Designed to validate and protect, background checks can inadvertently end up becoming problematic during the hiring process, CareerBuilder said after its recent study concluded that employers risk losing candidates when the procedure takes too long.

CareerBuilder contracted with Harris Poll to conduct a nationwide survey of full-time employers and workers across diverse fields and company sizes.

One CEO, Aurico’s Ben Goldberg, reflected that while companies value the importance of background checks, many neglect to consider the process from the candidate’s viewpoint or gauge its overall efficiency.

"The longer the … process [takes], the higher risk of losing a quality candidate to another employer,” Goldberg said. “Employers should test their application and background check process and ensure candidates have a positive experience."

In fact, approximately one-fifth of all employers among the survey respondents cited poorly implemented or overly time-consuming checks among the top reasons for losing candidates to other offers.

Goldberg recommended that businesses take the time to evaluate background check suppliers — vetting vendors for compliance and accreditation — as well as keeping an eye on the calendar. Additionally, he suggested that employers solicit direct feedback from job candidates to ensure that their experience with background check procedures is generally positive.

CareerBuilder, which is based in Chicago, concurred with the time component, stating that background checks should take less than five days, noting that the procedure takes an average of between 24 and 72 business hours.