Screening candidates when hiring. Current methods.

We make sure that the diploma is valid

The Federal Register of Information on Educational Documents makes it possible to establish the fact that the diploma presented to the candidate was officially issued to him.

MEANING:

Employment of a candidate who does not have the appropriate education is potentially a source of financial and reputational losses for the company or directly violates the requirements of a number of legislative acts regulating the filling of certain positions, for example, in government agencies.

Methods

The main methods used to verify a candidate include:

Interview

This is an oral conversation with a potential employee, during which his verbal and nonverbal behavior is analyzed: gestures, facial expressions, speech, clothing, behavior.
In some cases, special interviews are conducted aimed at determining the candidate’s level of stress resistance and analyzing his behavior in critical situations.

Verification of documents

For example, a passport can be checked in a special section of the Federal Migration Service website, a document on education can be checked in the educational institution that issued it. Entries in the work book can be clarified by sending relevant requests to former employers. Information about loans can be obtained from the Credit Bureau.

Testing

It may concern both future activities and the personal characteristics of the candidate. The success of the method largely depends on the quality of the test.

Polygraphic testing

A lie detector allows you to get answers to many questions about a candidate. Taking a polygraph when applying for a job in the Ministry of Internal Affairs is mandatory ; in other areas it can be used by agreement of the parties. However, the written consent of the applicant is mandatory.

The integrated use of these methods allows us to obtain the most accurate idea of ​​the personal and professional qualities of the future employee.

Medical examination before hiring and how to pass it correctly. Read about how to properly fire a manager in this article.

There are different types of awards. Read about the main types of bonuses and the rules for calculating them here.

We look at behavior on social networks

If you need to check the background data of candidates on social networks, use the special Yandex service. It allows you to find open accounts in the most popular social networks in one click and, by studying them, identify facts of antisocial behavior, the presence of bad habits, compromising connections, and receive feedback (both general and about the professional competence of the person being studied). If necessary, enter into correspondence with friends of the person being studied. This method of verification will allow you to both evaluate and test the candidate and his social skills, and get an additional opinion about his moral character.

MEANING:

The method allows you to timely identify negative character traits and habits of the applicant and avoid material or reputational losses in the future.

Analytical work

All other actions are carried out by the security service, as a rule, together with the human resources department. These are the following types of work:

1. Analysis of entries in the applicant’s work book. As a rule, attention is focused on why he was fired from his previous job, whether dismissals took place in accordance with current legislation (they are also called dismissals “under the article”), and whether there were repeated dismissals for the same reason.
2. Analysis of the duration of work in the same place. In the event that a person changes jobs too often (even at his own request), this indicates that he has certain personal qualities that do not contribute to quickly joining the team.
3. Clarifying the reasons why a person had long gaps between hirings. Perhaps he worked unofficially (which, given the desire to take a high position in the company, is extremely undesirable).
4. Clarification of all inaccuracies or misunderstandings that arose during the analysis of the applicant’s biography. Security officers clarify these points during the interview. At this stage, the psychological aspect is of greatest importance, since the likelihood that a person will show concern and be caught in a lie by security officers is much higher than when talking with ordinary personnel officers.

Much depends on what position the applicant is applying for. If the work he is performing has nothing to do with trade secrets or other information of great importance, then a call to his previous place of work and a conversation with the company’s security staff will be enough. Otherwise, the most in-depth analysis of the applicant’s biography, especially his career and professional path, will be relevant.

Separately, it should be noted the use of special questionnaires and psychological tests, thanks to which the Security Service and the HR department can catch a person in a lie.

We find out the existence of enforcement proceedings

The service of the Federal Bailiff Service allows you to obtain information about whether the applicant has repaid or unpaid debts on utility bills, collections of a property nature, taxes and fees, loan payments, and administrative fines. If this is provided for by the internal procedure established in the organization, based on the results, a report is drawn up on checking the candidate for debt - this document will consolidate the results obtained.

MEANING:

The presence of large debts on a candidate carries great risks for positions related to financial responsibility and access to company values.

Legality of the

The expression “the ends justify the means” does not apply to employment. In the process of selecting candidates, the employer checks the applicant on the basis of documents that can be required from a citizen in accordance with Article 65 of the Labor Code:

• identification;
• diplomas, certificates, certificates confirming education and qualifications;
• work book (if available);
• insurance certificate;
• military registration documents;
• a certificate of the presence or absence of a criminal record only in case of applying for a position that directly provides for a ban at the federal level;
• a certificate confirming the absence of administrative penalties for the use of narcotic and psychotropic substances upon entry into service, excluding prosecution.

On his own initiative, the candidate can provide additional data, however, verification by the security service of the information provided without personal permission for the procedure is fraught with administrative, civil and criminal liability. A number of information are personal data, and obtaining permission is provided for in Article 6 of Law No. 152-FZ of July 27, 2006.

