In today’s current climate many organisations are facing significant challenges when it comes to hiring. According to a recent survey by the British Chamber of Commerce, 76% of firms reported recruitment difficulties in the second quarter of 2022[i]. So, when businesses are battling to find talent, the candidate experience from the recruitment process through to their onboarding journey is vital.
There are many touchpoints to a candidate’s experience, and these include the hiring phase which incorporates the recruitment and selection of your perfect candidate. However, in this blog, we will focus on the onboarding phase, which is the final stage of your candidate’s journey. Onboarding processes can differ for each business but will usually include:
Having invested a lot of resources into finding the best talent for your business, the onboarding journey has a huge impact on how your candidate perceives their new employer. A poor candidate experience at this stage could even affect whether the candidate remains committed to the role. According to the 2022 Job Seeker Nation Report,[ii] 30% of workers left their job within the first 90 days of starting, and 1 in 3 of those stated it was due to a bad experience. Every step of the onboarding process must be a positive experience for your candidate.
When it comes to the background screening phase, there are a number of ways to ensure this is seamless for both the candidate and you as a client.
A Unified Experience
You will be provided with a specialist service by outsourcing your background screening. However, we recognise that when working with a third party, it is important that your brand and candidate onboarding journey is retained and integrates seamlessly with the overall candidate experience. At Agenda Screening Services, our team works closely with clients to map out your candidate’s journey. We get a clear understanding of your requirements and how the screening element fits into your onboarding process. Not only will your candidate be presented with branded and personalised welcome emails, but they will also have your brand present throughout the screening process including their online portal.
As an extension to your own HR and Onboarding team, each of our partners has their own dedicated screening team who thoroughly understands you and your candidates’ requirements. Through a unified approach, your candidate should feel like they are very much part of your onboarding journey and notice little difference when going through the background screening element.
Personal and Friendly Communication
Not only will your specialist screening team be experts in your requirements and brand values, but they will also case manage each of your candidates to provide a personal and friendly experience.
As part of our candidate management, one of your dedicated Screening Specialists will reach out to your candidate to introduce themselves and explain the process. We find this helps to engender the candidate to the experience and ensures timely action on any information they need to provide. The welcome call also allows your candidate to ask any questions and have reassurance that the screening team will be on hand should they need any help along the way.
Communication is a centrepiece to the full candidate experience and our team is on hand whenever required via phone, email or our live chat function. We also recognise that it is important to keep your candidate abreast of the status of their screening, especially for those who may have not gone through a process like this before. Your candidate will be reassured throughout the process with regular updates from our team, especially if there are delays due to external factors such as overseas checks or outstanding references.
Your Candidate’s Convenience
During the onboarding journey for your candidate, there will be tasks that they need to action in order to progress. We recognise that many candidates will still be working for their current employer or studying so their time and accessibility may be limited. Agenda ensures the screening process is as simple as possible so that your candidate’s time is kept to a minimum. We only ask for the information required to carry out background checks and we have an intuitive portal that allows candidates to easily input information.
In 2020 Smartphones were the most likely device used by 85% of internet users [iii] and we ensure your candidate can access their screening portal via multiple devices including mobile. This also includes being able to easily upload and verify their ID via our Digital ID offering for candidates within the UK, which reduces the time and effort required for this process.
If your candidate needs assistance, they can contact a member of our team via the Live Chat function and phone call 24/7 or email. We also offer language translation for international candidates, so they feel fully supported throughout the process.
Final thoughts:
Background screening is an important part of ensuring you hire the right people for your business. Finding great talent can be both costly and time-consuming so the onboarding journey must cement your candidates’ future with the business. We understand that each client has their own unique onboarding journey, so we make sure the background checks are fully integrated into your desired candidate experience.
If you are looking to enhance your candidate onboarding experience and need advice on how you can integrate your background screening as part of this, please contact our solutions team at screening@agenda-screening.co.uk .
[i] https://www.britishchambers.org.uk/news/2022/07/rapid-reform-needed-to-tackle-crippling-staff-shortages-quarterly-recruitment-outlook
[ii] https://www.jobvite.com/lp/2022-job-seeker-nation-report/
[iii] chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://www.ofcom.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0025/217834/adults-media-use-and-attitudes-report-2020-21.pdf https://www.ofcom.org.uk/research-and-data/media-literacy-research/adults/adults-media-use-and-attitudes
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