As a rapidly developing market, Vietnam is attracting an increasing number of international businesses and investors. With this trend, the demand for thorough employee background checks is also rising. Employee background checks are an essential process that can help businesses understand the past experiences, qualifications, capabilities, and any factors that might affect the potential employees’ work performance. Here is a practical guide for conducting employee background checks in Vietnam.
Establishing the Scope of Background Checks
Before initiating background checks, it’s crucial to define what will be investigated. This may include, but is not limited to:
Educational Background Verification
Authenticity of Degrees and Certificates: Confirm the authenticity of the candidate’s degrees, diplomas, professional certificates, etc.
Recognition of Educational Institutions: Verify that the degrees come from recognized or accredited institutions.
Relevant Professional Courses: For specific positions, check whether the candidate has completed necessary professional courses or training.
Employment History Check
Verification of Past Employers: Verify all the work experiences provided by the candidate, including the names, addresses, and contact details of the workplaces.
Positions and Responsibilities: Understand the candidate’s specific duties, job levels, and key achievements in previous positions.
Reasons for Leaving: Learn about the reasons for the end of each job, especially in cases of resignation or termination.
Performance and Evaluation: Obtain evaluations and feedback on the candidate’s performance by contacting previous employers or direct supervisors.
Criminal Record Check
Local and International Criminal Records: Check criminal records in Vietnam and, for candidates with international living or working experience, consider checking criminal records in other countries as well.
Civil Litigation Records: In addition to criminal records, check if the candidate has been involved in any civil litigation, which might reveal potential legal issues.
Credit and Financial Status Check
Credit Reports: Obtain and review the candidate’s credit report to understand their financial responsibility and credit status.
Debts and Financial Issues: Identify any significant financial issues that could affect job performance, such as heavy debts or bankruptcy records.
Social Media and Internet Investigation
Online Behavior: Analyze the candidate’s behavior on social media platforms, including posts, comments, likes, etc., to assess their professional ethics and personal qualities.
Public Image and Reputation: Understand the candidate’s public image and reputation through internet searches, including any public recognitions, awards, or controversies.
Health and Medical Records
Medical Examination Results: For positions requiring physical labor or specific health standards, verify if the candidate’s health condition meets the job requirements.
Drug Testing: Conduct drug tests if necessary to ensure that employees will not be impaired by substance abuse.
Compliance with Legal Regulations
Vietnam has strict privacy protection and data protection laws, so it’s crucial to comply with these regulations during background checks. Businesses should ensure:
Obtaining Explicit Consent from Candidates
Written Consent: Obtain written consent from candidates before conducting background checks. This consent should detail the types of investigations to be conducted and their scope.
Transparency: Clearly inform candidates why this information is needed and how it will be used.
Voluntariness: Ensure candidates understand they have the right to refuse consent, and this decision should not adversely affect their job application.
Collecting Only Necessary Information
Relevance: Ensure the collected information is directly related to the candidate’s job responsibilities. Avoid collecting irrelevant personal information such as race, religious beliefs, sexual orientation, etc.
Minimization: Follow the principle of data minimization and collect only the information necessary to complete the background check.
Protecting Personal Data
Data Security: Implement appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect personal data from unauthorized access, disclosure, or destruction.
Restricted Access to Data: Ensure that only authorized personnel have access to candidates’ personal information, and these individuals are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of the data.
Data Retention: Comply with legal requirements regarding the retention period of personal data, and delete or anonymize this information when it’s no longer needed.
Adhering to Labor Laws and Anti-discrimination Laws
Non-discrimination: Ensure the process and outcomes of background checks do not lead to discrimination against candidates. All candidates should be treated equally, without unfair treatment based on gender, age, race, etc.
Legality: Ensure all background check activities comply with Vietnamese labor laws and international labor standards.
International Data Transfer
Cross-border Data Flow: If background checks involve transferring data outside of Vietnam, ensure the receiving country or region has adequate data protection measures.
Rights of Candidates
Right to Access: Candidates have the right to access the information collected about them and request corrections if inaccuracies are found.
Feedback and Complaints: Provide a mechanism for candidates to question or complain about the background check process or outcomes.
Utilizing Professional Services
Using professional services for employee background checks can bring efficient, accurate, and legal investigation results to businesses. Professional agencies usually have extensive resources, experienced teams of experts, and access to specific databases, which are not readily available to most businesses. Here’s a guide on how to optimize the use of professional services for background checks:
Choosing the Right Service Provider
Professional Qualifications and Certifications: Choose service providers with a good reputation, relevant qualifications, and professional certifications. Their qualifications can be verified through industry associations or certification bodies.
Service Scope and Expertise: Consider whether the service provider’s expertise and range of services meet the specific needs of the business. Some agencies might specialize in certain types of background checks, such as financial background checks or criminal record queries.
Customer Reviews and Case Studies: Refer to other businesses’ reviews and case studies provided by the service provider to understand the quality and effectiveness of their services.
Clarifying Service Details and Expectations
Service Agreement: Before starting cooperation, clarify key issues with the service provider, such as the scope of services, depth of investigation, required time, and fees. Ensure all details are reflected in the service agreement.
Customized Services: Work with the service provider to customize the background check plan, ensuring it meets the specific needs and compliance requirements of the business.
