Geos: Segment candidates based on location

This article will help you:

• Group Checkr users (such as requesters or adjudicators) by geography-based locations
• Group candidates and background checks by geography-based location
• Determine what to do if a candidate’s home and job location are different
• Get deeper insights into key metrics at the market or geographic level

This article is for the following user roles: admin

The Geo feature allows you to segment candidates based on the city or market where they will be working. Using geos (work locations) is a powerful way for Checkr to support your compliance with state and local laws, and to make your program more efficient. See our Checkr Check-In video for a basic overview of geos:

Here’s how geos support efficiency:

• If you have recruiters who are responsible for certain regions, you can use geos to limit the candidates they see in the system to just those regions. They will also receive email notifications for candidates in only those locations.
• When looking at analytics, you can segment information like turnaround time, adverse action, or exceptions by location.

Here’s how geos (work locations) support your compliance efforts:

• Fair hiring laws vary from region to region, so you’ll want to make sure that you’re applying the right rules based on both the candidate’s home and work locations.
• If you have adjudicators in multiple regions, those adjudicators are likely more familiar with local fair hiring laws and what is considerable. Work locations help you pair the right adjudicators with the right candidates.
• Job location can determine how you handle disclosures and adverse action procedures, so work locations help you manage job location properly.

Define geos

Use the Checkr Dashboard to define work locations to better manage your background check workflow. For more information about creating these locations, refer to Create geos in the Checkr Dashboard User Guide.

Assign geos to users

After you set up work locations, you can assign different ones to different users. For example, if you have recruiters who hire candidates only in a certain location, you can assign that location to them.  

To assign locations to users, go to Account settings > Users. Click Edit Geos next to the name of a user, then choose the locations that you want to assign to them.

Users receive notifications and have access to reports only in their locations. This feature allows you to increase your program’s accuracy and reduce error. 

Assign geos to candidates

After you define your locations, you can apply them to candidates. Base geos on your candidates’ work location to allow Checkr to apply the proper compliance filters based on the combination of their address and job location. After you assign a location to a candidate, you can't delete it from your dashboard.

To apply a location to a candidate, select that it when you invite the candidate.  

Combine programs and geos

Programs and geos are both powerful features that you can use together. Use geos for work location and programs for position type or client (if you’re a staffing/BPO company). Checkr can set up your programs, and you can set up your geos. Contact Checkr Customer Support if you need help setting these up.

How would you use geos and programs together? As an example, if you hire certain positions in certain locations (for example, Customer Service Representatives in Palm Beach and Corporate Officers in Trenton) you can combine programs and geos to provide more granular targeting for each set of candidates.  

Or if you’re a staffing agency with one client who recruits warehouse workers in Dallas, Atlanta, and Philadelphia and another client who recruits data analysts in Boston, Philadelphia, and New York, you can use a combination of geos (for the locations) and programs (for the client/position type).

Pairing work locations and programs has two benefits:

• More specific segments for candidates:
• You could segment finance positions (program) in your Los Angeles office (location), which might have different requirements for packages and compliance.
• An on-demand transportation network company (TNC) can create programs for drivers versus full-time employees and then segment those by each location where it does business.
• A staffing agency may create a segment for positions hired for SampleCo (program) in Atlanta (location), and a different segment for positions hired for GeneriCorp (program) in Jacksonville (location).
• A BPO firm could create a segment for each client it supports (program), by call center site (location).
• Better user management: By combining geos and programs, you have more control over user permissions. For example, you might want a recruiter (who might have a requester role in Checkr) to initiate background checks and manage candidates in only a certain role and location.

By adding locations to programs, you can restrict a certain program to be run in those locations. Your recruiters/requesters then have a more focused set of packages to offer to their candidates, rather than all available ones. You analytics will also provide more value.

Filter analytics by location

In the Analytics section of the dashboard, you will find reporting on Turnaround Time, Adverse Action, Positive Adjudication, Exceptions, and more. Using geos allows you to filter these reports by your different locations and take a more data-driven approach to your hiring process. For instance, you can more easily recognize which locations have longer turnaround times or which are more likely to initiate adverse actions.

For example, by using programs and geos to filter analytics, you could answer questions such as the ones below:

• What is the turnaround time for reports being generated for Client X in the New York metro?
• What are the top offense categories receiving adverse action in our corporate program in the Huntsville metro?

To filter by location, click Filters, and then select Geos and enter the location you want to use.
 

Use job location for geos, not home location

We recommend using job location for your geos. Job location means the candidate’s primary place of employment. Because candidates might live in a different state than where they work, job location geos better support your compliance with state consumer reporting and hiring laws.   

Because these laws can apply to either to both the state of employment and state of residence, Checkr needs to know both in order to support your compliance.

For example, New York typically has more stringent reporting requirements than Connecticut and will report less, so if you have a candidate with a home address in Connecticut but who will work in New York, Checkr can use New York’s compliance requirements if you select it as the location. 

Checkr will already have the candidate’s home address as part of the candidate flow, either because the candidate completed Checkr’s hosted flow or because you imported the postal code using the API. With that information, we can apply the proper compliance filters based on their home address. Then geos will supply the job location.

What's the difference between geos and programs?

Use the chart below to reference the differences between programs and geos as business tools.

Reminder: What do geos do?

• Segment candidates by their work location.
• Assign your Checkr users to see candidates & receive email notifications in a specific location.

Reminder: What do programs do?

• Segment candidates by their position type or group (by department, by client).
• Group your screening packages to make them easy to manage.