Just like other countries, the Philippines offer an extensive variety of multifaceted skills from young job-seekers. Accompanied by the ever-growing business enterprises and employers, the candidate reserve continuously keeps rising every day.
In order for a company to work, one must hire its employees. It is but a simple, yet committed process to form the establishment you envision. More so, one of the helpful ways to assess a potential employee and/or partner in business is to conduct background checks.
Why is it Important?
Finding the right person for the job is hard – it requires extensive research and a judgment of various skill sets from different potential candidates. Through thorough screening and cross-examination of one’s character records, an employer can judge whether or not to deem you fit for the job. As a common hiring practice, an employer typically asks for your personal, financial, educational and criminal records for assessment – this is to establish the qualifications you carry as a potential employee of a company.
It is important for the employer to choose candidates that would rather create trust than to bring bad risks to the establishment – hence, the optimization of background checks.
Under our Philippine Labor laws, there are no provisions for its prohibition. There is, however, the Republic Act No. 10173 or the Data Privacy Act of 2012. Pursuant to R.A. 10173, its content limits the ground of pre-employment background checks conducted within the country – this is to safekeep the right to privacy of every citizen. In most cases, before conducting a background check, the employer will provide a written consent form for employees to either agree upon or decline.
Kinds of Background Checks
There are different kinds of background checks used by employers to determine quality employment.
Personal Information Check
- This commonly includes the candidate’s personal information that can be shared publicly (i.e. full name, address, age, contact details etc.) This is to verify the identification of future employees and is considered the basic way to get necessary information.
Educational or Academic Background Check
- This is done to assess if the potential candidate is qualified for the skills needed for the job through looking at their academic records and/or diplomas. Through garnering this information, the employer can judge the capability of the candidate when it comes to critical and social circumstances attached to the job.
Health Background Check
- This naturally includes past and pending health records from the candidate antedated to the most recent. This is to help the employer become aware if the job opening does not go against your current health.
- This may include a background check regarding any history involving drugs.
Financial Background Check
- Conducting financial checks are crucial, as this notifies the employer whether the candidate and/or business partner has current debts or is capable of handling one’s salary and wage. In most cases, the employer seeks to find out whether one is capable of handling expenses attached to the rendering of the job.
Criminal Record Check
- One of the most vital pieces of information to be checked is one’s history regarding criminal records. One must be prudent, as checking for this vital information lessens the risk with employing and/or partnering with candidates that hold past criminal activities. This background check is offered by the National Bureau of Investigation – this government agency shall release an NBI Clearance certificate to candidates with no criminal records, as this is one of the mandatory requirements for employment.
Past Employment Record Check
- Conducting this kind of check is crucial, as this information displays past employee performance and work ethics.
Ready to start employing Filipinos? Make sure to check their background. Learn more by calling FilePino at 1.806.553.6552 (USA) or +63.917.892.2337 (Philippines).
