6 Key Credential Verification Questions with Answers

Your top candidate for that new job opening may look good on paper, but how can you be sure that they are who they say they are? It’s important to ask the right credential verification questions in your screening process to bring credible talent into your company and avoid endorsing potentially problematic behaviour.

A background check is an evaluation of a candidate’s credentials, skills, education and submitted information. It also exposes any criminal cases or serious physical and behavioural issues that may interfere with work. It is usually conducted before extending a job offer to the most qualified candidate. Background checks are thorough procedures and may be lengthy, so they are best done once you have narrowed down your search to your top candidates.

The first step of starting a background check is to inform the candidate. Disclosure is the right of the candidate, and the company should notify them that a background check will be conducted before the employer begins the process.

The candidate must sign a document granting consent for a background check to be conducted. This document may also ask them to provide relevant information that will be used during the check.

Background checks aren’t limited to checking in with their references. In this day and age, social media background checks are a valuable tool in deciding whether or not a candidate is the best fit for the role.

While most of the background check is conducted by an employment agency, the HR team may also conduct their interviews of the references the candidate has listed on their resume. Here are some key questions to ask:

1. What are the employment start and end dates of the candidate? What is their reason for leaving?

This question may reveal whether your candidate has exaggerated their resume to satisfy the years of experience requirement on your job post. It also gives you an insight into an employee’s motives and what would potentially drive them to stay or leave.

2. What are the employee’s start and end salaries? Were they promoted within the organisation?

This helps you gauge the most appropriate salary for the candidate. Ideally, your salary offer should be higher than that of their previous position, but low enough for them to be invested in performing well to raise their salary.

3. What was the scope of their job? What was their style in performing their tasks?

This shows you the key skills this candidate is proficient in, if they are a match for your vacancy, or if they require further training before starting on the job.

4. How was the candidate’s attendance record?

You’ll want to find out early on whether a candidate can show up to work on schedule, or if going AWOL, taking extended leaves, and being habitually late are going to be a problem.

5. Does the candidate perform better working alone or in a team?

This will help you assign the right projects to your potential candidate. If the position requires collaboration with different team members of departments, this question may also show if the candidate is suited to the role.

6. What are the candidate’s strengths and weaknesses?

Your candidate may have already answered these questions during the interview, but it’s highly beneficial to hear about them from the perspective of their employer.

A negative or inconsistent finding on a background check does not necessarily decide whether you hire the candidate or not. Rather, it provides you with essential information that can direct you towards making the best hiring decision for the company. If you have questions about something revealed by the background information, it’s always a good idea to ask the candidate about it and allow them the opportunity to respond.

A background check is a lengthy procedure. While waiting for the results, consider writing the candidate a background check update email.