What can you do with a job candidate’s email address alone?
For example, perform email background checks.
Have you ever heard of them? Do you know what they are, why they are important, or how to conduct them?
If not, then this article is for you.
But we won’t just focus on that. When approaching email background checks, many businesses overlook the crucial first step: verifying the email address.
That’s why we’ll cover this aspect as well.
Email background check: What is it and why is it important
An email background check is the process of gathering information about an individual or entity using their email address. It helps validate an essential piece of an applicant’s information, as it can reveal some details about their internet footprint, metadata, and personal records.
Email background checks are not as exhaustive as a full background check report, which might include court records, criminal records, and complete employment history.
Yet, they’re often the first step in ensuring the legitimacy of the email address used by a person or candidate.
All right, but why does this matter?
Verifying the authenticity of the email address before the full analysis is a must.
For example, you could end up sending sensitive information about your company and a position you’re hiring for to the wrong person. Besides the embarrassment, you could leak out the information and cause a PR crisis.
The role of email verification in background checks
A simple mistake such as ike a typo in an email address, can create serious problems. Verifying the email address upfront guarantees you connect with the right person, have the correct information, and protect yourself from errors.
But that’s not all. Employers and organizations, especially those dealing with sensitive data, must be careful who they trust and hire.
The first can confirm the legitimacy of a candidate or business partner and set the stage for more thorough background checks later on.
In this way, you minimize the risk of fraudulent attempts to infiltrate your systems or impersonate someone.
Moreover, many industries are governed by regulations like the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), which mandates that employers run background checks carefully and transparently. Inaccuracies due to unverified emails can put both the employer and the applicant in danger.
So, above all benefits, confirming that the email is legitimate protects everyone in the email chain and guarantees compliance with the necessary legal frameworks.
Tools and techniques for email verification
Knowing the right techniques and tools for email verification can speed up your work – no matter if you own a small business, have a large corporation, are part of an HR team, or just run a one-person company and want to authenticate an individual’s information yourself.
Some of the email verification techniques are:
- Deliverability testing
Deliverability testing sends a “ping” to the server to see if the email address exists without actually sending an email. As a result, you can inspect if the email is real and prevent wasted time on inactive addresses.
- Syntax and format checking
Syntax and format checking look for basic flaws like typos or invalid characters. The service scans the email address to ensure it’s in the correct format (e.g., [email protected]). It helps prevent issues like misplaced characters.
- Domain validation
Domain validation determines if the domain associated with the email address (e.g., @gmail.com) is active and can receive emails. It verifies the domain’s MX (Mail Exchange) records to see if it’s functional and not linked to inactive or fraudulent sources.
Apart from techniques, you can use many reliable tools to handle email validation efficiently.
Tools like Bouncer offer robust services that go beyond just confirming if an email exists.
They ensure the email is valid, safe, deliverable, and associated with the correct person.
Bouncer eliminates potential human errors and detects spam traps, catch-all addresses, temporary emails and all other addresses that may put your sender reputation at risk.
Steps to conduct an email background check
Step 1: Email verification
Verifying the email address should always be the first thing you do.
Since any invalid or fake email address could lead you down a rabbit hole of incorrect data and result in inaccurate background check results, you can prevent them right from the start.
Here’s an example of how you can approach this step:
- Manually – you can manually inspect the email for any obvious issues. Look for typos, incorrect formatting, or missing symbols.
- Automatically – if you don’t have time to manually verify or the addresses are too many, bet on automation right away. Take advantage of available tools and techniques that can do much more than verify an address.
Step 2: Search engines
If the email is scanned, run a Google search or use other search engines to uncover any traces of the email across the internet.
For instance, input the email address in Google and see if it appears on public forums, blogs, or websites. This can provide insights into the individual’s internet activity or potential affiliations.
If the email is linked to any professional profiles, such as articles, publications, or social contributions, these results can give additional information about the person’s internet footprint.
Step 3: Social media platforms
Social media can provide deeper insights into the identity behind the email address. Which platforms to use and how?
- LinkedIn: Focus on business platforms first. Search for the email address on LinkedIn to find potential matches in terms of employment history or job-related activities.
- Facebook, Twitter, Instagram: Remember that many people link their email addresses to their private social media accounts. Conduct a search on these platforms to see if any personal profiles are tied to the email address.
Step 4: Specialized background check tools
There are specialized tools that allow you to perform more in-depth checks, like Pipl – a search engine focused on finding people across the deep web, including any public records associated with the email.
There is also Spokeo, a tool that can be used to look up personal information linked to an email, such as employment, criminal records, or contact details.
Pro tip: Always document your findings and note any inconsistencies – like potential red flags in the overall background check process.
Why email verification is essential for accurate background checks
- Avoiding common pitfalls
Skipping email verification can pose significant issues for businesses. If you rely on an unverified email, you could end up chasing incorrect information or, worse, missing critical details entirely.
Imagine spending days pulling up from job applicants’ employment history, reviewing public records, and running various background checks, only to realize later that the email wasn’t linked to the actual person.
- Improving accuracy and reliability
Verifying email addresses ensures that the background check results you obtain are built on a solid foundation. When an email is verified as correct and active, it increases the reliability of any additional information you gather.
Ultimately, verified emails contribute to stronger, more reliable business decisions and improve efficiency in hiring potential staff.
Thorough verification with Bouncer
So, you are looking for a reliable tool to help you with thorough email verification? Look no further than Bouncer – it’s an easy-to-use, affordable solution designed to help businesses verify emails and more if needed.
What makes Bouncer stand out is its features and user-friendly interface that simplifies the process of verifying email addresses. You won’t get bogged down in a complicated process – it’s straightforward, quick, and, importantly, cost-effective.
With a pay-as-you-go pricing model, you only pay for what you use, so it can be a great fit for your businesses.
Bouncer comes packed with features like real-time verification, bulk email verification API, toxicity check, deliverability kit, data enrichment, and many integrations.
Moreover, this platform has fantastic reviews from users across the globe.
People love how it catches invalid addresses and helps boost the effectiveness of email campaigns while maintaining a high sender reputation.
Give Bouncer a try, take your time, and see the difference it makes.
Enjoy robust employment verification
An email background check is an essential step in confirming the authenticity of an email address. In this process, email verification is not just an option – it’s a necessity for any business that values accuracy and data integrity.
Now you know that using trusted verification tools like Bouncer early on gives you confidence that email addresses are valid, efficient, and free from errors.
Thus, use Bouncer before conducting background checks and enjoy the best outcomes.
