How to Verify International Employment Candidates

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How to Verify International Employment Candidates

Employment verification is no easy task. Any employee your business is considering hiring must be investigated with a thorough international background check. You simply cannot assume the best in people or take their word at face value. Hiring an employee without doing your due diligence could easily put your company at risk for an array of issues. This includes everything from theft to workplace violence. Harassment and false workman’s comp claims are others — just to name a few. Your best chance at avoiding these potential problems is to hire a candidate with a crystal clear background.

Why do you do an international background check? Why isn’t a domestic check enough? Can’t you just use the FBI’s employment verification system and be okay? Much of the people and the hiring done today occurs on an international basis. People are now from and living and working everywhere. Companies now easily cross borders with globalization, with offices and personnel around the world. Immigrants aren’t your only concern. With unemployment rates high and the economy looking rough, many potential employees work in other countries. Places like China, Germany, England, Russia, Brazil, Mexico, India and so many more are hiring foreigners at record numbers. Companies are also searching worldwide for cheaper labor.

It’s important to not just do an international background check on candidates who have a history internationally. Be consistent and do the checks on every potential employee. Criminals lie. Your candidate likely won’t be too forthcoming about the time he scammed a business in Australia. Various aspects should be researched before hiring an employee. This includes education, employment, criminal background and terrorist lists. All of these aspects should be verified both domestically and internationally.

How do you go about verifying employment on an international level?

First, find experts in this field. Interview them, compare notes on the services they offer, and select one that best matches your needs. You’ll want to make sure you hire an investigative firm that has investigators worldwide. Save time and money by hiring ones that know the language and that know the native systems and laws. Each country has different rules for how employment checks can be done. Knowing this and having experience with the variety of regulations will get your background check done faster. Make sure the firm offers checks of all court records as well as passport and document verification.

Consider more than criminal information. The universities and places of employment your candidate claims may be made up. If you don’t recognize a name, do your own background research or pass the information onto your investigator. The phone numbers and websites may also be made up. The candidate may have truthfully been employed internationally but may be lying about the international education. Determine how much of a priority these factors are in your hiring process. Use your best judgment when examining your findings from your own research, but consult a professional investigation company for expert advice. International investigators have trained experts in the country or countries where you need them, they speak the language, they have access to information and evidence that you don’t.

Not every candidate is out to get you. There’s a fine balance between assuming the worst and remaining friendly and cordial. You must protect your company from any wrong-doers but you also don’t want to scare away any well qualified and honest applicants. By having an across the line, no exceptions policy on completing standard and thorough due diligence, your potential new employees will be able to have a better understanding of where you are coming from. They will respect you and the position more. Hopefully, they are honest and the background check investigation is only a technicality, but it can save you serious money if you catch a criminal or fraud, and avoid hiring the wrong applicant.