Personnel verification during employment is an issue that is not regulated at the legislative level. Article 64 of the Labor Code of the Russian Federation on the direct prohibition of refusal requires careful consideration of the list of reasons. It is advisable to reflect the method of conducting the audit in internal documents with reference to the lack of significance of the information provided voluntarily.

• How to refuse a job based on the results of an interview

An applicant can be denied employment if they have unsatisfactory business qualities, which, on the basis of Resolution of the Plenum of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation of March 17, 2004 No. 2, is considered to be an inability to perform a high-quality job function due to lack of education, professional qualifications and work experience in the specialty in the relevant industry.

We receive information about participation in legal proceedings

The state automated system of the Russian Federation “Justice”, with some search skill, allows you to obtain information about the applicant’s participation in criminal, administrative or civil cases. One important point is worth noting here. In accordance with the law on personal data, full full name available in court decisions. their participants are replaced by their surname and initials, which creates some difficulties in identifying and verifying one or another citizen mentioned in a court decision.

IMPORTANT!

Please note that checking a job candidate’s resume must be preceded by obtaining written consent from the candidate to carry out control measures in relation to the data specified in the application form.

Properly carried out additional screening during employment and collection of characterizing information will make it possible at an early stage to eliminate candidates who do not meet the company’s general requirements for the vacant position being filled, or to prevent the emergence of a number of risks.

General scheme of actions on how to check a job candidate for employers

It is important to understand that not every result of checking the information provided by a candidate is a basis for refusal of employment; verification of candidates when applying for a job in the Labor Code is allowed solely to establish their qualification level and amount of experience. If a person does not have enough qualifications or experience, or the necessary documents are not properly completed, you can refuse, if you “did not like the applicant” based on his personal qualities, for example, as a result of checking his social networks - this is not a sufficient reason for refusal.

Let's look at the procedure for checking information about an applicant for a position using a specific example. To thoroughly check an applicant for a position in the HR department, you should:

1. Request a passport from him, inspect the document visually, verify its integrity and external compliance with the standards, then go through the service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation.
2. Establish a genuine TIN through the tax service service, compare it with the value of the number indicated in the provided certificate (if available, the TIN is not a mandatory document for employment).
3. If the applicant is a foreign citizen, we check the validity of permits for residence and work in the Russian Federation.
4. Let's look at the diploma. First, you need to make sure that the declared specialization and profession of the applicant meets the requirements of the vacancy. For an applicant for a position in human resources, the most relevant diploma is a psychologist, archivist, or lawyer. Then we check the authenticity of the document using the Rosobrnadzor service.
5. We find a job seeker on social networks. For an applicant for a position in human resources, correctness, friendliness, calmness and accuracy are important. If on his wall an applicant demonstrates active disputes with subscribers using profanity, aggressive attacks, intolerance for other people’s opinions and a general inability to build a dialogue - this is a bad sign for the HR manager.
6. We look at enforcement proceedings and trials.

Screening candidates when hiring. Current methods.

Every medium or large company experiences staff turnover in one way or another. An experienced HR specialist needs to know how to properly screen candidates for a position in order to make a reasoned and safe decision.

Employees receive access to trade secrets and confidential information, documentation, special programs and licenses, therefore, first of all, they must be honest, conscientious and with positive experience in other organizations.

Especially painstakingly and carefully check the employees who will be hired for the position of manager or boss, as well as people responsible for the ITC, financial and information resources.

Forgery of work records or letters of recommendation, theft of property, money, intellectual property, criminal records and bad credit histories are unacceptable. But people may “not mention” all this at an interview, hiding information that is important for the employer. In order to protect the company, it is necessary to conduct complex multi-level verification of applicants for the position.

In what cases is it necessary to check employees?

You should make inquiries about the candidate if he:

• will work with financial resources and accounting documentation;
• will have access to trade secrets and other confidential information;
• is going to get hired in the security service;
• is a citizen of another state;
• has an unfavorable credit history;
• I have changed jobs several times in the last couple of years.

During the interview, the HR specialist can make a recommendation on the need for further additional screening of candidates by other bodies and services. Insurance will protect the company and staff from possible problems.

Who screens candidates?

Each organization has an officially approved procedure for screening future employees when hiring. It depends on the specifics of the company’s activities, its size, existing staff and, in particular, the staffing of the HR department.

Organize the work correctly so that 2 departments are involved in the inspection.

