The COVID-19 pandemic has left an indelible mark on the way business is done. The turmoil and upheaval has shown business owners that they need to adjust their hiring processes. Employers must now rethink methods that require in-person contact.
With more employees working remotely, perks centered on schedule flexibility and work-life balance are now standard company benefits. As a result, the process of hiring employees and conducting preemployment screening has become more essential to find the right people for your company. Online forms are a vital part of that process.
Benefits of online employment screening
Going paperless
Probably the most obvious benefit of using online forms is as much what you lose as what you gain. You lose inboxes and file cabinets stuffed with reams of paper from applicants who send in resumes. You gain not just desk space but actionable data you can use to analyze your applicant’s information during the screening process.
Mobile friendliness
Using online forms optimized for mobile devices can help increase the number of applicants you get for a given position. These forms allow applicants to submit information using a variety of devices.
Removing biases
Online forms allow HR professionals to make judgments about candidates based strictly on data. When all applicants submit their information using the same form, you can compare apples to apples. Resume format, font, or color choice won’t influence your impression of a candidate.
Speeding up the process
Many online forms used for employee background screening are connected to state or federal agencies. Organizations like the state police or the FBI can provide almost immediate feedback on a candidate if you use an online form. Paper forms can take weeks to process.
How online forms assist with screening
Verifying references
References are a critical part of verifying a candidate’s work history. Using an online form to collect reference information as well as reference authorization can aid in this process. You can store reference information digitally for easy access, and applicants can digitally sign authorization forms. This speeds up reference checks.
Background checks
Background checks can reveal something as minor as a traffic ticket on an individual’s driving record or a more serious criminal history that might include offenses like embezzlement, assault, or other felony convictions.
Companies can also use online forms to schedule appointments like preemployment drug screenings. That can minimize the risk of hiring employees who may work under the influence of illegal drugs.
Not everything revealed in an employment background check is bad news, though. It can verify positives, such as military service.
Before collecting information on criminal offenses, make sure to check your state’s “ban the box” laws. These laws remove conviction history questions from job applications and require you to do background checks later in the hiring process.
Employment and education history
Online forms can help with more than just collecting names, dates of birth, addresses, and social security numbers. They’re also perfect for collecting education and employment history.
Depending on the age of the applicant, employment history information can be quite extensive, so using an online form can help you collect and store the data in an organized way. If the form is connected to a database or reporting suite, it can sort and organize information to assist HR professionals or send information digitally to a third-party verification service.
Even though many universities’ physical buildings are going unused due to the pandemic, many schools can still verify credentials digitally.
Credit reports
Performing credit checks on prospective employees is an important part of making informed hiring decisions, especially when the job involves handling, budgeting, and spending company money. Online forms can assist with gathering the credit history information necessary to perform a proper check on candidates. This helps to ensure they behave responsibly.
Remember, you’re dealing with candidates’ personal financial information, so make sure to comply with the Fair Credit Reporting Act’s (FCRA) consent and disclosure rules.
Getting online forms is easy
You don’t need to pay a developer an exorbitant amount of money to make these forms from scratch. Hundreds of ready-made forms already exist on Jotform, and they can get you up and running quickly. You can customize many of these forms for both appearance and functionality, so you can ensure your forms more closely align with your organization’s needs.
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