What is Employee Vetting?

Every time you hire someone, your organization takes on some measure of risk, especially if you aren’t fully aware of an applicant’s work, education, driving, credit or even criminal history. That doesn’t mean the candidate is not responsible for his or her actions, but you need to know who you are bringing into your organizational fold to work alongside your trusted employees and serve your valued customers.

Ultimately, your company’s safety and reputation depend on knowing as much about your candidates as possible, whether you hire them or not. Employee vetting gives you a chance to learn more about candidates before making an offer that one or both of you might regret.

What Is Employee Vetting?

Employee vetting is an investigation into one or more aspects of an applicant’s background, often depending on the nature of the company, the way it conducts business and delivers services, and the population it serves.

During the hiring process, employers can peer into an employee’s background to find core information that might not fit into the standard employment application, resume or cover letter. Some candidates might intentionally try to hide this information, feeling it is not relevant to the job nor a true reflection of their abilities or desire to serve as a good employee.

However, employers don’t necessarily intend for the vetting process to serve as a “gotcha moment.” Instead, they want to ensure that the employee is well-suited to the role by having adequate education and experience or an exceptional driving record to transport people or goods safely.

Some employers do check if a candidate has criminal convictions for various reasons, sometimes offering candidates an opportunity to discuss the situation for better understanding. Often, candidates worry that the employer might ultimately pass on them, regardless of the circumstances or time passed since the conviction, making it necessary for employers to dig deeper in the vetting process.

What Is the Best Vetting Process for Employment?

The best way to vet a candidate is to conduct a targeted or comprehensive background check.

A targeted background check involves performing employee screenings solely related to a candidate’s immediate functions, such as driving duties, working with a vulnerable population or managing your company finances.

A comprehensive background check is a global look at the candidate to see if he or she fits into your organization in the grand scheme of things. However, you also get the benefit of learning about anything questionable that might turn up in specific screenings.

Here is a brief list of the multiple types of records that an employer can check to support the vetting process:

Background checks reveal previous names and aliases, current and previous addresses, work history, and education.
Criminal record checks share how much time has passed since a conviction, the nature of the crime and conviction, and the geographic location of the incident(s).
Driver records reveal the safety history of job candidates while driving, including whether they have had multiple accidents, speeding tickets or substance-related issues while operating a motor vehicle.
Drug testing can help determine whether a candidate can perform delivery or transportation duties without the interruption of substance issues.
Credit checks provide the confidence needed when entrusting an employee with financial responsibilities.

Additional employee vetting tests include license, reference and international verification.

Reach Out for Professional Investigative Services

Sometimes the best path to hiring with trust and confidence is working with a firm that can vet, investigate and verify that each candidate is who they say they are. Our team of investigative experts at Global Verification Network (GVN) is here to perform a battery of investigative tasks to vet each candidate, report our findings and reduce risk with each hiring decision you make.