Veremark’s Daniel Callaghan on immigration and automating verification
The need for international hires is rising and so is the technology to enable this endeavor.
Why You Should Care
An increasing number of companies want to hire internationally.
However, the process of hiring can take a significant amount of time.
Should this process be streamlined?
The post-pandemic world is set to be a new frontier for work, and it presents new challenges. While many worry about hybrid working and productivity, there are also concerns about the logistics of an international workforce.
One company that intends to simplify international work is Veremark. Veremark is a leading background checking and applicant screening platform that prides itself on being global, scalable, secure, and fast.
Founder and CEO of Veremark Daniel Callaghan told UNLEASH about how he has personally seen HR change since 2008 when he launched his startup journey with Talmix (previously called MBA & Company).
“HR has become much less about politics and policies and is starting to shape itself as the guardian of company culture and how people feel about coming to work, which is an important and valuable shift,” Callaghan explains.
“We have also seen HR have to get to grips with a wide range of new employment types. It was in 2008 that freelancer platforms and marketplaces started to appear. Today, these marketplaces are still going strong across all talent types and have become a useful tool for navigating talent shortages seen around the world.”
However, Callaghan notes that automation has been one of the biggest shifts in HR, and automating documentation verification has been a focus for Veremark.
Immigration
You would be forgiven for believing that COVID-19 restrictions damaged the outlook of hiring foreign workers. Nonetheless, US companies have wanted to hire more international talent than ever.
Callaghan echoes this sentiment as he explains: “The COVID-19 crisis has sparked a rise in international recruitment, as remote working became the norm and as employers realized they could access a wider talent pool if they were willing to look overseas.
“This obviously has huge benefits for businesses but it also increases the risks when it comes to hiring, which makes it even more important that companies check candidates’ claims and credentials before bringing them on board.”
Daniel Callaghan, Founder & CEO of Veremark
The area has financial backing and Callaghan points to OysterHR, Omnipresent, or Remote as examples of software that has been financially successful.
He adds: “This trend is unlikely to reverse anytime soon.
“Companies who have seen success with it during the pandemic and have managed to hire new employees securely will see no reason to re-impose limits in their search for talent.”
International recruitment now
As international recruitment becomes a larger area of focus for companies, the need to automate and quicken processes has become evident.
Callaghan notes: “Employee background screening is a notoriously slow and analog process; it usually takes around 20 days for checks to come through, which is frustrating for both employers keen to fill roles and candidates choosing between job offers.
“Automation makes the process of recruitment more streamlined, for both the employer and the candidate. Some companies need to run literally thousands of checks on their employees who may be based in different countries.
“Automating this process saves time and creating a digital career passport reduces the need for repeated checks going forward.
“It also opens doors to new fields such as predictive hiring, where data is used to help businesses identify skills gaps early on and hire accordingly, which helps give businesses a competitive edge,” adds Callaghan.
Why automation technology is important
“Background checks involve anything from verifying a candidate’s academic achievements or employment history, to checking for a criminal record and credit records. Employers might also want to run social media checks and psychometric tests, too.
“While all employers need to verify that candidates are indeed who they say they are, in some industries it’s crucial to screen employees, such as where there’s a heightened risk of insider fraud or criminal activity. In sectors like fintech, employers need to comply with an ever-changing and stringent regulatory landscape or risk facing fines.”
On the back of this need, Callaghan states that Veremark offers “businesses a simple way to carry out these checks quickly while complying with complicated privacy laws in different countries.
“Employers can use our service to carry out a one-off check or run thousands of checks on potential or existing employees.
“The results are packaged into what we call a ‘Career Passport’, which is blockchain verified, reducing the need to repeat checks unnecessarily. This is given to employees, who have ownership of their own verified career and personal data to take with them to future roles.”
Callaghan notes that reducing the need for repeated checks and time taken for applications seemed like “an obvious pain” that needed to be solved.
As the market for credential validation grows, it’s clear that plenty of people agree with Callaghan.
