The most important function of Human Resource is arguably recruiting new employees. Recruiters not only have to review hundreds of applications, but they also have to effectively identify the most promising applicants that can contribute positively to the growth of the organization.
Once HR professionals have selected potential hires after the interview stage, one final hurdle is usually to conduct background checks. Over 86 of Australian employers carry out national police checks or criminal history checks because it provides invaluable insight into the criminal history of an applicant. That information can be used to identify individuals that are prone to violence, theft, or even sex offenders. Hiring managers can then use this information to make informed decisions.
Over the past two decades, the rise of online police checks has streamlined the process of national police checks. Since its inception in 2004, the number of police checks ordered in Australia has more than quadrupled to close to 5.5 million checks per year.
Police checking is a government process that is executed by the Australian Federal Government. The federal government works with police agencies to deliver national police checks through accredited and innovative tech companies to make this service readily available to employers and the general public.
Australian National Character Check (ANCC) is one example of such accredited providers of national police checks that have helped businesses, individuals, non-profits, and more gain access to criminal histories of individuals in a prompt fashion. Here are some of the ways they help make government processes better.
- Faster Process
When it comes to hiring, promptness is key. If the recruiting process is low, employers risk losing a great candidate to a competitor with a faster hiring process. Innovative tech companies make access to national police checks super fast because they connect to the databases for records in real-time. Therefore, things like police checks can be made available in about a few working days, instead of several weeks it normally took before.
- Zero Stress
To obtain national police checks in the past, employers had to wait in long queues in police stations, fill out long paper applications, and wait for weeks to obtain the result – a very stressful process indeed. But thanks to innovative tech companies, employers can, from the comfort of their offices, request for items like background checks online and get the result.
- Larger Scope
In the past, if a potential hire came from a faraway state, the potential employer had to find ways to access the criminal record of such an applicant (which was mainly only available locally). As a result, people could easily hide their criminal past by relocating. But thanks to technology, such information is stored in online databases. So, no matter where a person is located in Australia, their criminal record is just a few clicks away.
- Versatile
Aside from national police checks, employers also make use of a series of other screening checks. That’s why innovative tech companies are now offering multiple kinds of background checks in addition to police checks so that they can serve as a one-stop location to obtain a series of background information.