Category: PSV

4 Tips on how to get your verification of credentials with DataFlow

Posted on by Salma Ghozlan

The DataFlow Group, headquartered in Dubai with operations in the MENA, Europe and Asia, is a leading Primary Source Verification partner and offers risk mitigation solutions.   The organization uses its vast network of more than 100,000 Issuing Authorities and cutting-edge technology to verify the credentials of applicants across the globe. This robust verification process ensures clients can hire top-quality and competent professionals who have all the necessary qualifications as claimed by them on their CV or job application. The DataFlow Group helps to mitigate the risk of hiring fraudulent professionals who forge their certificates, educational degrees, licenses, and official documents, such as passports and visas, to obtain health licenses from ministries and government authorities that would enable them to work in foreign countries.

Primary Source Verification (PSV) is a background screening procedure that is highly accurate, rigorous and reliable. It verifies the education and employment documents of applicants directly from the source — Issuing Authorities in any part of the world. An applicant can upload and submit documents by visiting the website www.dataflowgroup.com.

Primary Source Verification (PSV) scrutinizes vital documents and verifies the credentials that are mandated by an ever-increasing number of applicants around the globe. The process used by the Primary Source Verification process maintains the integrity of the information that is being provided and ensures all individuals who are applying to the company or authorities are qualified and competent as required. The information that gets verified ranges from licenses and education/employment documents like graduation certificates, good standing certificates, etc.

How to verify your documents: 

  1. Check your documents: The first step is to make sure all your documents are readily accessible. Then, you will need to create an account if you have not already done so, Click here to sign up. Following the on-screen prompts, enter all of the required information. Once you have entered all your information, you will be required to upload those documents to prove the information that you have provided. There will be different sections as to where you need to provide information – personal, professional and education details. After submitting the information, provide your consent to DataFlow to verify your documents. In some instances, you will be required to download the Letter of Authorization or (LOA) – which gives the DataFlow Group permission to conduct the process of verification. This letter needs to be duly signed. Along with it, you also need to upload a copy of your official passport.
  1. Start DataFlow’s Primary Source Verification process: The second step is the verification of documents by the DataFlow Group team, who approaches the source of the document submitted, that is the Issuing Authority, that has issued the certificate/diploma/health license/employment certificate/any other document. Issuing Authorities – an authorised body, to verify and issue the authenticity of the documents. The usual verification process takes from  20 to 45 days from the time the application has been submitted. However, sometimes due to records being misplaced, document insufficiency or unforeseen delays in verifying data and documents, the timeframe for processing of verification may be extended.
  1. Track your case status: You can track the status of your application online. You will be requested to provide your DataFlow case reference/Regulator reference along with your passport number.
  1. Application Completion: You will receive a confirmation email once the verification process has been completed. Using the same status link you can download your PSV report once ready.

 

Why Do Companies Conduct Background Checks?

Posted on by Salma Ghozlan

Over the past decade, public and private organizations and companies have jumped on the background check bandwagon – opting to screen the personal and professional documents of potential and existing employees alike. Wondering why? The answer is in fact very simple; to make sure you are telling the truth!

While a large majority of people may carry genuine credentials, there has been a growing trend of individuals who don’t – whether it be the falsification of university degrees and certifications or the misrepresentation of previous job titles, responsibilities and tenures, among countless other seemingly ‘harmless’ tweaks.

For a company or organization, the cost of hiring or retaining such employees may result in a plethora of issues – from regulatory, liability and reputational risks to financial and internal threats, which is why most are choosing to implement robust background screening programs at the core of the hiring process or as a periodic check for employees who have been working within the establishment for years.

To learn more on how to prepare yourself for your employment background check and find out about some of the most common verification components, click here!

Busted: Employment Background Check Myths

Posted on by Salma Ghozlan

The words ‘employment background check’ are enough to make any candidate applying for a job position feel a little apprehensive and uneasy. Usually, this is not because the individual has an actual reason to fear the screening, but because they are unaware as to what the parameters of such a check are. Today we will be setting the record straight and dispelling four common employment background check myths.

Myth 1: If anything negative is detected, the candidate cannot counter the claim

Myth 2: The time taken to conduct a check is not enough for it to be accurate

Myth 3: Personal social media posts can cost the candidate the job

Myth 4: Companies rely entirely on checks to decide whether the candidate gets picked

In summary, employment background checks are carried out by companies to confirm whether a person is a good match for the available position, while ensuring the accuracy of their career history. This being said – and depending on the severity of the check’s findings and their relevance to the job – employers usually look at the bigger picture and consider screening as an added component that complements the hiring process, not as a standalone procedure on which they base their final decision.

