Serco Solutions
With a growing need to recruit the people and expertise it needs, Serco had for some time been relying on a supplier to carry out various candidate checks. However, with concern about the level of service being provided, Serco looked for an alternative supplier, eventually choosing NorthgateArinso PeopleChecking in October 2007.
The Company
Serco Solutions is a division of Serco, an international service company specialising in managing people, processes, technology and assets more effectively. They advise governments on how to improve services across many areas of public life, from justice to healthcare, education to defence. Meanwhile their work for private clients ranges from the management of facilities, projects and IT systems, through to the creation of entirely new enterprises. The division specialises in finding technological and business process outsourcing solutions for a wide range of clients, particularly within the public sector. It employs approximately 4,000 staff across the UK and Europe.
Background
With a growing need to recruit the people and expertise it needs, Serco had for some time been relying on a supplier to carry out various candidate checks. However, with concern about the level of service being provided, Serco looked for an alternative supplier, eventually choosing NorthgateArinso PeopleChecking in October 2007.
Solution
NorthgateArinso offer a number of checking services and Serco chose the two that are of most relevance to their recruitment processes. Rosemary Ryan, Serco’s Senior HR Administrator, explains: “The first check we need is to verify the candidate’s employment history. This gives us a written reference from the employer, usually detailing the company name, period of employment and position. “It’s essential that we verify the employment history of our candidates, including getting appropriate references. This information often brings to light information not evident at the interview stage. Because of NorthgateArinso’s technology, experience and client base, they are able to identify and contact the right referees faster than other suppliers who still rely on paper based processes.” The second check that NorthgateArinso runs for Serco is in respect of a candidate’s professional qualifications and membership, including the various levels and dates. One of the particular strengths of the service is that it covers international bodies, as Rosemary Ryan explains: “We often have applications from abroad, or from UK-based candidates with international backgrounds.
This doesn’t present a problem for NorthgateArinso, whose understanding of international professional and trade bodies is a valuable asset to us. “This checking service has advantages over simply asking candidates to supply documents. Obviously it removes the opportunity for forgery, but it also means candidates don’t have to put valuable documents in the post.” A sensible alternative to in-house checking Serco believes that by outsourcing the candidate checking to NorthgateArinso they have made a sensible decision in terms of resource allocation. “We wouldn’t want to do this in-house,” says Rosemary Ryan. “It simply wouldn’t be worth it when you consider the time we would spend writing letters and emails, making phone calls and so on. It’s much more efficient to rely on specialists to do it on our behalf. “We also benefit from the high service levels.There is always someone available at NorthgateArinso to help us when we need them. And the system itself is simple: once we have consent from the candidate to run the check we get them to complete an online form which provides NorthgateArinso with the information they need. Where information is missing, they contact candidates direct, so we don’t need to get involved and we save even more time.”
