Filling executive, government or high-profile public-facing positions? James Sutherland, CVCheck Managing Director, New Zealand, explains how a global media search can protect your organisation from potential reputational damage and help find a great candidate.
Heard of a global media search? If you’re filling senior roles, making appointments to the board, or hiring candidates who’ll be in high profile public-facing positions, this background check should be a non-negotiable part of your pre-employment screening process.
In a nutshell, the global media search is a broad-based news and database search that quickly reveals any information – both good and bad – on your candidate that’s in the public domain including insights into their public profile and business dealings.
“Our global media search uses a trusted search engine to look for any reference of the candidate’s name across a premier collection of the world’s top media outlets, trade, and consumer publications and thousands of websites,” explains James Sutherland, CVCheck Managing Director, New Zealand. “That includes more than 31,000 global news and information sources from 200 countries in 26 languages.”
It’s important to note, a global media search is not a social media check and only mines information from qualified, factual and well-known sources – it does not delve into personal social media accounts.
Why global media searches are of value to recruiters?
Potentially, the information revealed through a global media search could be sensitive or embarrassing, both to the role and your organisation, so the check ensures there are no ‘nasty surprises’ following the announcement of a senior appointment. This protects the reputation of both the organisation and recruiter.
“It allows the reduce of risk to the harm of the company brand, but also to the personal brand of the talent acquisition practitioner acquiring the new senior member of the organisation,” explains James, who is quick to point out it’s not just adverse media the check unearths.
“A global media search also allows recruiters, executive search and board level talent acquisition subcommittees to obtain positive media reports, which can help build a due diligence picture that allows a well-informed appointment of a talented senior executive or board member to the table,” he says.
What industries should be using global media searches?
While government, businesses in the financial industry and organisations that oversee New Zealand’s anti-money laundering legislation most consistently commission global media searches, the check should be used by all recruiters hiring at an executive level.
“All of CVCheck’s banking clients, any financial regulatory government client, government financial advisor, and ministry organisations that advise New Zealand Government Ministers all use this check,” says James.
“A global media search has to be a part of a due diligence screening program for any C Suite and board governance role.”
