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Without a doubt, improving the candidate experience is a very hot topic for business of every size. And where background checks have traditionally been a just a painful checkbox for HR, we believe with the right mobile recruiting technology, they can actually be another touchstone that allows HR to shine with an improved candidate experience. This is how you can help.

Make the Information Entry Process Easier

Let’s face it, background check companies haven’t been known for speeding up the hiring process. In fact, it’s been the opposite. We require a ton of information and in many cases, it takes us anywhere from 2 to 4 days to get a background check back. Making the information entry process as easy as possible can go a long ways first of all to make the applicant actually fill it out and secondly, to speed to up the process. Mobile done right is an excellent way to get the application to the applicant, have them fill out faster if they were tied to a computer, and it you can shorten the process by improving the user interface design.

Brand Your Emails for Customers

There are many reasons not to use generic emails including a big one, they don’t get noticed! If you want to improve your speed to hire and applicant entry rate, brand your email using your customer’s logo and make the applicant feel like a person, not number. This is actually your chance to establish that first impression about you and how they can trust that you are going to provide an honest and transparent background check experience.

Give Constant Updates

Look at it from the candidates perspective. They want to be hired for a job and they just sent their personal information into a black hole. They don’t know where the information goes, who touches it, when it’s coming back, or even what’s on it. Keeping the candidate informed about who you are, their rights, and the status will go along way to make them at ease and actually when disputes do arise, it will give you an edge because you’ve already established a trusted relationship.

Allow the Candidate to Communicate Directly

These are very different times. Background check companies in the past have kept an arm's length distance from candidates. This was because it feels safer when you are reporting sensitive information and there really wasn’t the means of communication. Today, with email, texts and mobile apps, background check companies have the means to step up and provide constant, direct communication to the applicant. This is important because it allows you to show HR that you also believe in improving the candidate experience and it actually improves speed to hire because in the cases where more information is needed or candidates have dispute questions, background check companies can step in and answer those questions without troubling HR, who we know is already overwhelmed and probably has one of their performance metrics as speed to hire.

Make the Process Transparent

As stated above there are so many good reasons to keep the applicant updated and to communicate directly. But the main reason is you're creating a pathway to transparency and ultimately trust. It’s not only the right thing to do when someone is giving up their personal information to strangers, it can also help considerably if you find yourself in litigation and you are asked to demonstrate what you did to provide a reasonable level of disclosure. It’s really a win win for both you and applicants. So make sure you have the right technology and communication tools that lets you open up dialogue and help put trust into the background check process.