A typical hiring process in Spain includes collecting resumes, interviewing candidates, selecting the right one and finally offering an employment contract. However, many companies also conduct background checks on their candidates at some stage of the hiring process. This is to avoid hiring someone with red flags and build a trustworthy workforce.
Almost 46% of resumes have at least one inconsistent data. Such discrepancies lead to bad hires, impacting the workplace. To ensure the factual correctness of a resume, you must conduct a background check.
This guide helps you understand what a background verification is and why it should be a part of your hiring process.
What Is Employment Background Verification?
An employment background verification is a check most companies conduct to confirm if the candidate is stating facts on their resume. The check also certifies numerous aspects of a professional, including their employment history, criminal record and academics.
It is good practice for you to conduct such background checks to ensure a workplace of trust and honesty. Furthermore, such verification methods protect your IP and data from falling into the wrong hands.
Benefits of Background Checks in Spain
Companies that fail to undertake background checks before hiring may be held accountable for wrongdoing. As a result, legal matters can sometimes inflict irreparable harm to a corporation.
Consider the following benefits of background checks to understand their value-addition:
Maintaining quality
You must adhere to specific rules while selecting candidates to make the workplace safe. If a candidate is hiding something, they are unlikely to apply for a job that requires a thorough background investigation. When you implement employment screening methods, there will be a certain improvement in the quality of applications. You will find it easier and more convenient to make recruiting judgments thanks to complete background research.
Less employee turnover
Effective background screening can help you increase the efficiency of your employment process. Employees who are honest and capable of the job can contribute to developing a solid workforce. Furthermore, these employees are less inclined to leave or push others to leave the organization. As a result, pre-employment background checks might assist your organization in reducing employee attrition.
Avoid negligent hiring
Negligent hiring makes you accountable for the harm caused by your employees. Even if you were uninformed of the employee’s background, you could be held responsible for their actions. To reduce the risk of negligent hiring, implement a reasonable and consistent background check program into the hiring process.
Are Background Checks Legal in Spain?
Yes, background checks are legal in Spain. However, information about criminal records is private, and disclosing it to the public violates data protection laws. There is also a prohibition on discrimination against any employee, for any reason, before or after hiring them. Furthermore, only specified state organizations, judges, courts, and the judicial police can access the Central Registry of Convicts. As a result, you cannot access such information unless the candidate gives written approval.
As an exception to the above restriction, there are some industries where employers are legally obligated to request and conduct background checks:
- Public administration
- State/local police
- The army
- Financial institution executives
- Insurance agents
- Professionals who work with kids
- Casinos
Things You Should Know When Performing a Background Check in Spain
Employment history
Background checks verify if the candidate has served in the organizations stated in their resume. This helps prevent job fraud and proves their experience.
Education history
The primary purpose of education verification is to validate the applicant’s level and source of education. The school or institutions attended and the degrees (Bachelor’s or Master’s) obtained are all verified as part of the education verification procedure.
Criminal record
Criminal background checks are one of the most used background screening methods.
A person’s criminal history impacts a corporation’s safety. It’s crucial to find out if someone in charge of finance has a history of theft or fraud before hiring them because the position requires a high level of trust.
Credit report
Conducting a credit report check is mandatory, especially for job profiles related to finance and insurance. The credit background check aids in confirming a person’s credit-to-debt ratio history. The credit report presented by the background check agency reveals the financial activity of the candidate. It also details the applicant’s payment of debts, borrowing history, bankruptcy filings, and other activities.
If a company rejects an applicant based on their credit report, they must provide a detailed explanation and the contact information of the credit reporting agency. This allows the applicant to clarify any incorrect information before you finalize any decision.
Social life
TYou might consider conducting social media checks and reviewing posts to discover more about potential employees. Social media checks help understand a candidate’s background, thought process and beliefs. However, you must know that this is an additional profile check on the individual and you still need to conduct a complete background check.
Information Essential for a Background Check in Spain
You need to submit the following information about the candidate to conduct an employment history verification:
- Name
- Current residential address
- A copy of the resume
- Degrees and certificates
- Proof of identity
- Date of birth
- NIE (Número de Identificación de Extranjero) number
- Written consent from the candidate
Process Involved in Background Checks
After receiving the necessary information and documents, a background verification agency follows the given procedure:
Verify academic details
The agency checks the candidate’s education details, like the university of graduation, their major subjects and verifies the degree. This step is crucial when hiring someone for a senior management position, although it is advised for other positions too.
