In everyday life, getting to know someone is a slow burn. You only get to know who they truly are over time. In business? That’s an expensive gamble. You don’t have months to figure out if a new hire is the real deal. By then, the cultural and financial damage is already done.
Here’s the irony: we can easily spot a misaligned dot or design on a brand logo; some people even carry the receipt around to prove their pair is authentic. But during pre-employment checks, many completely miss the “dot” of a fabricated qualification or volatile credit history.
Welcome to Connect the Dots. A campaign designed to show you how isolated pieces of candidate information, or “dots”, link to form an undeniable picture of who you are hiring. It’s time to move away from reactive hiring and embrace proactive, bulletproof pre-employment checks.
What counts as a dot in hiring?
In hindsight, dots are the details that make you say, “I should’ve known.” They are the subtle discrepancies we gloss over because a CV looks impressive or because the candidate comes recommended by someone we trust. They are not always obvious, but they will most likely show up in times that trigger them and when effective pre-employment checks are used.
When you look closer, these dots usually fall into two categories:
The paper dots
These are the documentation-based details, where candidates invest time in “putting their best foot forward” and, in some cases, modify their CVs to a fault.
The mysterious gap year
Gaps in employment happen, and they are completely normal. But when a candidate tries to stretch dates on their CV to cover up a three-month dismissal or a failed probation period at a previous company, it crosses the line from a career break to an omission of truth.
Job title inflation
This is a classic corporate trend. A candidate assumes turning a six-month stint as a “Marketing Assistant” into “Brand Strategist” on their CV is harmless. While ambition is great, assuming a level of seniority and leadership they have not earned sets them and your team up for failure.
Vague references
Some candidates blur the line between vouching and “wingmaning”. This usually takes the form of including their friends as references. This is one of the most important aspects to validate during pre-employment checks because without thorough verification, you’re hiring based on a friend’s recommendation, not a supervisor’s.
The behavioural dots
These dots are harder to spot on a piece of paper because they don’t show up in a standard interview. It’s how a person interacts with colleagues or regards company policy.
The policy rebel
This is the brilliant performer who completely disregards internal controls. In a tech role, it’s the developer who bypasses data security protocols because it’s “faster.” They have the skill, but pose a massive regulatory liability.
The toxic digital footprint
How a candidate conducts themselves online when they think corporate isn’t looking is a behavioural dot. Publicly engaging in hate speech, leaking company data from a previous employer, or cyberbullying is a brand reputation nightmare waiting to happen to your business.
The difficult colleague
It is remarkably easy to hire the most talented software developer, only to find out too late that they thrive on workplace conflict. This is a common missed step when companies conduct pre-employment checks because they usually rely on just their experience and qualifications.
By utilising a compliant, thorough, and online background screening tool, you don’t have to wait for these dots to collide and cause a crisis. You can connect them before your company loses time, money, or culture.
Quit the guessing game
Connect the Dots is an interactive campaign utilising a variety of games that involve connecting dots. By drawing from Minesweeper, Connect 4, dominoes, and line graphs, we visually demonstrate what the ‘dots’ reveal when connected.
Passive spectating never saved anyone from a bad hire. We want to test your eye and challenge your assumptions because when you actively draw the picture yourself, the lesson sticks.
By connecting the dots early, your company avoids the financial drain of onboarding costs and eventual re-hiring fees. Your workspace remains safe, productive and free from dishonesty. And most importantly, using certified screening software ensures you stay aligned with POPIA, industry regulations, and strict vetting compliance.
Dots360 is a tool that helps you make the best talent acquisition decisions. Follow Dots Africa on Facebook and LinkedIn to help us put oversights in plain sight.
