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In the current competitive employment environment, it can be tricky, if not downright impossible, for organizations to find qualified employees.
But it’s not only about finding qualified employees, it’s about finding the right team members — those who have the right technical skills, the right amount of experience, and a record of being reliable and trustworthy.
Human resource (HR) professionals deal with extensive hiring challenges daily — many of which they can solve by partnering with consumer reporting agencies (CRAs) that can perform these all-important background checks for them. CRAs, in turn, must partner with background screening solution providers that offer the tools to perform background checks quickly.
However, not all background screening technologies are created equal. CRAs that partner with technology platforms can receive expert guidance along with industry-leading technology, such as TazWorks, and obtain high-quality background check reports while improving the overall efficiency of the screening process for their HR clients.
Top Hiring Challenges of 2022
Today, the advancements in background screening technology are helping to make background checks more reliable, more efficient, and more accurate.
However, the fact remains that current hiring trends continually put new obstacles in the way of organizations trying to bring the best candidates onboard. Thankfully, innovations in background screening technology are enabling CRAs – and the HR professionals that hire them – to deal with these challenges effectively.
These Challenges Also Impact Consumer Reporting Agencies
Many internal human resource departments are short-staffed and overworked and therefore unable to perform all the necessary employment verification work. As a result, HR departments are outsourcing the valuable but labor-intensive work of employment verification to consumer reporting agencies.
However, the pandemic has also taken its toll on these CRAs, forcing them to reduce staffing. And now, CRAs are finding it hard to return to pre-pandemic staffing levels and boost productivity.
In addition, employers want consumer reporting agencies to complete background checks as quickly as possible without sacrificing quality and accuracy. A fast turnaround time is a significant advantage for CRAs that want to acquire new clients in this competitive environment.
To meet the demands of their customers, CRAs must integrate with numerous external organizations, i.e., data providers, furnishers, applicant tracking systems, and other partners. Additionally, CRAs must ensure they comply with the increasing number of information security, privacy, and data protection regulations, such as the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation. And they must also meet customer demand for enhanced cybersecurity.
The reality is that most CRAs can only take on so much work without getting bogged down. To alleviate the heavy lift, they should partner with a third-party technology platform that can provide the cost-effective tools that CRAs require to operate more efficiently, enhance productivity, and gain the competitive advantage they need to survive and thrive.
Here’s how technology can help solve three of 2022’s top hiring challenges:
Shortage of skilled labor
A competitive job market, as well as the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, are making it hard for companies to find skilled workers. So, when an organization finds a prime candidate for a specific position, the hiring process needs to move forward quickly as the candidate will likely lose interest in the job if they don’t hear from the employer within two weeks of the first interview.
Manual background checks can cost time and money, while a report that’s not accurate could cost the employer a perfect employee. On the other hand, background screening technology balances speed with accuracy as it automates the process of verifying a candidate’s education and employment history, allowing the employer to act quickly and confidently.
Increase in remote work
One of the most obvious impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the workforce is the significant increase in the number of employees working remotely — a trend that is likely to continue. In fact, some estimates say that 70% of the workforce will work remotely at least five days per month within the next three years.
That means more companies will be hiring without meeting candidates in person. To protect the business from anyone who could pose a threat, organizations must use background screening technology to verify the identities, work history, and criminal background of these candidates. The technology that enables remote work also allows new employees to access proprietary client and company information.
When employees work remotely, the risk that confidential information could accidentally or intentionally be leaked increases in the absence of in-office supervision of employees. As such, conducting comprehensive background checks on these candidates is critical. Organizations that leverage the technology and expertise of CRA’s to perform comprehensive background checks can confirm their candidates are trustworthy to work with PII and sensitive corporate data.
More Independent Contractors and Freelancers
As well as bringing more remote workers onboard, businesses are also hiring more gig workers and freelancers. However, despite the popularity and benefits of the gig economy, there are still challenges involved with hiring independent contractors, not the least of which is the recruiting costs associated with hiring the wrong people. In addition, companies that don’t adequately screen these individuals could put the security of their customer and business data at risk.
Working with CRA’s and leveraging powerful background screening technology, organizations can verify the work histories of gig workers and freelancers as well as perform comprehensive background checks. This provides for greater assurance during the hiring process and allows employers to more confidently make hiring decisions.
How TazWorks Can Help CRAs
TazWorks provides CRA’s with a comprehensive suite of background screening solutions, an industry leading network of integrated partners, native business intelligence tools, and more. TazWorks leverages technology to provide a best-in-class screening platform to help CRAs deliver for their customers and offer actionable solutions to challenges within the industry.
TazWorks Software provides CRAs with robust tools that make it easier to deliver accurate reports, helping their clients make hiring decisions with confidence and solve for the challenges they are currently facing. As a scalable cloud-based platform that conforms to the highest industry standards, CRAs are able to grow their business without the risk of diminishing the quality of the services they provide.
TazWorks has gone to great lengths to provide a network of integrations with the top data providers, drug screening vendors, applicant tracking systems, property management systems, and human resource management systems in the industry. This extensive library means TazWorks is likely integrated with the applicant tracking systems CRAs use, which benefits the many employers who often will only work with CRAs that are already integrated with the ATS they currently use or would like to use
The bottom line: TazWorks can help CRAs address their clients’ hiring challenges in a constantly evolving and competitive industry.
If you’d like to schedule a demo and see firsthand how TazWorks can help you and your business, click the link below.
