Q. Why choose Powerchex?Powerchex specialises in the financial services sector. We make it our business to keep up-to-date with industry developments and we are in regular contact with the FSA to ensure that our service fully complies with current FSA guidance on recruitment. Powerchex offers state of the art technology to deliver pre-employment reports in timely and professional manner. Powerchex sets up the entire programme and provides all necessary forms branded with your firm’s logo. contact us | 0870 710 3000 |
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Q. Why should I be screening applicants prior to employment? Q. How long does it take to conduct a screen? Q. Can I work with Powerchex for part of the screening process and keep some of it in-house? Q. Is it possible to carry out international research? Q. Do you obtain written or verbal references? Q. How do you deal with Data Protection issues? Q. Are we legally allowed to check whether a candidate is lying on their application form? Q. How do I know who to screen? Q. What kind of criminal checks are required for approved persons? Q. How can a company obtain Disclosures? Q. Will candidates object to a third party handling their personal information? Q. Why not keep the process in-house? Q. How will the information be presented? Q. When should references be sought? Q. What information is obtainable from County Court Judgements? Q. How long can we retain data? Q. Why choose Powerchex?Powerchex specialises in the financial services sector. We make it our business to keep up-to-date with industry developments and we are in regular contact with the FSA to ensure that our service fully complies with current FSA guidance on recruitment. Powerchex offers state of the art technology to deliver pre-employment reports in a timely and professional manner. Powerchex sets up the entire program and provides all necessary forms branded with your firm’s logo. Powerchex provides at a fixed cost FAST TURNAROUND time with reports that highlight, summarise and explain the information reported. Powerchex provides uncompromising quality, experience and expertise. Q. Why should I be screening applicants prior to employment?To ensure that their integrity is intact, to protect the reputation of your business, to comply with corporate governance best practices Pre-screening promotes a safe and profitable workplace. It is an effective risk management tool that has been proven to significantly reduce the risk of a bad hire. Engaging in a screening programme demonstrates due diligence and provides you with a great deal of legal protection. Firms have found it easier to claim on their fiduciary insurance when they could demonstrate that thorough checks were done prior to employment. To allow busy HR departments to focus on core responsibilities and strategic and business objectives. Q. How does the process work?Our process is designed to integrate seamlessly in your hiring process. Your candidates are asked to sign a declaration of consent and to complete an application form provided by Powerchex and branded with your corporate logo. Once we receive these forms our researchers carry out the relevant checks and write the findings in a report. The report with supporting documentation is dispatched to you by mail or email (or both). Q. How do I get started?Contact Powerchex to arrange a meeting so that we can talk you through what pre-employment screening entails and clarify your requirements. Please contact us on +44 870 710 3000 or by e-mail on info@powerchex.co.uk For a pricing quote request form, click here Q. How long does it take to conduct a screen?It depends on the level of detail required and the availability of the referees, but we aim to have an initial report to you in three to five Q. Can I work with Powerchex for part of the screening process and keep some of it in-house?Yes. We will work with you to develop customised screening packages which suit your requirements. Q. Is it possible to carry out international research?Yes, we are capable of conducting checks in most countries depending on the local legislation. Q. Do you obtain written or verbal references?Both depending on your requirements, however, we find that we get better and more timely information with verbal references. We will incorporate in our questionnaires any specific questions you want to ask as long as they are legal. Q. How do you deal with Data Protection issues?Powerchex is registered under the Data Protection Act 1984 and adheres strictly to the requirements of the 1998 Act. We will not conduct a screen until we have the written consent of the candidate. Q. Are we legally allowed to check whether a candidate is lying on their application form?The Data Protection Act does not prevent you from checking whether a candidate is lying, but it does require you to make the candidate aware of checks. Q. How do I know who to screen?As a general rule you should screen all candidates for positions which are considered to be sensitive or which are regulated. In particular, in order to comply with FSA regulations you should screen anyone going into an approved function. To ensure that you have fulfilled the requirements as stipulated in the FSA’s Supervision Manual you need to verify a candidate’s honesty, integrity and reputation, competence and capability, and financial soundness. We have designed our service to fulfil this requirement. Q. What kind of criminal checks are required for approved persons?There are three levels of disclosure provided by the Criminal Records Bureau and Disclosure Scotland. Standard and Enhanced disclosures are provided by the CRB (subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act of 1974) and they include both spent and unspent convictions. Basic Disclosure is provided by Disclosure Scotland and only includes unspent convictions. Standard disclosure is required for positions of trust such as approved persons; for all other roles in financial services you should be getting Basic disclosure. For positions where a Disclosure is required, all application forms, job advertisements and recruitment briefs must contain a statement that a Disclosure will be requested in the event of the individual being offered the position. Q. How can a company obtain Disclosures?By applying to the CRB to become a registered body or by using the services of an umbrella body (a registered body that acts on behalf of other organisations). Powerchex is registered as an umbrella body, and we are able to obtain Standard Disclosure for our clients. Powerchex is also able to provide Basic disclosures through the Disclosure Scotland Service. Q. Will candidates object to a third party handling their personal information?Most candidates appreciate the benefit of keeping the screening process and their personal information separate from their future employer’s organisation. Outsourcing the service assures a new employee that their confidential information is not being obtained by others in the firm. Q. Why not keep the process in-house?Pre-employment screening is an intermittent, time consuming and detailed task that requires highly specialised knowledge and resources. It is also subject to numerous legal regulations. Most firms find it an inefficient use of their time and resources. The scale of our operation enables us to subscribe to databases and other information sources which many employers would find uneconomic. Our full time staff is always there to answer your inquiries and process an urgent request. These resources make our service fast, comprehensive and accurate. Many HR professionals also prefer that a new employee’s first contact with the firm not be a pre-employment check. Q. How will the information be presented?To see a sample report illustrating the information you will receive from Powerchex, email info@powerchex.co.uk Q. When should references be sought?Employment references are usually sought after the applicant has been given a conditional offer of employment. Any provisional offer of employment should state that the offer is subject to the receipt of references that are considered satisfactory by the employer. In order to avoid discrimination all candidates should be treated in the same way. If any discrepancies are highlighted between the CV / interview and the results of the reference, candidates should be given the opportunity to explain them. Q. What information is obtainable from County Court Judgements?County Court Judgements mainly cover action taken by credit companies or financial institutions, e.g. regarding credit cards or bankruptcy cases. Q. How long can we retain data?Under the Data Protection Act, only information relevant to ongoing employment should be transferred from application forms. Information about criminal convictions should be deleted unless it is clearly relevant to ongoing employment. Q. What are our legal obligations under the Data Protection Act in terms of obtaining and supplying employment references?The common belief that the Act gives individuals the right to gain access to references about them is not true. Under Schedule 7 of the DP Act, individuals are explicitly excluded from access to references about them, unless the reference was not given in confidence. But this exemption is limited to while the confidential reference is in the hands of the organisation which gave it, according to two publications from the Information Commissioner: the Data Protection Act, legal guidance, December 2001, and the Employment Practices Data Protection Code, Part 1, March 2002. Part 1 of the code says the role of references is to confirm factual details supplied by applicants. It recommends employers: 1. only obtain details directly relevant to a particular vacancy, and which will be used as part of the selection process |
