If you are looking to improve your approach to HR within your company, you will need the right tools and resources to succeed.

Whether you own a large or small company, HR is the lifeblood of the business. It helps ensure that your employees are hired, treated well, and heard when issues arise. This can have major effects on your business’ reputation and profits. So don’t lose ground in your market with faulty HR practices, use these professional tips instead:

Check Backgrounds

In today’s world, anyone can say literally whatever they want. They may claim to never have had any criminal experiences in their past. However, what they say is not always the truth. And the only way to know is to get a background check run on them. They are relatively inexpensive and will save you from the liability and danger of having a violent criminal or a thief, or worse, within your office walls.

Verify Employment

People tend to try to make their resumes as attractive as possible to bypass HR filters. Unfortunately, if you don’t verify that the information is correct, you could be hiring someone who doesn’t have the qualifications necessary. This is especially important in technical fields, where there is a big difference between just a few years of experience. So use employment verification software and ensure they are who they say they are. But don’t avoid making a phone call to check their references as well. You may be able to glean even more insight from that.

Look for Attitude and Experience Over “Paper” Qualifications

While some positions absolutely require certification or other qualifications for risk and legal factors, other roles in your company should be based around other factors. For instance, does someone selling SaaS really need a college degree? Some roles, like sales and marketing, are measured on revenue they bring into the company. Therefore, the results speak for themselves. Hire these candidates based on their goals and attitude if you want the best person for the job, not just the person with the most paper behind their name.

Don’t Just Use the Internet

The internet is not the only place you will find recruits for your business. Consider networking groups that meet in person in your area. And be open to meeting the right fit at a coffee shop or another random encounter. If you keep your eyes peeled, you never know who you could find.

Leverage Software

Human resource software has come a long way since its inception. Today, it can save you countless hours and headache. It can help you search your database faster, upload reports, and get your daily tasks done in a more efficient manner. Consider learning how to password protect a folder and securing your important business files. If you’re not using software for your HR department right now, it’s a perfect time to start.

Have Trial Periods

Don’t just bring people onboard with the promise of permanent employment. Make sure they are living up to their end of the bargain. Consider holding out on certain benefits like health care until they prove they are loyal to the company. This goes for vacation days as well. This ensures that people are working for you for the right reasons, not just to take advantage of the perks you offer. It also gives you a chance to evaluate their performance and increase or reduce pay because of it. You might even find that someone is an ideal fit for a whole different department than the one you hired them for.

In today’s world, HR is becoming even more crucial than it has always been. With companies looking to avoid scandals that could spread quickly online and to hire the best people while competing with everyone else, you need to have a great HR strategy to compete in your industry. Otherwise, your competition could keep the best talent while your business fades away. So implement the strategies above into your HR department and watch as your culture and quality grows within the company.

Lindsey Patterson is a freelance writer and entrepreneur based in the US who specialises in business technology, customer relationship management and lead management. She also writes about the latest social trends, specifically involving social media.