What Is Pre Employment Background Check in the Philippines?

Last Updated on April 5, 2023

Have you ever been disappointed because you hired people who aren’t what they presented themselves to be?

Imagine spending weeks or months training new employees only to learn that they lied about their qualifications or have a history of wrongdoing.

The fact that the process of screening candidates is already time-consuming makes your hiring blunder an even costlier mistake.

Thankfully, you can avoid all these through pre-employment background checks.

In this post, we will discuss pre-employment background checks in the Philippines, so you can verify your recruiting procedure is reliable and effective.

Is It Legal to Do Background Checks in the Philippines?

Yes, pre-employment background checks are legal in the Philippines, provided they comply with the Data Privacy Act of 2012.

The law protects the personal data of individuals and requires that they consent before conducting any investigation.

Employers must also inform the applicant about the type of information they will collect and how they will use it.

That said, you need the applicant to complete a consent form for employee verification. This grants you the privilege to perform a potential employee background check.

Why Is a Background Check Necessary?

Here are some reasons why a background check is necessary:

Saves resources

As mentioned, hiring the wrong person for a job can be costly for a company.

And to avoid making a bad hiring decision, you must do a pre-employment background check.

Part of your hiring process is to hire people who are honest with their applications. That means they are truthful with all the information they provide your organization.

By verifying that the people who applied for the job are who they say they are, you can fully trust them to do a good job in your company.

At the same time, your organization no longer has to find new candidates, enabling you to keep costs on training, onboarding, and recruitment low.

Ensures your company’s security and integrity

Conducting a pre-employment background check (particularly a criminal record check) lets you verify a candidate’s identity, qualifications, and employment history.

This ensures that your company won’t hire someone with a history of fraud, theft, or other criminal activities.

Improves quality of new hires

Make verifying a candidate’s qualifications and experience part of your hiring process.

This way, you can guarantee to hire someone with the skills and expertise necessary to perform the job effectively.

How to Do a Background Check on a Person

Conducting background checks requires you to know what data you need to get from applicants and see if they fit your job description.

In most cases, companies get help from background screening companies to collect and process the necessary data to perform a thorough background check.

Related: What does a company look for in a background check?

However, it’s possible to do the background check yourself. You need to collect the following:

Basic Information

Ask applicants to send requirements containing sensitive personal information and documents listed below:

• Full name (as it appears on official documentation)
• Physical address (permanent or temporary)
• Contact details
• Birth date
• Educational degrees, mark sheets, transcripts of records, and diplomas
• Photograph taken recently
• Former employer’s name and contact information Government-issued IDs such as a Tax ID or Social Security Number
• Certificates of work experience and letters of recommendation
• NBI Clearance Form
• Financial records such as debts, credit scores, and overdue payments

Qualifications in Education

Confirm the applicant’s educational background, including their degrees, certifications, and licenses.

Employment History

Check the applicant’s employment history, including their previous employers, job titles, and reasons for leaving.

To verify their submitted information, you can contact their previous employer’s HR department.

Additionally, if the candidate provides additional references, you can gather more insights into their past performances. Ask their references for questions about the applicant’s strengths, weaknesses, and work ethic.

Criminal History

The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) is the institution in charge of performing criminal background checks in the Philippines. The NBI keeps public records of criminal cases tried in Municipal, Metropolitan, or Regional Trial Courts.

To find out if applicants have relevant criminal records, you can ask the authorities to do a background check. If their record is clean, they will obtain an NBI Clearance Form showing they have no criminal background.

Financial or Credit History Information

A candidate’s credit history provides insight into how responsible he or she is with her finances. Any signs of debts or financial anomalies normally wouldn’t be a red flag unless your organization is in the financial sector.

Regardless, studying financial records can assist in determining their capacity to handle money and if they can be trusted with the company’s activities.

Abuse of Drugs in the Past

Screen the applicant for any history of drug abuse, particularly if they will be handling sensitive materials or operating heavy machinery.

Activity on Social Networking Sites

Screening prospective employees in the Philippines nowadays may entail running social media checks.

If their profiles are set to public, the HR department can analyze them to learn more about their general personality and shared ideas and opinions.

Ideally, you want to hire someone who shares your company values, and those you feel are a culture fit. At the same time, you must weigh these factors alongside other variables like skills.

So, while social media can provide additional insights into whether to hire candidates, it may not be the only thing that will determine who you’ll hire.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Is Included in a Pre Employment Background Check?

A pre-employment background check can include any of the items mentioned above. It depends on the employer’s requirements, the position being applied for, and the industry.

How Long Does a Background Check Take?

The length of time for a background check varies, depending on the information required and the availability of records. It can take anywhere from a few days to a few weeks.

What Industries and Circumstances in the Philippines Are Most Appropriate for Background Checks?

Background checks are suitable for any industry that requires a high level of trust and responsibility, such as finance, healthcare, business process outsourcing (BPO), and government agencies. Employers may also conduct background checks when hiring for positions with access to sensitive information, financial data, or valuable assets.

Is NBI Clearance a Background Check?

No, an NBI clearance is not a comprehensive background check. It only verifies the applicant’s criminal record with the National Bureau of Investigation.

Conclusion

Conducting a pre-employment background check is an essential step in the hiring process in the Philippines.

It helps employers verify job applicants’ qualifications, identify red flags, and ensure a safe and secure work environment.

Now, the challenge is figuring out how to perform background checks as part of your hiring process.

As mentioned, you can assign people in your organization to do background checks.

If you’re looking for a background investigation company that can do all the above, we at The Spy Experts are here for you!

Our detailed background check services provide all the information you need about applicants to determine whether the requirements they sent you are truthful. This way, you can proceed with the next steps in the application process.