You don’t need us to tell you the world of work has changed.
Hiring is harder than ever. The stakes are higher. The expectations? Sky high.
With the nature of work and hiring in a state of flux, HR professionals are operating in a continuously evolving environment for the foreseeable future. Remote, gig, contingent, there’s no shortage of challenges to keep you busy.
You’re leading a team of energized recruiters, juggling ambitious hiring goals, and building processes that scale. You’re leaning into automation, testing new tools, and delivering an experience that reflects your company’s values and culture.
But we know there’s one area where the gears still grind, regardless of the type of organization you work in or who you bring on board: background screening. *cue dramatic music*
Just when you’ve nailed your hiring flow… the background check stalls. Again.
Weeks go by. Links break. Candidates ghost. Start dates slip. Your best hire walks.
“We’re trying to hire faster, smarter, and more inclusively, but the background check process keeps slowing us down.”
Sound familiar? You’re not alone. Whether you’re hiring remote, gig, full-time, or fractional, the pain points are the same: slow turnaround times, clunky platforms, poor candidate experience, and risk of compliance missteps.
That’s why in this blog post, we’re breaking down what today’s TA leaders really need from a background screening partner—and how Certn helps hiring teams move faster, protect their brand, and build a better experience from start to finish.
What Talent Acquisition Leaders Want Today
You’re building progressive talent programs across salaried and hourly roles, whether it’s scaling tech teams or staffing up frontline operations. You’re shaping employer brands, reducing time-to-fill, and fighting (hard) to make hiring more fair, inclusive, and efficient.
And while you’re juggling all that, candidates are still dropping out of the process. Why?
Why Are Candidates Ghosting Midway?
The research says it all: candidates are ghosting not because they’re flaky, but because the process is.
Broken links. Duplicate forms. Waiting weeks for an update.
That’s not just annoying, it’s a red flag.
The real trailblazers in HR and TA have recognized this, and are thinking outside the box when it comes to developing people, cross-pollinating roles from elsewhere, and actively keeping succession and new-role pipelines full.
Even still, candidates don’t have time for broken links, duplicate forms, or clunky portals. Neither do you.
Here’s what talent leaders like you actually need:
✅ A hiring flow that respects candidates’ time and keeps your brand intact
✅ Tools that grow with your business, whether you’re hiring five or 500
✅ Real-time data you can act on, not just dashboards that sit in the background
✅ Compliance built-in, not bolted on
✅ A true partner, not just another vendor
Because your goal isn’t just to fill roles. It’s to make talent acquisition a strategic driver of business growth, not a cost centre with a backlog.
What’s Standing in Your Way: Background Checks Causing Hiring Bottlenecks
You’re doing all the right things. You’re tightening your workflows, investing in better tools, and putting people first.
But here’s what’s still dragging your team down:
- Onboarding delays that throw off start dates and lose great hires
- Frustrated candidates with complaints that show up in Glassdoor reviews
- Compliance chaos when you’re hiring across borders
- Admin overload that burns out your team
- Legacy systems that make modern TA teams feel like they’re working in 2008
Sound familiar? You’re not alone.
And no, you don’t need “just another vendor.”
You can’t attract top talent if the first impression looks like their worst stereotype of how your company may work. You need someone who actually understands how fast hiring moves now, and how fast trust can break if you’re not careful.
The Breaking Point: When Screening Becomes a Dealbreaker
These are real pain points we hear from directors like you every week:
“We lost a top candidate because their background check took 10 days.”
“My team is drowning in manual tasks that software should be solving.”
“We’re hiring at scale next quarter, and our current process isn’t built for it.”
“Our ATS is modern, our screening vendor isn’t.”
“I’m being asked to do more with less—again.”
This isn’t just annoying. It’s a business risk.
In a market where every hire matters, your screening partner shouldn’t be the reason you lose them.
Solution: TA Directors’ Innovative Approaches
Not all background check vendors are built for modern hiring. If you’re exploring new options, here’s what to ask, and why it matters.
✅ What to Look For in a Screening Partner
You can read more about what’s influencing background check buying decisions in our piece, 2025 Trends in the Background Screening Industry.
Certn’s Role in Streamlining Background Screening
You don’t need another clunky portal. You need a screening partner that keeps up with how you hire now.
Certn is the background screening partner built for talent teams that move fast, hire globally, and never settle for the status quo.
Founded in 2016, Certn helps over 20,000 teams, from scaling startups to global enterprises, streamline background checks with automation, accuracy, and candidate-first design. Whether you’re hiring developers in Toronto, frontline staff in Sydney, or executives in London, Certn makes trust easy, fast, and compliant.
Here’s what sets us apart:
⚡ Fast Turnaround Times
Most checks complete in minutes, not days. No bottlenecks. No ghosting. Faster checks = faster offers = fewer drop-offs.
📱 Mobile-First Candidate Experience
Our user flow is sleek, secure, and simple. It’s designed to reduce friction and ghosting at a critical stage in the hiring process.
✅ Built-In Global Compliance
Built-in frameworks for FCRA, GDPR, PIPEDA, and other global regulations. We help keep you compliant across borders, so you can scale without legal guesswork.
🔗 Plug-and-Play Integrations
Plug Certn directly into your existing systems—Workday, Lever, Greenhouse, and more—no extra steps, no manual uploads. Our full list of integrations can be found in our Partner Marketplace.
🌍 Screening Without Borders
Hire anywhere. Certn offers full-spectrum screening coverage across North America, Europe and the Middle East, Australia, New Zealand, and beyond, with localized workflows and multilingual support.
💸 Transparent Pricing
Clear packages. No surprise fees. Just pricing that grows with you and reflects real ROI. (Some clients save up to 50% on their screening costs.)
🤝 We Partner, We Don’t Just Sell
Our job isn’t done after you click “send.” From implementation to support to branded workflows, our team works alongside yours to help you move faster, hire smarter, and help protect your brand at every step.
If your current background check process feels like a bottleneck, it’s time for a better way. It’s time for Certn.
Conclusion: Embracing Efficient Hiring Practices
Ready to stop losing great candidates at the finish line?
If you dream of being an employer of choice, with an easy, streamlined hiring experience that attracts top talent and your background screening process is holding you back, it’s time for a change.
Certn helps talent leaders create fast, modern, and compliant hiring experiences that candidates love, and that hiring managers trust.
Want to integrate background screening and identity verification into your hiring workflow to create a more seamless experience? Let’s talk.
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🎧 Still hiring with yesterday’s playbook? Don’t. Check out What the FTE?, our podcast for HR leaders who want to stay sharp, not stagnant. Even if you’re not ready to switch screening vendors (yet), you’ll walk away with insights to future-proof your hiring and turn friction into flow. Listen now →