Communication and Feedback Mechanisms: Establish effective communication channels and regular feedback mechanisms to ensure the business can stay informed about the investigation progress and raise questions about the results.
Ensuring Legality and Ethics
Compliance Checks: Confirm that the service provider complies with local laws and regulations and international standards, especially regarding personal privacy and data protection, when conducting background checks.
Transparency and Accountability: Demand transparency from the service provider throughout the investigation process and hold them accountable for their data collection and processing methods.
Protecting Candidates’ Rights
Respecting Privacy: Ensure the service provider respects candidates’ privacy rights during the investigation, collecting only job-related information and obtaining candidates’ consent before acquiring information.
Correction of Errors: If there are errors in the background check results, request the service provider to provide a mechanism for correction to protect candidates’ rights.
Continuous Evaluation and Improvement
Performance Evaluation: Regularly evaluate the service provider’s performance, including the accuracy and timeliness of investigations and the quality of customer service.
Improvements and Updates: Assess and update the background check strategies and processes with the service provider according to the business’s development and market changes.
Self-Investigation
For small businesses or startups that might not have the resources to hire professional services, conducting effective self-background checks is key to ensuring the quality of recruitment. This requires businesses to take a series of internal steps to verify candidates’ information. Here’s a guide on how to enrich and optimize self-investigation:
Educational Background Verification
Direct Contact with Educational Institutions: Contact the schools or universities listed by the candidate directly via email or phone to verify the authenticity of their degrees and certificates. Ensure contact with the correct department, such as the registrar’s office or alumni relations office.
Request Official Transcripts: Ask candidates to provide official transcripts or diplomas issued directly by the educational institution to ensure the accuracy of the information.
Employment History Check
In-depth Understanding of Work History: Prepare a list of specific questions and contact the candidate’s previous employers or direct supervisors directly by phone or video conference. Inquire about the candidate’s responsibilities, performance, work attitude, and reasons for leaving.
Checking Professional Licenses and Qualifications: If the position requires specific professional licenses or qualifications, ask candidates to provide these documents and verify them with the issuing authority.
Criminal Record Check
Public Record Search: In Vietnam, some criminal records may be obtained through public channels. Understand what types of records are accessible under local law and conduct inquiries through legal means.
Legal Consultation: If unsure about how to legally obtain and use such information, consult a legal expert.
Social Media and Online Behavior Analysis
Social Media Review: Review the candidate’s public social media accounts to understand their online behavior and public image. Be cautious not to invade privacy or discriminate.
Google Search: Use Google and other search engines to search the candidate’s name and find related news reports, public publications, or other internet records.
Reference Checks
Contacting Referees: Ask candidates to provide references and have in-depth conversations with these individuals to understand the candidate’s work capabilities, interpersonal relationships, and professional ethics.
Peer Evaluation: If possible, also contact through industry networks to understand the candidate’s reputation and performance within professional communities.
Maintaining Transparency and Legality
Informing Candidates: Even when conducting self-investigation, inform candidates that you will be conducting background checks and obtain their consent when necessary.
Complying with Privacy Laws: Ensure compliance with relevant privacy protection and data protection laws during the investigation process.
Maintaining Transparency and Fairness
Maintaining transparency and fairness during the employee background check process is crucial for building a trusting and respectful workplace environment. This not only helps businesses maintain a good reputation but also ensures all candidates are treated fairly. Here’s a guide on how to maintain transparency and fairness during the background check process:
Advance Notification and Explanation
Clear Communication: Before the background check begins, clearly inform candidates about the types of investigations to be conducted, their scope, and purpose. Explain why this information is necessary for the job application and how it will be handled and protected.
Obtaining Consent: Ensure written consent is obtained from candidates before starting any investigation. This is not only a legal requirement but also a manifestation of respect and transparency.
Fair Investigation Standards
Consistency: Apply the same investigation standards and processes to all candidates, ensuring everyone is evaluated according to the same criteria.
Relevance: Ensure the investigation content is limited to job-related information, avoiding biases or unfairness due to irrelevant information.
Feedback and Response to Candidates
Providing Investigation Results: Where possible, provide candidates with the overall results of the background check, especially if this information might affect their application outcome.
Opportunity for Explanation and Correction: If potentially adverse information is found during the background check, give candidates the opportunity to explain or provide a way to correct inaccuracies.
Protecting Candidates’ Privacy
Data Protection: Strictly adhere to legal regulations regarding personal data protection, ensuring the security and confidentiality of candidates’ information.
Limiting Information Use: Ensure the collected information is only used for recruitment decisions and handled by authorized personnel.
Training and Guidance
Employee Training: Train employees involved in recruitment and background checks to ensure they know how to conduct investigations in a fair and non-discriminatory manner.
Developing Policies and Guidelines: Develop clear background check policies and guidelines to ensure fairness and consistency throughout the process.
Review and Improvement
Regular Review: Periodically review the background check processes and policies to ensure they remain fair, transparent, and compliant with the latest legal requirements.
Candidate Feedback: Consider candidates’ feedback to evaluate and improve the background check process, ensuring continuous optimization to maintain fairness and transparency.
Conducting employee background checks in Vietnam is a complex but necessary process that is crucial for safeguarding business interests and building a reliable team. By adhering to legal regulations, planning the investigation scope reasonably, and utilizing professional services when necessary, businesses can effectively complete this process and ensure the recruitment of suitable talent.
