HireRight Releases Background Check Benchmark Report Revealing Risks and Trends

 A new survey from HireRight focused on employment screening in higher education found that 77 percent of higher education industry respondents reported screening had exposed a person who lied on a resume. HireRight, a leading provider of global employment screening, drug and health testing, and employment eligibility solutions, has released its first Employment Background Checks in Education, a survey and report on employment screening for the higher education sector. The survey further found that 63 percent of respondents reported that screening uncovered issues that would not have been found otherwise.

“The HireRight Employment Background Checks in Education report is HireRight’s first survey focused on employment screening practices in higher education. The data provided offers valuable insights, important trends, industry benchmarks, and best practices.”

When asked why screening is conducted, survey respondents indicated that the top benefits they receive from screening are safety and security (59 percent), improved regulatory compliance (43 percent), better quality of hires (35 percent), better reputation of institution (14 percent), and greater employee retention (6 percent).

The survey responses and report also pointed toward several screening best practices to consider, including:

• Having a well-documented and mandatory hiring process to help ensure consistent checks for employees.
• Reviewing hiring policies at least annually to identify any weaknesses and risks.
• Determining the types of checks required or appropriate for each position, and implementing them appropriately.
• Considering more in-depth, comprehensive background checks for high-profile or high-risk positions to more extensively examine candidate backgrounds.
• Using digital forms and storage for I-9 processing to help ensure forms are completed correctly and improve readiness for compliance audits.