Data to Collect During an Employment Verification

The job application process can be difficult for both employers and potential employees, especially when facing unique challenges and changes to the normal operating procedures. Applicants are seeking new skill sets and focusing on past experiences to highlight current competencies needed to match employers’ demands which are becoming more stringent with requirements.  Applicants are seeking new skill sets and focusing on past experiences to highlight current competencies needed to match employers’ demands which are becoming more stringent with requirements. Employers want to ensure their hire, which is shifting to becoming a remote function, is who they say they are with the skills, knowledge, education, and experience required.

Due to these needs, employers urgently require reliable employment verification documentation and background checks during the hiring process. The process for high risk positions could include, a review of employment and financial history, verification of education and certifications, and a criminal background check.

But looking at all of these aspects of a candidate’s history requires extensive data. Some of the common data collected for verifying professional employment and past employers include the following documents or data that are considered valuable to the process.

1. Employment Verification Letters

These letters are also sometimes called Proof of Employment letters or Letters of Employment. A new employer can issue them to a past employer to certify that a candidate held the previous positions they claim they have. While the exact format, layout, and content of the letter may vary, it generally includes the following crucial information:

• Employer’s name and contact information.
• The name of the company requesting the employment verification information.
• The employee’s current and previous job titles while working for the company.
• The dates on which the candidate was employed by the company.
• An outline of essential job duties or functions.
• A signature to validate all information in the letter.

These letters may include other optional information, such as the employee’s strengths in their role or their income in each position they held with that company.

2. Verbal Employment Verification

In place of employment history verification letters, the hiring company may opt to call all of the former employers that the candidate provides. The information collected may be similar to what is included in their letter, such as the employment dates, job duties, and salary. You may also be able to determine the reason for their termination and whether they are eligible for rehiring or not.

These conversations are less formal and provide a lot of opportunities to find out more about the employee’s relationship with their former employer.

3. Unemployment Documentation

Many businesses are getting back to normal hiring as the threat of the pandemic eases across the globe. But with this unique social crisis, they are finding that many more applicants have gaps in their employment history than would have been considered normal in the past. Unfortunately, the pandemic forced many employers to lay off employees they would have liked to retain under different circumstances.

In these instances, the employee was terminated without cause and can apply for their state’s Unemployment Insurance. This documentation can include a section that states the reason for termination, and it also contains their income information. Employers can contest these claims if the employee has made an invalid claim based on incorrect information. But if the claim is legitimate, documentation of the applicant receiving unemployment payments can provide useful information to fill in any employment gaps on their resume.

In Summary

Data collection during the hiring process can be incredibly time-consuming, particularly if you have many candidates or many open positions. Many businesses of all sizes simply don’t have the time and workforce to navigate this process effectively and efficiently. And those who complete employment verification in-house run the risk of missing or overlooking certain red flags or critical details that may be very important in making hiring decisions.

USAFact is a well-known and reputable screening company with an extensive history of screening job applicants. Our skilled experts can find and verify professional employment information quickly and efficiently. Contact USAFact today to learn more about how we can help with employment verification and background checks to help you make the best hiring decisions possible for your company.