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The Real Guide to Truly Fast Onboarding
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In today's ultra-competitive landscape, securing the best talent quickly can be the edge your business needs to succeed. But what does "fast onboarding" really mean? While many screening technology providers place their focus solely on operational efficiency, this is only part of the equation. At face value it makes sense; fewer manual processes means the candidate starts sooner. Yet, these conclusions are often made in a vacuum. For a comprehensive approach to expedited onboarding, employers must develop a holistic screening strategy that encompasses all check types and aligns with broader business goals.
According to Glassdoor’s time-to-hire survey, the average time to hire in the UK is 27.5 days. Moreover, 44% of rejected job offers happen because candidates have already accepted another offer due to lengthy hiring processes, as per a Recruiter sentiment study by Yumbi. These numbers don't just translate to lost time; they equate to lost talent and opportunities.
While many employers will rightly turn to a Digital Identity service via a reputable IDSP as the first step in speeding up onboarding, this only results in operational efficiencies and a strong level of compliance. For the majority of candidates, however, focusing solely on Digital Identity won't suffice. This is because it doesn't tackle the real bottlenecks in the onboarding process: verifications and criminality checks. Identity and Right to Work may be verified instantly, but you’ll still need to wait a couple of days for a criminality search and a couple of weeks for employment references to be returned.
The foundation of any good onboarding process is robust Digital Identity and Right to Work (RTW) checks. These are crucial steps that can be streamlined with digital tools, providing a smooth and efficient start to the onboarding process while also assuring you of the candidate's true identity.
The next critical check is criminality. Employers can expedite this step by partnering with a specialised provider that is renowned for performing these checks quickly, without sacrificing thoroughness. Without a trusted partner, criminality checks can be a reason for delayed onboarding.
Traditionally, Employment History verification through referencing is the stage that slows down the onboarding process the most. Increasingly, employers are turning to workarounds such as accepting candidate-provided documentation, which introduces more administrative tasks for your candidate, over-sharing of data, and insecure data transfer mechanisms. These ad hoc solutions often come into play 'as a last resort,' negating any speed advantage they might have offered.
To maintain the benefit of speed, ensure data security, and minimise data collected to what is required - employers can instantly verify employment history (including Gaps in Employment) via Konfir.
According to research, 69% of employees are more likely to stay with a company for three years if they experienced great onboarding. Fast onboarding isn't just about filling a seat quickly; it's about long-term employee retention and contribution.
By holistically approaching the screening process, you allow the data of each check type to shape your strategy. Ensuring speed across identity, criminality, and employment history checks is paramount. Fast onboarding is an essential strategy component for any business looking to remain competitive in today's fast-paced hiring market. At Konfir, we're committed to helping our clients achieve this by focusing on what really matters: reducing both operational efforts and the actual time it takes to screen and onboard new hires by addressing long-standing bottlenecks in the process.
