document confirming dates of employment and positions held).
10. What happens to my data once the background checkup has been completed?
HireRight’s standard data retention period policy is 6 months — after this time the background check report and all associated documents are permanently deleted from the HireRight system.
In summary — the Background Check is completely voluntary. You are giving your informed consent to go through the process of checking your employment and education history. Lack of consent means not being able to continue the recruitment process at Altimetrik Poland, as passing the background check is necessary to work with our clients.
Words by Weronika Grzeszcz, Natalia Makuch and Katarzyna Chmielarz
