When This IT Company Paused Pre-Offer Verification, RED Hires Jumped 20%

Hiring the right talent is critical, especially in the fast-paced IT industry. A single bad hire can derail project timelines, pose security risks, and drain resources. One leading IT company learned this the hard way when they temporarily paused DigiVerifier’s instant background verification at the pre-offer stage, and saw their RED hires jump from just 1% to 20% over six months. Here’s what happened and why pre-offer screening for hiring managers is the silent differentiator in building high-quality tech teams.

 

This well-established IT firm was no stranger to high-volume hiring. Processing close to 5,000 background verification (BGV) requests each month, they relied on DigiVerifier’s instant background verification to screen candidates before extending offer letters.

At the time, their RED hire rate was impressively low—just 1%, and those were primarily due to candidates flagged for criminal records. The system worked.

However, as business demands shifted and onboarding speed became a top priority, the recruitment team made a calculated decision. They paused the pre-offer verification checks, hoping it would improve candidate throughput.

They believed pre-offer screening was slowing down hiring and questioned if it was worth the impact on the number of offers being made. After all, with such a low RED rate, how much difference could it really make?

Six months later, they had their answer.

When the recruitment team revisited the data, they were stunned to find that RED hires had increased from 1% to 20% – a staggering 1900% spike over six months.

And the consequences?

• A sharp increase in onboarding failures.
• Higher attrition within the first few months of joining.
• Projects impacted by poorly vetted talent.
• Reputational risk due to candidates flagged post-offer.

In trying to optimize for speed, they had unknowingly traded quality.

DigiVerifier’s pre-offer checks had been silently filtering out high-risk candidates before they could enter the pipeline. Without that layer of defense, the wrong profiles slipped through undetected, until it was too late.

What Changed After This Wake-Up Call?

The company quickly resumed pre-offer stage screening with DigiVerifier. Yes, it meant a slightly leaner candidate pipeline, but they now understood the trade-off.

Fewer offers, but higher quality hires. Fewer onboarding disruptions. Fewer project delays. And fewer embarrassing callbacks to retract offers.

Key Takeaways for IT and Talent Leaders:

• Instant background verification reduces bad hires even before offers are made.
• Pre-offer screening isn’t a blocker—it acts as a filter for quality, especially in high-volume environments.
• RED hire rates without screening increase exponentially. Waiting until post-offer is often too late.
• Screen early to hire right.

Final Thoughts: Don’t Let Speed Undermine Quality

This case isn’t just a lesson for IT companies. It’s a message to all high-growth hiring teams: The cost of pausing pre-offer verification may not be visible upfront, but it becomes painfully clear in hindsight.

If you’re trying to reduce bad hires or improve your offer-to-join ratio, instant background verification at the pre-offer stage might just be your missing piece.

Ready to protect your company from hiring risks? Get in touch with DigiVerifier today and make every hire a GREEN hire.