4 Ways Background Screening Helps Boost Your Bottom Line

Posted on by Salma Ghozlan

Smart businesses conduct their operations in a manner that positively impacts their profitability or bottom line – from processes and solutions to service delivery and workforce. In today’s landscape where credential fraud and diploma mills are widespread, ensuring company staff are genuine and fit for role necessitates the importance of background screening. Here are four ways implementing a robust background screening program for potential and existing job candidates boosts your organization’s bottom line:

1. Shorten the recruitment process

HR professionals and hiring managers go through a lengthy and time consuming procedure of selecting, interviewing and approving a candidate for an available job position. Applying an accurate screening program can significantly help in fishing out unqualified or dishonest applicants, thus saving both time and money.

2. Reduce the chances of hiring the wrong people

Giving the job to the wrong person may cost the business a substantial amount of money. To this end, verifying their academic, professional and personal information before hiring them can actively mitigate such losses and safeguard your organization’s bottom line.

3. Lower the risk of losing clients

An incompetent employee is the fastest way to lose a client, leaving the company to deal with unnecessary implications and reputational damage. By screening applicants before hiring them, you can dodge similar occurrences and avoid such risks upfront – hence not only retaining, but also growing your client base.

4. Avoid lawsuits related to negligent hiring

Employees have a direct impact on the satisfaction and wellbeing of the people your business serves, especially in vital sectors like healthcare or education. Conducting a comprehensive background check on job candidates – both potential and current – protects your organization from falling prey to negligent recruitment lawsuits, which cost a hefty sum of money.

The Definitive Guide to Primary Source Verification

Posted on by Salma Ghozlan

This article is a comprehensive guide to Primary Source Verification – also commonly referred to as PSV. Here you’ll learn everything you need to know about this leading screening approach and why it is fast becoming organizations’ preferred method for confirming the genuineness of countless types of documents.

What exactly is PSV?

PSV is an advanced authentication process that involves obtaining information directly from the original source that issued a document – regardless of its nature. Such documents may include, but are not limited to: Academic degrees, professional experience certificates, resumes, work permits, practice licenses and passports, among others.

How does PSV differ from other verification processes?

As opposed to traditional verification procedures, PSV indicates the attainment of data directly from the issuing source – better known as the issuing authority. This guarantees optimal information integrity, hence ensuring that individuals are professional, proficient and perform to their maximum capacities.

What are the end benefits of PSV?

By implementing PSV on both existing and potential staff, organizations can significantly lower the possibility of incurring financial losses, regulatory implications, reputational damage and internal risks resulting from employee fraud or malpractice.

Which industries benefit most from PSV?

All industries without exception, especially considering the current global rate of document forgery – which stands at 2.32% as of April 2016 based on DataFlow Group statistics. Organizations at large – regardless of their scale and of the sectors in which they operate – are continuously at risk of falling prey to document and employee fraud. This is precisely why rigorous document verification – specifically PSV – is essential to affirming that individuals are honest, qualified and competent.

Contact us at sales@dataflowgroup.com and let us help you protect your community!

Top Seven Interview Tips

Posted on by Salma Ghozlan

You’ve sent your resume and you finally got booked in for a meeting! Ace your interview and get the job with these seven useful tips:

1. Do your research

Learn about your potential employer prior to arriving to your interview. This will help you tailor your responses and will show your interest in the job vacancy.

2. Prepare responses to common interview questions.

Know who you’re meeting with beforehand and compose detailed yet concise responses, focusing on specific examples and accomplishments.

3. Dress the part.

Choose an outfit that fits the organization and its culture, while keeping the overall look clean and professional. Keep accessories to a minimum and don’t go overboard with the perfume.

4. Arrive on time for your job interview.

Never arrive late to an interview. In fact, it is sometimes preferred to get there around 15 minutes before your scheduled meeting to complete any required paperwork and allow yourself some time to get settled. If you’re doing a virtual interview, make sure you are at the desk ahead of time to be comfortably seated and settled in.

5. Make positive first impressions with everyone you meet.

Be polite, smile and make eye contact with each person you encounter on your way into the interview, from the receptionist to the person you are meeting with.

6. Ask the right questions to your interviewer.

Over the course of the interview, show interest in the organization and the job by asking insightful questions that are relevant to the position you are applying for.

7. Thank your interviewer.

Common courtesy and politeness go a long way in interviews, so make sure you thank the person who interviewed you, ending the meeting with positive eye contact and a firm handshake.

The Alarming Reality of Fraud in Healthcare

Posted on by Salma Ghozlan

The appeal of overseas job opportunities and the ongoing shortage in professionals to meet enhanced investment in infrastructure and social services has created a lucrative market for unqualified individuals to embellish or forge their academic or professional documents, taking advantage of the prevalent need to bridge the gap between supply and demand. In countries that import labour to support future growth and development, this trend is creating an increasingly acute problem.

