A couple of days back an article in one of the local newspapers caught my eye. At first glance I thought the article would talk about tips for improving resume, acing an interview, etc. But to my horror the emphasis of the article was on the burgeoning IT staffing / consulting firms and the dubious practices followed by them. The dubious practice in question is being termed as a ‘backdoor entry’.
A backdoor entry allows the job seeker to substitute his lack of experience with heavy payouts to the consulting firm. The current going rate for a Rs 5 lakh package job ranges from Rs 1.2 – 2 lakhs. The payouts to the consulting firms are termed as deposits which the job seeker is supposed to get back if he loses his job, within a stipulated period of time. However in almost all cases this amount is never returned back.
The newspaper article also mentions the involvement of the top brass, within the hiring company, in facilitating backdoor entries. Those involved are provided kickbacks by the consulting firms to ensure that the candidate clears the interview and is selected for the desired position.
This creates a vicious circle causing damage not just to the fresher who bought his way into a well paying job but also for the experienced candidate that would now have to grease the hands of the consulting firms to get the job that he deserves. The only winners in this process are the consulting firms and the top brass from the hiring companies that indulge in this nefarious practice.
If we dissect the entire process we see that there are three parties involved
1. The job seeker
2. Consulting firms and
3. Top brass in the hiring company that indulge in this practice.
And the cause for everybody getting away scot-free is the total lack of transparency in the hiring process.
This fraudulent practice can be easily counteracted by following a multi pronged approach wherein the HR department works in close collaboration with an external employee background verification company to carry out thorough background checks. It’s almost coincidental that in our previous post we had talked about the importance of carrying out background checks on temporary or contract hires.
The steps for combating this practice are outlined below:
1. Companies should mandate background verification for all new employees – whether they work full or part time. This will prevent any laxity in screening a new candidate.
2. The background verification process should be outsourced to a third party. This will allow the company to get a detailed background check, free from any biases.
3. The credibility of the information provided by the background verification service provider needs to be continuously monitored. This can be done by the HR manager carrying out random checks on the information being provided.
4. A more radical step – the background check results for a candidate, specifically the professional and educational checks, can be stored on a public server within the company and made accessible to all employees. This will not only allow the other employees to know the new hire better but will also provide a check against hiring based on biases.
Implementing the above process is not such a tall order. It just requires commitment and discipline from both the hiring company and the background verification service provider to inject the best talent in our work stream.
We at JantaKhoj can help you verify the right candidate. Reach us on 040 42007092 or sales@jantakhoj.com to get a free sample of the employee background verification services we provide.