1. HR department. Publishes information about job openings on websites and other resources, after which it studies feedback from candidates, conducts initial selection based on resume data, and schedules interviews. At the latter, candidates are already being selected based on professional qualities, work experience, and ability to build a dialogue. After the specialist makes a positive decision, a dossier is created on the applicant in the database, after which all collected information is sent directly to the director of the company.
2. Security Service. It remains within its competence to verify the veracity of the information provided by the candidate and his documents. As a result, the applicant’s trustworthiness is assessed and a psychological portrait of both the individual and the employee is compiled. If there is no security service in the company, then all its responsibilities fall on the HR specialist.

Step-by-step verification of applicants

The process of screening candidates directly depends on the internal regulations of the organization, the presence of a security service, and a staffed HR department.

The depth and duration of the check depends on the position for which the applicant is hired, his future responsibilities, and the need to be responsible for certain company resources. Thus, the company’s reputational and financial losses are significantly higher than the loss of one client due to the operator’s insufficient experience in the online store, etc.

It also happens that the need to verify a candidate by the security service remains even after the latter has taken office. For example, this could be an internship, a trial period, etc. Employees of the HR department and security service observe the behavior of the intern: compliance with regulations and working hours, the ability to find a common language in a team, conscientious execution of job descriptions, feedback on various events in organizations, etc. Inspections in large organizations can take up to six months. Thus, large international corporations, when searching for professional personnel, can spend from 4 to 7 months for a comprehensive check of all parameters, which allows them to protect their business from fatal mistakes. Such companies use a screening algorithm that has been developed and rehearsed over the years, allowing them to select the most suitable employee.

Of course, such deadlines are unacceptable for filling a vacancy in a medium or small company, since the responsibilities of the vacant position fall on the shoulders of another employee, which affects the quality of his work and motivation to work conscientiously. There are methods to speed up the verification without sacrificing quality, for example, using a lie detector.

Let's consider the main stages of screening applicants when hiring in large organizations.

1. Creating a vacancy with an understanding of what kind of specialist in personal and professional aspects the company requires at the moment.
2. Publication of a vacancy on Internet resources, television, media, etc.
3. Reception and consolidation of resumes sent by candidates. Perhaps sending out a standardized questionnaire to potential employees to check suitability for a specific position.
4. Analysis of resumes, questionnaires and cover letters. Calling and sending interview invitations to suitable candidates. It is possible to conduct a short interview by telephone or video conference.
5. Direct interview with an employee of the HR department. Conducting a so-called “technical interview” with the head of a department that requires special, precise knowledge.
6. Conducting tests for professional aptitude, personality type, intellectual abilities, etc.
7. Sending a package of candidate documents to the security department to verify their authenticity. Obtaining additional information from the candidate directly, as well as from past places of work.
8. Drawing up the candidate’s written consent to the company’s use and processing of his personal data.
9. Request by the security service for information from organizations about a candidate’s criminal record, bad credit history, registration in a drug treatment clinic or mental health center.
10. Carrying out lie detector testing (replaces points 7-9). A polygraph allows you to confirm the veracity of the collected and provided data and determine the true intentions of a candidate for a position. However, according to the Constitution of many countries, he has the right to refuse polygraph testing.
11. Transfer of information to the head of the department or director of the company, final interview.

Types of screening candidates for a vacant position

Depending on the vacancy, the scope of responsibility and the future employee’s access to financial and information resources, these types of checks can be noted.

1. Superficial. Thus, HR department specialists schedule interviews for candidates (possibly with testing) and check the authenticity of identity documents. A superficial review is not sufficient for candidates who will interact with ITC, business data, intellectual property, etc.
2. Average. In addition to a superficial check, a determination of the authenticity of the package of documents, information about the presence of higher education is added, and previous places of work are called. Testing for professional suitability and personality type is required. And even such a check does not guarantee that the candidate will cope with job responsibilities, however, it allows us to weed out unscrupulous and dishonest applicants.
3. Deep. HR specialists, in collaboration with the security service, collect additional information about the candidate, collect feedback from former management, make requests to third-party organizations about the presence of an unscrupulous credit history, criminal record, registration in a mental hospital, etc. A polygraph test is also carried out.

What information about the candidate is provided by databases of third-party organizations?

You can obtain the necessary information from official databases after requesting the following parameters:

• credit rating and presence of overdue outstanding loans;
• collection of debts from collectors or bailiffs;
• presence on the black list of employees;
• authenticity of the country’s citizen’s passport and other identity documents;
• presence of expunged and unexpunged criminal records;
• presence on the lists of people wanted by the police;
• being registered in a mental hospital.

Where to look for missing information about applicants

This chapter provides detailed instructions for searching for information about an applicant in offline and online sources.

1. Departments of the Main Administration for Migration and the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Thus, the Main Directorate for Migration Issues, as well as the city and district divisions of the country’s law enforcement agencies, can request information on the following points:
2. checking the authenticity of documents confirming the identity of the applicant;
3. checking data against local and federal search databases;
4. criminal record check (the person being checked provides the appropriate power of attorney);
5. verification of the fact of criminal prosecution.

