Reports suggest that over 10% of the Indians fake their educational qualification, residential addresses, and criminal records in their resume. Thus, it comes as no surprise that address, criminal records, degree verification, and the likes have become priorities nowadays.
Companies are worried about hiring the wrong candidate, making their businesses suffer majorly in this competitive market. And given the statistics just presented, their fear seems justified. They want to get it right from the get-go and not hire and fire an employee within months. After all, that’s not only a waste of precious company resources but also time and effort.
So, how exactly does background verification work in India? Is it legal? Follow the blog to get the answers!
Degree Verification and Other Background Verifications in India
In India, most companies are now aware of the advantages associated with conducting background checks on potential candidates. You must embark on employee screening to get the following details about the potential candidates about to join the company:
1. Work Experience and History
Past employer references help get details about the employment period and scope, performance history, salary, and other benefits, workplace conduct, and more. Alcohol and drug tests can also be a part of the procedure.
2. Criminal Records
Usually, the verification services approach the law enforcement agencies to get hold of any criminal records of a potential candidate. The companies take into account if a candidate has committed a serious offense and usually avoid hiring them.
3. Reference Checks
It shows the competence and skills of the possible candidate, which is vital for the companies hiring them. It’s also an excellent way to associate the employment information with cases of lousy performance history if any.
4. Residential Proof
Online address verification is important because it’s a major red flag when candidates lie about their addresses and provide false proof. It is suspicious behavior that no company is ready to tolerate, and the candidature gets immediately dropped.
5. Educational Credentials
Finally, one must also check their educational credentials because fake degrees from fake universities are more common than you might think. Companies get several applications that have bogus grades, forged academic documents, and so on. Therefore, you need to get the educational records authenticated instead of simply believing the submitted degrees.
Generally, companies commission us to carry these background checks after the candidates qualify for the initial screening process. The verification focuses on the final list of chosen candidates who are about to join the company. Thanks to the advanced technological assistance, it does not take too long for us to complete this verification.
How Do Employers Carry Out Background Verification in India?
Background verification in India usually starts by calling your last employer. You must check the details provided by the candidate against data from the last company. The next step is to search through public databases, i.e., criminal records, for any illegal activities.
The verification moves on education records for verifying the candidate’s certificates and degrees. The competence and integrity of a candidate also get validated through primary sources. Finally, you need to verify the candidate’s address through a physical site visit and digital address authentication.
However, different Indian companies use different methods to run background verification, and here is how it goes:
- Big private corporations hire third-party agencies to carry out all the checks mentioned before.
- Small and medium companies usually let the HR team handle this work, but most have started hiring third-party agencies.
- Government firms or public sector undertakings run extensive background verification involving the police and magistrates before forwarding a job offer.
Is It Legal to Run Background Verification in India?
It is entirely legal to run background verification in India. However, the employment history checks and legalese needs further clarification.
There are four crucial things people need to know about background verification in India:
- Indian companies with ISO 27001 certification need to carry out background verification for employment.
- Biometric data, financial background, and medical details of the candidates are private. No employer can access these details without the permission of the candidates.
- No laws are preventing a company from scanning the social media accounts of the candidates.
- In case you are interviewing for a top position, there is no reason to think you get exempted from a background verification. The risk is even bigger to hire a top executive without verification.
Final Notes
And that’s all you need to know about background verification in India and its legality. So, if you are about to go on a hiring drive for your company, contact experts today.
Tags: Criminal recordsDegree Verification in IndiaEducational Credentials