Essential Guide to Background Checks and Employee Screening in Qatar

While setting up a remote team in Qatar, it is important to follow reliable hiring practices. HR and technical interview rounds are very common in understanding the candidate’s abilities for the desired position. However, an essential part of good hiring practices is an extensive background check.

An employment background check in Qatar verifies the employee’s past employment details, criminal records, and/or financial records. This is usually the final step in the recruitment cycle and it ensures that the hiring decision made by the employers is sound and appropriate.

Employment background verification involves reviewing a potential candidate’s past employment records, personal information (identity, address, etc.), and financial data to confirm the authenticity of their claims. 

The verification ensures that the candidate can be trusted with sensitive information and will be able to execute their tasks responsibly. Hence, you will be able to make an informed decision based on the background verification.

Employee background screenings in Qatar add a layer of security in the hiring process, filtering the most dependable candidates from the lot. Additionally, these checks offer the following benefits:

• Improvement in staff quality
• Lower risk of workplace violence
• Reduction employee attrition
• Identifying qualified employees for the technical work
• Better organization culture and environment

The Labor Act No. 3 of 1962 makes it legal for employers to conduct employee background screening in Qatar. The law also states that employers should compile a procedure to hire legal and competent employees. However, companies must get consent from the candidate or potential employee for running an employee background screening in Qatar.

Some of the most common employment background checks in Qatar are as follows:

• Employment history – There have been instances where the candidates have stated false statements about their previous employment. Thus, the dates of the employment, job titles, duties and reasons for separation are verified.‍
• Education history – A verified education history asserts confidence and trust in the employee. Their education will prove if they are qualified for the position and will be able to perform as expected.‍
• Criminal record – It is important to identify the candidates who have had a history of workplace violence, sexual assault, or theft of property/data to ensure that your workplace is safe.‍
• Credit report – These reports help understand if the applicant would pose a risk in handling money or maintaining financial discretion. Background checks are crucial when you are hiring for a financial position.‍
• Social life – Conducting a background verification on the social life of a candidate will reveal their beliefs, political inclination and public behavior. This will help you decide if they can fit easily into your team.‍
• Motor vehicle records – This check is conducted on applicants who will drive company vehicles. Their license status, arrests, traffic violation records, suspensions, or cancellations are checked.

Employers must be mindful of the following things when conducting employment background screening in Qatar:

• Identify the legislation and laws that require you to conduct the background verification
• Inform the candidate that their candidature in the organization is subject to police verification
• Seek the candidate’s approval for the background check
• Keep the candidate’s information and background check results private and confidential

The employment background screening is a tedious process involving the following steps:

1. Selection of the applicant by the hiring department
2. Contingent offer made to the applicant by the hiring department
3. Acceptance of the offer letter by the applicant
4. The hiring department submits an employment background check request
5. The human resource department approves the request
6.  Instructions are sent to the employment background check agency
7. The agency conducts the background check and submits the results

Government jobs

A spotless background check is necessary to qualify for a government job, especially in higher positions.

IT services

Since these sectors deal with private information, the candidate must be experienced and reliable. To avoid data theft, hacks, server attacks and much more, hire candidates with a clean background check.

Financial services

A background verification is imperative when it comes to hiring candidates for financial services. Cases of identity theft, accounting fraud, phishing scams, etc., can be avoided by screening candidates before finalizing them.

Healthcare industry

Doctors, nurses and other healthcare employees are responsible for the well-being of the patients. Therefore, you must conduct a background verification to confirm if the candidate can be trusted with the safety of the society.

Academic institutions

Teachers and their assistants guide the students and help in building a brighter future. Hence, it is important for the safety of everyone working in the institution that the candidates have a clean background.

As evident from the above points, a background screening will help you build a productive and cohesive workforce. Once you get a clean background check result, you can confidently give a final offer letter to the candidate and hire them. However, onboarding a global team in Qatar can be challenging, especially if you are not aware of the country’s labor laws.

Multiplier helps you onboard and manage global teams from a single window without worrying about the domestic and international laws. Our PEO solutions help you onboard desired candidates, offer legal employment contracts, allot statutory benefits and much more. Hence, you can assemble a global team of varying capabilities and cultures from 150+ nations while complying with the relevant labor laws. Connect with us to understand how we help you set up and manage your international team.