Businesswoman signing contract at interview
Mar 2022 | Background Checks | Employment checks
By Posted by Phil Blasdale

The digital age surrounds us, and digitisation is expected as standard by our customers

Simple, fast and efficient journeys via the channel of choice. If their needs aren’t fulfilled, they go to a place they are. So why should recruitment be any different? Candidates and employers are consumers, after all. Although with very different jobs to be done, both want a quick, cost-effective, risk-free onboarding experience. But instead are served by a highly frustrating, complex, manual, costly and potentially slow process. But the need is shifting and Digital Identity is now upon us.

Led by changes in legislation to support digital ID checks to be used for both Disclosure Barring Service (DBS) checks and Right To Work (RTW) are now at a paradigm of change – the start of an evolution. But how will these legislative changes and the introduction of digital ID checks change recruitment forever?

Will they lead to digitisation across the board, or will traditional barriers still exist and slow down the pace of change?

The desire for digital ID checks has existed for a long time. Encouraging the adoption of new technologies and removing the need for manual documents, and with RTW also changing, could the full recruitment process be digitised? Perhaps – but what about the other risks an employer needs to eliminate? There are still other checks which have traditionally been manual and remain as such. So, will this conflict with the digitally-led, automated route we desire?

As we take the next step forwards on the digital journey, recruiters should begin to ask:

  • Should I adopt digital ID check technology?
  • What value do I place on being able to speed up the recruitment process?
  • Will other traditionally manual checks hold back digital evolution?
  • Should I consider data and automated checking as an alternative to traditional manual routes?

Reduced time to hire, a reduction in bad hires, lower onboarding attrition rates – they all sound great don’t they? But do we need further change beyond digital ID checks to truly evolve the recruitment market to one which is data-led?

The world is moving fast, and with COVID-19 and the advent of the gig economy, there has been an acceleration in the demand for change, innovation, and evolution in recruitment. There is no escaping it; digital, remote recruitment is upon us. And businesses breaking down the cultural barriers associated with legacy systems will be leading the way with data-led automated processes.

Can you imagine a world where the candidate is pre-screened to the level you require; they can share the data immediately with you and can start tomorrow? Using accurate data from approved sources would enable exactly that.

What would stop you from adopting this vision of the future, surely it makes sense as both a candidate and employer?

What are your thoughts? Contact us to discuss the progress being made on digital ID checks in recruitment, along with some other key initiatives which will shape the future of screening.