For all the talk of HR tech evolution, one part of hiring has stubbornly lagged: employment verification.
While everything else gets automated, verified data is still trapped in emails and manual follow-ups. It does more than slow things down. It erodes trust.
Chris Milligan, CEO of Konfir, joined What the FTE? podcast to unpack a quiet revolution: instant employment and income verification.
It is not just faster. It is more complete, fraud-resistant, and trusted by regulators.
From Weeks to Minutes
“You can now prove employment in milliseconds, not weeks.” – Chris Milligan
Traditional employment checks meant emails, forms, and waiting. In regulated industries, verification delays could stretch six weeks or more.
Konfir flips that. By connecting directly to HMRC, payroll, and open banking data, employers can:
- Verify up to six years of employment history
- See a 360° view of income and work gaps
- Remove up to 90% of manual chasing
- Get verified results in minutes, not weeks
Certn has partnered with Konfir to offer instant employment verification to our UK clients. So if you’re hiring in the UK, get in touch to learn more.
It is not just speed. It is authoritative, fraud-resistant data, delivered instantly.
Trust Is Not a Checkbox. It Is a Design Principle.
Legacy verification relied on references and HR departments responding manually. Now, real-time triangulation of data from multiple sources replaces assumption with evidence.
The result? Instant confidence in a candidate’s history.
Konfir is also certified under the UK Digital Identity & Attribute Trust Framework (UKDIATF), making it one of the few government-recognised providers of verified employment and income data.
Clarity Drives Conversion
Simplicity is good. But clarity converts.
Konfir found that adding a screen explaining how data would be used actually increased conversion. This challenges the myth that fewer clicks equals better UX.
CIPD backs this: ethical use of people analytics depends on transparency.
Clarity builds trust.
And when candidates understand how their data is used, they engage more fully.
Triangulation: Accuracy Without Friction
Deloitte describes the trust-automation paradox: how do you automate without losing accuracy?
Konfir resolves this through triangulation of HMRC, payroll, and banking data. This means:
- Broader data coverage (up to 80% of UK workers)
- Cross-verification across multiple sources
- Automatic fraud detection
And because it operates on a success-based model, it integrates seamlessly into hiring workflows without bloating your tech stack or adding overhead.
Your Verification Flow Is a Brand Signal
Candidates do not just experience your product. They experience your process.
How you verify employment tells them whether you value:
- Security
- Speed
- Transparency
Milligan calls it “trust by design”.
This echoes findings from McKinsey, which stress that transparent, data-driven systems build trust in workforce planning.
Either way, instant verification creates a stronger first impression. It also creates a smoother path to day one.
Designed for Scale, Built for Compliance
“Hire people who thrive in ambiguity. That is the new superpower.” – Chris Milligan
Konfir’s lean, cross-functional teams combine product agility with regulatory fluency. The result? A fully compliant platform trusted by top employers and screening providers.
- UKDIATF certified
- ICO registered
- ISO 27001 compliant
This is not a side feature. It is the backbone of how modern verification should work.
What HR Teams Can Do Now
Instant verification is not future-gazing. It is live and ready.
What you can do:
- Map your manual touchpoints. Where are the delays?
- Calculate your cost-per-hire drag. What is the impact of slow onboarding?
- Pilot instant verification tools. Start with one role or region. Measure speed, drop-off, and conversion.
If your process still relies on emails and references, you are already behind.
Final Word
If you only remember three things:
- Real-time checks reduce onboarding from weeks to hours
- Triangulated data is more accurate than references
- Clarity in data use drives candidate trust
👉 Psst… Want to see instant verification in action? Check out Konfir’s platform here.
If you’d like to hear Chris unpack this in detail, listen to the full episode of What the FTE? below.
🎧 Listen Now:
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