Confirm employment history
In this background check, the agency verifies the candidate’s job role, performance, salary and duration. This is usually done by contacting the references mentioned in the resume or calling the HR of the previous companies.
Another way to conduct this check is by analyzing the candidate’s tax records with their consent.
Contact references
In this step, the agency speaks to the candidate’s past managers. You do not need the candidate’s approval to verify via references. The agency notes and mentions the references’ answers in the final report.
Analyze social media profile
Searching and overviewing a candidate’s social media profile is a common trend. Agencies often use this step to verify if the individual has won an award or garnered recognition, as stated in their resume. The social media profile also helps verify personal information like address and political affiliations.
Check the credit history
Credit checks are crucial for candidates applying to the financial sector. A clean credit check asserts trust in their profile, so you can trust them to handle money. You must get written approval from a candidate stating their agreement regarding the credit check.
Verify the residential address
The agency sends its representative to verify the candidate’s residence, as stated in their proof of identity. The agency will verify both addresses if the candidate stays in a different place from the one mentioned in their documents.
Industries and Situations in Spain That Heavily Rely on Background Checks
Background checks are not a service that is “one size fits all.” Certain sectors must conduct specific searches based on the available positions.
In addition to a normal background check for entry-level positions, employers must identify each position within their business and any unique industry-related background checks they feel would help them make an informed recruiting choice.
Background checks are crucial in specific sectors where the professionals need to handle sensitive data or shoulder essential responsibilities. In such cases, negligent hiring can lead to major legal hassles.
The following industries benefit from conducting background checks on all candidates:
Educational
Academic institutions are responsible for ensuring a safe working environment and employing qualified personnel. Verifying all prior job and academic credentials should be part of the screening process, along with a check of the applicant’s civil history to see whether they have a history of suing clients. Checking these credentials is essential to selecting the most qualified employees.
Financial services
If you are operating in the banking or other financial sector, you must conduct thorough background checks, including credit scores, verification of professional licenses, inclusion on government sanction excluded lists, and civil judgment records. This is due to the responsibility and access to sensitive data that comes with the job.
Healthcare
Healthcare professionals deal with the lives of their patients. Therefore, a clean background check will assert their candidature and deem them fit for the role. A background check will help reveal the candidates with red flags so that you can hire the most trustworthy and responsible professionals.
The background verification agency checks all licenses and qualifications the employee claims to possess. Additionally, healthcare professionals must know that live scan fingerprinting is necessary for state licensing. Due to the nature of the work, industry-related background checks should include occupational testing, such as TB tests and employment physicals.
Non-profit
Non-profit organizations highly value their staff and volunteers to achieve their goals and bring a positive change. These organizations should not skip conducting a background check despite the fact that their numerical strength is important given their limited funding.
Most non-profit organizations have an advisory board made up of entrepreneurs willing to volunteer their time as a part of their company’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative.
Retail
The retail sector is plagued by high turnover rates and “on-the-fly” recruiting seems to be the norm. To tackle this scenario, you must conduct background checks that weed out candidates who might not share the company’s core values. You must also conduct these checks on vendors interacting with their customers and clients on matters about their sector.
Technology services
Technology-related sectors employ numerous professionals based on their skills and experience. Conducting a background check on the candidates will substantiate their claims and help you build a productive workspace. Modern civilizations rely heavily on technology, which is why the sector is primed for growth.
Information technology, in particular, deals with gathering sensitive user data for various services. Therefore, you must conduct background checks to identify trustworthy candidates who can preserve privacy and protect your IP.
Manufacturing
A compliant and non-discriminatory background check procedure is necessary for manufacturing and construction companies because of the workplace’s deadlines and safety concerns. You should prioritize maintaining a safe and drug-free workplace. An extensive background check will reveal candidates with a suspicious medical and criminal history who can be a major liability for your business.
How Multiplier Helps with Background Checks
Building a global team is a difficult task. Background checks help hire reliable employees who align with your core values and ethics. These checks are increasingly important when hiring and managing globally, without any legal entity.
Connect with Multiplier to build a global team in Spain without setting up a local entity. Our digital platform helps you onboard and manage your international employees in 150+ countries from a single window. You can draft employment contracts within minutes, offer various benefits, allot ESOPs in addition to compensation, release payroll in local currency and much more.
Visit our website to know how our services can help you grow globally without hassles.