Background Checks in Mexico: 6 Considerations to keep in mind - Emptor

If you get this far, it is probably because you want to know a little more about background checks in Mexico: what are their peculiarities, how are they different from those in other regions in LATAM, and how can you ensure that you hire the best background check service in the country.

Background checks are checks where it is corroborated in various sources if a potential candidate to hire has a clean record and is trustworthy.

In this article, we will share a series of key considerations that you should keep in mind if you are looking to hire a background check company in Mexico:

1. Ensure good handling of personal data

In Mexico, the company that hires a certain platform to validate criminal records of its candidates is responsible for the handling of personal data. What does this mean? If the background check platform you use does not have the technology to adapt and effectively comply with the specific laws of each country (in this case Mexico), the one who would end up suffering the legal consequences would be your company.

So our recommendation is that you validate that the background check tool you hire adheres to the best practices for the treatment and protection of personal data so that you avoid legal inconveniences in the future.

Another aspect to keep in mind is that these data privacy laws can change, so make sure that the company you hire can quickly update the way it handles data to adhere to current legislation.

2. Consider the candidate’s criminal record in neighboring countries

This is a key point. Given the proximity and relationship that Mexico has with the United States, it is important that a criminal record check is also carried out in the neighboring country.

In fact, a report revealed that 68% of foreign prisoners in US prisons were born in a country bordering to the south and that the main countries of origin of those sentenced were Mexico, Colombia, and the Dominican Republic.

According to statistics, a third of those sentenced for homicide in Mexico were also detained in the United States. Of this same group of prisoners who were sentenced for homicide, 31.3% committed the homicide outside the country.

Therefore, it is essential that you ensure that the background check service in Mexico that you decide to hire also validates criminal records in neighboring countries.

3. Do not give the last word to the non-criminal record letter

You might think that background checks are unnecessary if you have the verdict of a non-criminal record letter. But don’t fall into this trap… Why? Because non-criminal background checks only include geographically limited cases that have been prosecuted and convicted – so they don’t report whether a person was arrested or committed.

According to the Global Impunity Index in Mexico (2015):

• Only 8.8% of those accused in inquiries and investigation files were convicted.
• Only 31% of those accused of a criminal case end up being convicted.
• 46% of the convicts who carry out their process in prison take more than 12 months to be sentenced; 72% wait more than 12 months.

This means that if a candidate was charged with a felony, but has not yet been sentenced and is in the process of being investigated, you would not see it reflected in his non-criminal record letter. But definitely, someone with those kinds of accusations could end up representing a danger to the company they recruit.

4. Check and validate the sources consulted

Another consideration that you must keep in mind if you are looking for a background check company in Mexico is what sources are consulted and if they are constantly updated.

If the final verdict on the candidate is made after consulting only a few sources, you may not be seeing the full – and correct – picture.

So look for background checking solutions that offer you the most up-to-date sources. To give you an idea or take it as a benchmark, at Emptor, we run background checks on more than 500 public sources. Can you imagine the time it would take for a human to review more than 500 sources for a single candidate? The good news is that thanks to artificial intelligence, this process is done automatically.

5. Check how accurate the results are

Not all that glitters is gold… Although automation and artificial intelligence have made background checks surprisingly easy, leaving human judgment aside, is a common mistake made by most service providers of background checks.

In the absence of this second human filter, it is very common to fall into what is called homonymy, which is when a candidate’s name coincides with the writing or pronunciation of another person who has had a criminal record, and therefore, is erroneously and unfairly disqualified, leaving him without the opportunity to be part of the company.

Another issue that must be highlighted is how severe the fault found by the background check system is. Having committed a kidnapping is not the same as having been arrested for driving while intoxicated. When there is no human evaluation as part of the process, both candidates are equally discarded. Do you think this is fair?

For this reason, at Emptor we have invested in a team of legal experts who verify the failures that our artificial intelligence system throws up and who issue the final verdict based on criteria that we have previously defined and that have been favorable in the past. This allows us to offer the highest candidate approval rate in the region (98%) and not unnecessarily disqualify applicants.

6. Compare times and prices by background check

A final recommendation that we would make is that you search for and compare the times and prices of the various background check tools that you are considering. Remember that any significant savings in time or money will greatly benefit and speed up your recruitment process.

The innovative and advantageous thing about automatic background checks is that a process that could take hours or, in certain cases, days, can now be done in a matter of seconds, as in the case of Emptor.

Let us help you find the right people for your company.

We know how important the people who are part of your company are to you and that is why we want to reaffirm our commitment by helping you find more people you can trust and who contribute to the success of the vision you have as a company. Leave the heavy part of the process to us and you will see how easy and fast it is to find safe and reliable candidates for your organization.

Would you like to see how Emptor works? Request a free demo or learn more about our background checks here.