Conduct Executive Screening To Avoid Unpleasant Surprises

By Author: naman vohra
Total Articles: 133
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CEOs in any organisation have vast amount of power and long-term impact on the organisation. Therefore hiring a wrong leader for an organisation is like risking irreparable damage to company's reputation, operations, culture and performance. CEO-level candidates have long and often very public histories and therefore it is hard to fully comprehend the amount of organisational disruption and reputational harm that occur when a person with wrong intention joins as a CEO. Yet there are companies which are putting the reputation and success of the entire business at risk by not carrying out suitable levels of due diligence on the prospective leaders who pose a significantly greater threat than the freshers.

Yahoo CEO Scott Thompson's CV embellishment is a striking example of deep flaws in the way CEOs and candidates for other high-level C-suite jobs are hired. This is the best example why there should be a more comprehensive overhaul of the vetting of candidates for C-suite positions. These circumstances calls the importance of background screening which should look into each and every aspect of a candidate's background.

Is ...
... there a feasible solution which can safeguard organisations from the threat of senior level fraud? Is standard background check is sufficient for vetting a person in leadership role?

A Standard background check process is available for the verification purposes but when it comes to screen a person from senior management the approach opted for should be exclusive. A person from the senior management in most instances have an experience of more than a decade. Executive screening is an effective tool that helps in identifying whether a candidate has any instance of misdemeanour in the past or has any details in his background worth raising a cause of concern for the employer. A member from top management carries with him/her experience of long professional achievements which might have taken him/her to different companies and different locations as well. Therefore the background check should be sound enough to dig information pertaining to the individual which will act as key in determining the sustainability and growth of organisation.

There are many companies which have come up with the concept of executive background screening which provide tailored packages for executive screening as per organisation's needs. A series of checks like credit risk check, regulatory database check, compliance record check, reference check and other relevant overseas checks, along with the regular set of checks like employment, education, address, reference checks and criminal records are carried out in executive screening.

With all the pertinent details about the prospective leader available a company can make an effective hiring decision based on such information for business success.