Hiring new employees is always a risky business, but when you`re looking for foreign talent the risks are even greater. In the Philippines?  Even greater!  Many of the largest and most successful global companies have expanded to the Philippines. The fact that a great proportion of Filipinos speak English makes the country attractive to multinational companies, and it represents also a decrease in costs because the workforce is less expensive here than in other countries.

The problems or risks involved in hiring are the same worldwide, but only worse.  The Philippines is a beautiful country, but one with a very high risk for fraud and scams.  There are great opportunities to be found, and profitable investments to be made.  However, sorting through the bad options is no easy task, and requires a professional and trained investigator.  The reason why getting a background check becomes more crucial in some countries is that getting a verification and finding reliable information is more difficult in certain places, and the Philippines happens to be one of them.

The Philippines is a country that unfortunately is known for having a lot of corruption and fraud.  This is one of the main reasons why getting an employee or a candidate screened in the Philippines is so important. People lying to take advantage of others is sadly a norm, and although this happens much more on issues related to politics or romance scams, that does not mean that the workplace is left out. People in the Philippines are used to getting documents and whatever they need from any source, at any cost. If what they pursue requires a document they do not have, they will forge it, or pay someone to get what they need. Global figures reveal that over 50% of resumes contain false information. The chances are that in the Philippines this figure is even higher.

The chances of hiring the perfect fit for the job when you have only conducted an interview are very poor, especially if you have committed mistakes during the process of interviewing. An interview won´t let you know anything about a person´s life, financial situation or values. A pre-employment screening gives an employer evidence and more accurate information about the candidate.

After spending a great deal of money and years building a business, it can all be damaged or lost in an instant with the wrong actions of an employee. By taking the time to fully investigate the background of a potential new hire, you’ll be able to know whom you’re hiring and save the business’s reputation and thousands of dollars.  We’re not talking about checking criminal records, which is often a waste of time.  We’re talking about real investigation, by real investigators, so you have real answers.

It takes a true professional in the investigation field to verify the legitimacy of documents, employment and education history, as well as checking references and reputation, and verifying ID and passport samples.   An extensive investigation is not necessary on all applicants, but it is important to verify the final candidates before making your final hiring decision.  Finding out the subject is a fraud later on is never a good situation.  Firms that have successfully recruited qualified foreign workers have enjoyed greater retention rates and a better workforce.

Some of the biggest failures that recruiters commit are related to not investigating properly. Not verifying the information on a resume, or doing it on a very superficial level. Not checking references or relying only on the information contained in a resume can end up being very costly to a company.  Recruiters and human resource professionals need to understand they are not trained private investigators, and acting like one can lead to a very serious and costly mistake.  Leave the investigation to the professionals, who have the training, experience and resources.  Conducting a professional background check in another country is not easy, especially if you’re not there!

Speak to one of our professionals today about how to lower your risk.

C. Wright

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