In recent years, nearly 87% of new overseas registrations in the United Kingdom have come from the European Economic Area (EEA), with British medical professionals topping the list of ‘Negative’ cases at 52%[1]. With regards to foreign labour, an investigation by The Guardian found that aggressive recruitment sees doctors from at least 27 countries hired in 32 of the 160 hospital trusts in England[2] – a figure that is only set to grow moving forward. In 2014, the National Health Service (NHS) alone employed 150,273 qualified doctors, 377,191 qualified nurses, 155,960 qualified scientific, therapeutic and technical staff and 37,078 qualified managers[3] within its extensive network of provider and commissioner organisations. This being said, if we consider the possibility of document forgery, we will find that there is a significant number of unqualified healthcare professionals currently practicing in the United Kingdom.

With the healthcare sector in the United Kingdom and the world at large evolving at such a rapid pace, ensuring that medical professionals have the skillset, expertise and ethics they claim has become of paramount importance. This is especially true in critical sectors such as healthcare where potential repercussions of malpractice could be fatal, and could also lead to lawsuits and loss of credibility for employers, regulators and governments alike – yet another concerning issue.

To put things into perspective, since 2013, the DataFlow Group has screened 375,000 doctors, nurses and allied healthcare professionals migrating to work in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region. More than 10,000 of those were found to have used fake or misrepresented academic credentials, professional licenses or work history in their visa or licensing applications. Nurses were the most likely to misrepresent their backgrounds, with 4.4% of applicants having a negative background screening result, followed by allied healthcare professionals such as a pharmacists and medical technologists, coming in at 3.8%[4]. The most commonly misrepresented information received from nurses and allied healthcare workers was employment history, particularly the tenure, position and type of institution stated in their work experience. Alternatively, physicians were more likely to have negative results related to false academic credentials.

The issue is deeply unsettling for the healthcare sector in particular, not only in the GCC region, but also globally, especially given the alarming rise in diploma mills – unaccredited universities and colleges that sell effectively worthless degrees, often without any previous requirements from students. Further complicating efforts to effectively screen job applicants, governments and regulators have traditionally relied on a system of notarisation and Apostilles to ensure documents presented by migrant workers are genuine. This approach is flawed in that a notarisation only attests that a copy of a document such as a diploma is a true likeness of the original. It does not guarantee, for example, that a diploma itself is real, the person whose name is on the diploma attended the school or that the institution granting the qualification is recognized by a competent authority.

On the other hand, notarisation can also be faked. Most of the counterfeit documents the DataFlow Group has uncovered are imprinted with ‘genuine’ stamps, attestations and endorsements. The Hague Conference on Private International Law – an international organization facilitating agreements on legal matters – expressed serious concerns about the potential abuse of notarisation, saying: “An official looking certificate may be issued to a copy of a diploma mill qualification, and then subsequently issued with an Apostille, without anyone having ever verified the signature on, let alone the contents of, the diploma. The addition of seals, certificates and Apostilles lends credibility to these documents in the eyes of those who are unaware of what is actually being certified.” The common misconception that ‘original’ documents are equivalent to primary source authentication is at the core of the matter.

To safeguard against employee fraud and misconduct, an advanced screening methodology – namely Primary Source Verification (PSV) – was introduced. As the term indicates, PSV refers to the attainment of data directly from the issuing source. As such, this guarantees optimal information accuracy and integrity, and ultimately helps organisations – particularly those within the healthcare sector – avoid possible regulatory implications, reputational damage, financial losses, and most importantly, internal risks that could pose a threat to the physical wellbeing of patients. The problem is, however, that until this day, many governments and regulators continue to utilize to a large extent online portals to conduct verifications. Understandably, these lack a robust PSV element as they rely purely on checking only against digitised documents as opposed to approaching the original source or issuing authority.

The best way to ensure that both medical institutions and practitioners maintain excellent quality standards and serve their respective communities to the best of their abilities is by affirming and sustaining integrity, competence and professionalism across all levels of the value chain. This can only be done with such effectiveness by leveraging the most rigorous verification solution available to date – PSV – thus enhancing the overall level of care within the healthcare sector and ultimately protecting global communities.

[1] Royal College of Nursing: RCN Position Statement on International Recruitment

[2] The Guardian: Denis Campbell, Haroon Siddique, Ashley Kirk and James Meikle. Wednesday 28 January 2015: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/jan/28/-sp-nhs-hires-3000-foreign-doctors-staff-shortage

[3] NHS Confederation Key Statistics: https://www.nhsconfed.org/resources/key-statistics-on-the-nhs

[4] Arab Health Magazine: Combating the Challenge of Counterfeit Documents, May 2016: https://www.arabhealthmagazine.com/press-releases/2016/issue-3/combating-the-challenge-of-counterfeit-documents/