Introduction

The Zinc Background Checking integration allow background checks to be automatically initiated to Zinc when it is required for an individual applicant.

This is a workflow-based integration that is configured to run automatically when an applicant reaches a specific “Zinc Background Checks” recruitment workflow stage. The workflow stage may be placed at any appropriate point within each of your Recruitment Workflows (configurable within Eploy at Admin > Recruitment Workflows). Automatic transitions may also be applied to the workflow to automatically move candidates to the Zinc stage if necessary, e.g. based on them reaching a certain Application Status, Action Outcome or Hire Status.

Check Requirements

The Zinc integration can be configured to allow two options in terms of where the check requirements can be defined (Vacancy or Application record), and a further two options in terms of how the checks are defined (Pre-configured package or Individual Checks), making a total of four variations to define the checks:

• Pre-configured package (defined on the Vacancy)
• Pre-configured package (defined on the Application)
• Individual checks (defined on the Vacancy)
• Individual checks (defined on the Application)

The settings are flexible so that a combination of these methods may be used for the applications to any vacancy.

Vacancy Configuration

There are a series of custom fields configured against the Vacancy record that allow you to define the Zinc checks that applicants to each Vacancy would complete as a default.

The fields may either be completed by a standard (core system) user, or could be included on the Vacancy Requisition form for completion by the Hiring Manager. They can also be allocated to Vacancy Templates in Eploy so that they are automatically inherited by and Vacancy raised from the template. Note: the way these fields are completed in the Vacancy record will be the default for applicants, but may be over-ridden for individual applicants if necessary (see “Application Configuration”).

The Zinc Vacancy fields can be configured on any custom section of the Vacancy record, and may look like this:

For more information on the fields, please see the “Defining the Zinc Checks” section, which explains what each of these fields does.

Application Configuration

Any applicant who is put forward for Zinc Checks will, by default, use the settings defined against the Vacancy record (see “Vacancy Configuration”). However, if there is a requirement for an individual candidate to complete different checks, then the fields may be configured on the Application record, which will take precedence over the Vacancy configuration. 

The Zinc Application fields can be completed by a Standard (core-system) user or by the Hiring Manager by completing the ‘Zinc Background Checks’ form for an individual applicant. To make the fields easily accessible to users, Eploy can configure a custom Application Form that may be completed by the Standard/Hiring Manager user.

Within the Application Dialogue screen, click ‘Forms’ > ‘Complete Form’ > select “Zinc Background Checks” and then click “Continue” to start completing the form for the applicant.

The form may be configured using show/hide logic so that only the fields that need to be completed will be displayed. 

In this example, the first question “Use a Pre-Configured Package or Individual Checks?” will define whether the “Zinc Pre-configured Package” dropdown or the  "Zinc Individual Checks" checkboxes will show.

When selecting "Zinc Individual Checks", there are further fields that will show if the “Reference Check” or “Self-Certification Check” options are selected.

Completing and submitting the form for an Applicant before they reach the “Zinc Background Checks” stage will apply the settings that the integration uses for that applicant, over-riding the Vacancy settings.

For more information on the fields, please see the “Defining the Zinc Checks” section, which explains what each of these fields does.

Defining the Zinc Checks

Whether the Zinc Background Checks fields are completed on the Vacancy and/or on the Application record, they will be used when submitting the applicant for checks via the Zinc API.

Below is a description of each field:

Use a Pre-Configured Package or Individual Checks? (Form field)

This field only shows on the Application Form to drive the show/hides on the following questions- it does not actually impact the way the integration runs. 

The options are:

• “Pre-Configured Package” – shows the “Zinc Pre-configured Package” field
• “Individual Checks” – shows the “Zinc Individual Checks” field

Zinc Pre-configured Package

Within the Zinc interface, “packages” may be configured to define a series of checks that applicants will need to perform. These packages are represented in the Eploy dropdown so that they can be selected against the Vacancy or the Application record.

The values within the list can be configured in Admin > Drop Down Lists > Show values for: “Zinc Configured Packages”. The integration uses the ‘Reference’ value from each option, which must match the unique package reference in Zinc.

If new packages are configured in the future, they may be manually added as additional options within the list, simply by setting the appropriate Reference value and providing a Description. 

Zinc Individual Checks

If your Vacancy/Application does not use a pre-configured package, the other options is to select individual check(s) using this series of checkboxes. There is a defined list of individual checks that are possible within Zinc, any of which may be ‘ticked’ against the Vacancy or Application record. 

The values within the list can be configured in Admin > Drop Down Lists > Show values for: “Zinc Checks”. The integration uses the ‘Reference’ value from each option, which must match the technical name for the check in Zinc.

If Zinc begin to support additional checks in the future, they may be added to the list, however please note that if new checks require additional supporting data, there may be a requirement for additional development for the integration to support them.

If there are certain checks that are not used by the business, then the associated options may be deactivated in Eploy so that they cannot be selected on the Vacancy or the Application record. 

Note: it is possible to have both the “Zinc Pre-configured Package” and the “Zinc Individual Checks” fields populated, either on the Vacancy or Application record. If this is the case, the integration will automatically use the “Individual Checks” by default, but this setting can be adjusted if necessary.

Zinc Reference Check Type

This field only needs to be completed against the Vacancy or Application record if using the “Individual Checks” method and selecting the “Reference Check” option in the “Zinc Individual Checks” field.