To send relevant requests, you must prepare an application, indicating:

• personal data of the applicant;
• full name of the authority where the request is being submitted;
• address (e-mail or postal) at which the applicant can receive a response;
• explanation of the reasons for requesting data from the authorities.

In the Russian Federation, government agencies are required to consider relevant written requests within 1 month. During this period, the applicant receives the requested data or a reasoned refusal. A common reason for the latter may be errors made when drawing up a request, or incorrect spelling of the name or name of a government agency.

• Official website of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Official sources provide a service that is absolutely free and accessible to any citizen - an independent search for a person using the search database. To do this, you need to go to the “Attention, wanted!” section, enter the personal data of the applicant and date of birth in a special form. The search result will be displayed on the screen.
• GUVM website. It is also an official online resource where you can get information about the authenticity or validity of passports. Thus, it provides information about the status of passports: stolen, expired, confiscated, lost, etc. To search in a special form, you must enter the number and series of the passport, a special code from the image for the “anti-robot” check. Next, the screen will display the answer for a specific document: whether it is listed as invalid, has the status of “invalid”, or has it been destroyed or seized. The service is free, available to every citizen, the number of requests is not limited.
• Official website of the Federal Bailiff Service. The resource stores data on court collections for debts and alimony, unpaid loans, other financial and property sanctions and fines. To receive information, you must fill out the form on the website, indicating the applicant's full name, region of residence and date of birth. If a message appears on the screen stating that nothing was found for the request, then the candidate is “clean”. Otherwise, a list of open enforcement proceedings will be displayed.
• Online accounting systems for court decisions and cases. Thus, since 2008 in the Russian Federation, data on legal proceedings must remain publicly available in the “Justice” system, the special “Court Decisions” database, and on court portals. There is a disadvantage of such sites - to obtain accurate information, you need to provide as much data as possible. Thus, a search solely based on a passport is not able to provide a sufficiently complete and objective picture, especially if people with popular surnames are being checked.
• Online portals of the banking system. They allow you to obtain data on the applicant’s credit rating and his reputation picture.

All of the above checks are necessary in order to fill the vacancy with a truly effective and capable employee who will strengthen the team and generally lead to the development of the company.

What positions are being tested for?

Large corporations can afford to check every person they hire, but the closest attention is paid to those people whose work is especially important to the successful business of the company:

1. Those who work in departments where significant material assets are concentrated, as well as documentation containing confidential data (this is necessary to guarantee the safety of the company’s trade secrets, as well as personal information of employees and business partners).
2. Employees whose activities may cause economic damage to the functioning of the corporation. This category includes those people who work with contracts, economists and accountants, as well as persons whose competence includes the disposal of various forms and seals, and employees of the information technology department.

How many days does tracking last?

This procedure does not have any clear time periods. This is due to the following reasons:

• amount of information considered. It depends on the position for which the applicant is applying. The more serious it is, the more aspects are subject to research. If the employer is limited to an interview, as well as a description of the employee, then this process will take about 2 days;
• suspicious information. Often, unscrupulous applicants try to hide or distort information in their resume. This extends the duration of the security investigation indefinitely;
• availability of information. Some of the data you need to obtain is freely available, which speeds up its acquisition. However, some of the information is classified, and a lot of time is spent just getting it;
• professionalism of security workers. The more experienced the employees of this department are, and the more information they have, the faster the time frame for considering a candidate for a position will be.

Thus, such a study is carried out, on average, about two or three days. How long it will last depends on various conditions.

Mandatory criminal background check

Initially, the applicant is checked for the presence/absence of a criminal record. A request is sent to the appropriate government department. The test is carried out to understand whether the applicant will influence the rest of the staff and what can generally be expected from such a person.

It is unrealistic for persons previously convicted under criminal charges to obtain an administrative position. However, not in all situations an expunged criminal record is considered a barrier to employment.

If the company does not legally prohibit the employment of individuals with a criminal record, then the manager does not have the right to refuse employment on this basis (people even with an expunged criminal record are not allowed to work in the teaching field or related to the education of the younger generation).

Analysis of results

All collected data is carefully documented, after which it is given to the head of the enterprise for review:

1. He will draw up a psychological portrait of the employee, and he will also have information about him.
2. If necessary, the manager can conduct an additional interview or various types of testing.

The security service must ensure maximum safety of the enterprise's property and also prevent information leaks. When checking employees, they use a wide variety of methods. The only condition is that they must be completely legal and not violate the rights of citizens.

If the applicant has not completed this procedure, then the reason must be indicated in the refusal. In situations where it is absent, a citizen has every right to contact the labor inspectorate, which will conduct an investigation into the violation.