How to Conduct an International Background Check?

For better or worse, we’re all part of a global community. We would like to think people are trustworthy, but it’s not always true. Today, there are more reasons than ever to perform a background check. This is regardless of whether we’re getting involved with someone overseas or our company wants to conduct business abroad. The good news is that access to international data is now easier than before, thanks to screening services like CheckPeople. Here’s how to proceed with an international background check.

Decide Why You Want a Search

You might think about screening a potential employee to reduce the risk of misrepresentation and fraud. It might be that they’re not saying who they really are. This applies to job qualifications as well as identity. It’s important to check candidates who have a history abroad and citizens of another country, particularly if you are expanding your company’s activity overseas.

Due diligence is critical when preparing for business mergers. You can’t simply take what the prospective target of your merger represents at face value. If you’ve enjoyed a solid business relationship with the company for some time, you might decide to forgo the background check. However, conducting due diligence beyond a financial record review could well make the difference between a successful merger and a disaster.

Investigating People You Met Online

Most people today check prospective partners they met online. You might have met a potential foreign business associate or be involved in a cyber romance with someone online. The nature of the relationship is irrelevant. You can’t be too careful.

Verify Degrees From Abroad

International education verification is important when evaluating a potential employee. This type of screening will confirm or repudiate the purported training, certification, or education of the applicant outside the United States. It will protect the company from negligence claims and serve as an important honesty check.

To verify international education, call the educational institution issuing the certificate or degree, if possible. Their office of records will verify most international credentials. Keep in mind that missing or inaccurate student numbers and variations of names can lead one to overlook educational records. Usually, honors and GPA information is not provided. It can be hard to determine what international degrees correspond to because degree requirements vary by country.

Compliance with International Laws

Different countries have different pre-employment screening laws and regulations on how employers can search for and use data. Companies that fail to address these through an international background check program will risk breaking the respective country’s law.

Confirm International Employment Information

You might want to confirm any information related to international employment. This type of search can authenticate the candidate’s eligibility and reasons for leaving their previous company, verify their salary claims and title, and confirm any other employment representations. An overexcited candidate might think a false or misleading claim related to international employment will not be detected. You need to know if a candidate is not completely truthful about employment history.

It’s best to reach out to previous employers personally if you want to verify a candidate’s employment claims. The candidate might have provided inaccurate employer contact information.

Check International Driving Records

If you intend to hire someone from another country to drive on company business or drive a company car, this search is mandatory. Having an international record verified is a crucial aspect in protecting your company from the risk of negligent hiring claims. Call the counterpart of the Department of Motor Vehicles in the country and city in question. This search can prove a candidate has the type of license required for the job. It will also reveal their current standing and status as well as any restrictions. It can confirm name and address details, which will help if you will be doing a criminal history check too.

International Security and Criminal History Search

The Patriot Act expanded the number of industries that have to perform such searches under existing legislation and programs. Originally, it was aimed at combating money laundering. Under federal law, companies registered in the US are prohibited from dealing with entities or persons listed as Specially Designated Nationals (SDN), at the Office of Foreign Asset Control (OFAC), and in the Blocked Persons List.

Benefits Businesses Can Get from International Background Check

We explained to you how to conduct an international background check. Yet, for some reason, many entrepreneurs are not willing to decide on this move. It seems to them that something like that is unnecessary. As we said, not all people are honest, and it is the reality that you have to accept. There are multiple benefits that businesses can get from this type of research. We will highlight only the most valuable ones, and we are sure they will change your way of thinking.

It Is a Time-Saving Option

Finding a good employee is not an easy task. That especially counts when we talk about professions that require a particular set of skills. As we said, many people will try to get a job in a dishonest way. For instance, they will provide you with false information that you can’t confirm immediately. You will have to connect with different institutions of the country where your potential employee lives. Even then, it is hard to believe that you will manage to find out everything.

Instead of spending your time on that, the usage of screening services is a time-saving option. You will get the essential pieces of information for a short period.

Despite that, imagine that you hire a person from another country that does not meet your requirements. You will need to go through the hiring process once again. That is going to take a lot of your time. You won’t manage to focus on some other essential tasks at your company.

It Will Boost the Effectiveness of Your Business

We need to share one small secret with you here. Finding a perfect employee for your business is almost impossible. There is always something that your new employee will have to change. The process of adaptation is a normal thing for every business. However, if he is a skilled hard worker, then you can be sure he will easily adapt to the way your business functions.

Despite that, thanks to his skills, you will manage to improve the effectiveness of your business. Every working collective needs a person that is good at something. He will positively influence all the employees and make them work even harder. That will all result in a better profit for your business, and we are sure that is one of the goals you have.

We will use the same example once again. Hiring the wrong employee will slow down the business processes. That person won’t manage to accomplish the task in the best possible way. Because of that, he will need to spend additional time to fix the mistakes he made. That will negatively influence the overall effectiveness of your company as well.

We are sure that all these benefits are going to change your way of thinking. The international background check will help you save your time and money. It is the safest way to add a team member to your company that will easily adapt to the new way of work.

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