It defines the type of Reference Check to carry out for the applicant(s); “Professional”, “Employment Verification” or “Regulatory”

The values within the list can be configured in Admin > Drop Down Lists > Show values for: “Zinc Reference Check Type”. The integration uses the ‘Reference’ value from each option, which must match the technical name for the reference check type in Zinc.

Zinc Reference Check Criteria

This field only needs to be completed against the Vacancy or Application record if using the “Individual Checks” method and selecting the “Reference Check” option in the “Zinc Individual Checks” field.

It defines whether the requirement from the applicant is to provide a certain number of references or references that cover employment for a certain number of years.

The values within the list can be configured in Admin > Drop Down Lists > Show values for: “Zinc Reference Check Criteria”. The integration uses the ‘Reference’ value from each option, which must match the technical name for the reference check type in Zinc.

Zinc Reference Check - Number of Checks/Years to request

This field only needs to be completed against the Vacancy or Application record if using the “Individual Checks” method and selecting the “Reference Check” option in the “Zinc Individual Checks” field.

This is a numeric field allowing you define any number greater than 0. The number entered with either represent the number of references the applicant(s) need to provide, or the number of years employment their references need to cover, depending on the option selected in the “Zinc Reference Check Criteria” field. 

Zinc Self-Certification Check Type

This field only needs to be completed against the Vacancy or Application record if using the “Individual Checks” method and selecting the “Self-Certification Check” option in the “Zinc Individual Checks” field.

It defines the type of Self-Certification Check to carry out for the applicant(s); “Senior Managers and Certifications (SMCR)” or “I-9”

The values within the list can be configured in Admin > Drop Down Lists > Show values for: “Zinc Self-Certification Check Type”. The integration uses the ‘Reference’ value from each option, which must match the technical name for the reference check type in Zinc.

Process

Initiating a Check

When a candidate reaches the “Zinc Background Checks” stage, a rule automatically runs to initiate the Zinc integration. 

An Action record is automatically created, and the integration attempts to send the candidate’s details, along with the relevant details of the Check Package or Individual Checks, taken from the Vacancy or Application record (see “Check Requirements”).

The candidate details that are sent to Zinc are:

• First Name
• Surname
• Mobile Number
• Email address

The integration uses the standard Eploy Candidate fields for these, but may be configured to use different fields if required. 

If the request is successful, the Action is automatically given the outcome “Candidate Details Sent”. At this point, Zinc will automatically communicate to the Candidate via Email/Text, inviting them to complete the checks within the Zinc platform.

Also, at this point, the following details are saved against the Application/Action record in Eploy:

• Profile URL: A URL is saved against the Action that allows a user who is logged in to the Zinc platform to access the applicant’s check. This will show in the Application Dialogue screen whilst the candidate is at the Zinc stage, or a the bottom of their “Zinc Background Checks” Action record.

Note: it is possible to configure the integration not to display the Profile URL if necessary. 

• Zinc Request ID: A unique identifier for the applicant’s Zinc request is stored in the “Zinc Request ID” field on the Application record. This id is not visible by default, but can be added to the Application Dialogue screen by adjusting the Layout settings and dragging the field into any of the Sections at the top. 

Error handling

In the rare circumstance that there is an issue making the request, the Action will be given the outcome “Communication Error”. This could be caused by:

• Invalid or missing data in Eploy
• A problem with the configuration of the integration
• The Zinc API being unreachable using the details that have been configured, or a problem on the Zinc end

The first two should be easily avoided by ensuring the configuration has been fully tested and that the recruitment process within Eploy has been configured not to allow applicants to reach the stage if any of the data is invalid. Eploy can adjust settings within the system, such which fields are mandatory on forms and use the Compliance module to avoid Applications reaching the Zinc stage with invalid or missing data.

If an error does occur; once the problem has been rectified, the Action Outcome can manually be set to “Reprocess”, and the request will be re-attempted next time the Zinc rule runs (the rules run automatically every 10 minutes, or may be manually triggered via Admin > Rules using the “Run all Rules” button). 

Callbacks/Action Outcome Updates

After a check has successfully been sent to Zinc, Eploy should receive an automatic update whenever something changes to the status of the applicant’s check. These status changes will be reflected automatically by the Action Outcome for the “Zinc Background Checks” Action record, replacing the initial outcome of “Candidate Details Sent”. The statuses that may be set are:

• Pending
• Partially Completed
• Reviewed
• Completed
• Cancelled

The Action Outcome field in Eploy is audited, so it is possible to see the date/time stamps when each outcome was set within the Action record.

Actions can also be used to configure Metrics and Dashboard widgets in Eploy, so that you can easily report on statistics such as how many checks are currently in process/completed etc.

Completed Checks/Report Links

When a check is fully completed, additional information is made available against the Action. This information sits alongside the “Profile URL” that was set when the check was initially sent, and can be accessed within the Application Dialogue screen whilst the candidate is at the Zinc stage, or a the bottom of their “Zinc Background Checks” Action record. The additional information provided is:

• Result: the overall result that was returned from Zinc as to the outcome of their completed check (e.g. “Pass”/”Fail”)
• Checks: if more than one check was submitted, the result for each individual check will be listed
• Report Link: a link allowing the user to download the report generated within Zinc for the check. 

Note: it is possible to configure the integration not to display the Report Link if necessary, in which case this will be absent from the details in the response.