Employers would be interested in recruiting candidates with the proper skills, abilities, credibility, and behaviors. No wonder certain companies' recruitment process usually takes weeks or months. Many ways are conducted to screen the candidates properly, such as psychological tests, interviews, and user interviews.
Additionally, the most important step in screening the candidates is background checking. Employers would secretly check your background or work experience deeply based on the information you provided in your resume. In the process, employers often check your social media or contact your references for further information.
While background checking usually becomes the main indicator that an employer seriously considers you for the job, does it guarantee you would eventually get the job?
The answer is NO. Background checking does not always ensure the job offers. Employers usually request background checks for multiple potential hires during the recruitment process. Your background check results may influence whether the employer would give the job offer to you. If you have already received a job offer, background checks would determine your eventual hiring. Background checking is often used as fundamental for employers to choose whether to withdraw the job offers if they discover misleading information on your resume.
Therefore, a background check usually occurs near the end of the hiring process. Considering the importance of the background checking process, candidates should prepare themselves for this process. As a candidate, what should you prepare for the background check?
1. Ask for permission from your supervisors or colleagues to be your references
As you know, the recruiter often contacts your references during the background checking process to verify the information you have provided on your resume. The recruiter usually wants to learn about your skills, work ethic, or overall performance from your previous experience. By asking permission for your reference politely in advance, it would ensure a smooth reference check process during background checking.
2. Prepare the required data properly and thoroughly
Generally, the recruiter would require several documents: an education certificate, academic transcript, police record certificate, or employment verification letter. Be sure to organize your documents tidily so you will have no trouble finding them when needed.
3. Pay attention to your social media (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Linkedin, TikTok)
Nowadays, social media is part of everyone's life. Some people are even unable to distract themselves from social media. Social media does give people the freedom to express anything, but sometimes people find it difficult to control their posts on social media. The recruiter will examine the candidates' personalities based on social media posts. Thus, you need to behave yourself when using social media.
4. Be honest with yourself and the information you have provided
Getting a job offer is difficult, but it does not mean you can justify all means to obtain it, such as providing misleading information on your resume. Be careful; the recruiter will uncover any fake information during background checking, which will fail you in the recruitment process. The worst part is that you may be blacklisted by the employer, which would prevent you from getting hired by other companies.
Always remind yourself that background checking is a recruitment process that highly determines your job offer's success. Thus, be well-prepared and honest when providing information during background checking!