Ed Hall, CEO, Qualification Check

Grab a latte and pull up a chair to join us for a great interview with
Ed Hall, CEO, Qualification Check.

How long have you been in the background check industry and what led you  to join the industry? 

I founded Qualification Check back in late 2009 so coming on 15 years now. Our original solution was to automate incoming verification requests for universities by integrating them with their student records systems. I came up with the idea whilst working in the recruitment industry where I experienced first-hand how slow and inefficient the verification process was, to the detriment of employers and employees.

Over the past 15 years, that solution has evolved, and we now offer verifications in 195 countries at 50,000+ educational institutions serving thousands of clients across six continents.

What is important about your company that you want people to know?

We are the only company that specializes in global education and professional license verifications, which has allowed us to integrate with more data sources than any other provider. Supporting this, we have a workforce spanning 11 countries speaking 18 languages and as a result, we have an industry-leading turnaround time of 4.5 days across the 200+ countries we cover.

Any important announcements about products or services or future direction  you would like to talk about? 

We are excited to be launching our “I’m Verified” Digital Wallet this year which will be available as an app. This is an essential development for us as we have an increasing number of B2B2C customers. We also see Verifiable Credentials as the future of background screening so are keen to adopt them early.

If you had a Crystal Ball and could look into the future, what do you see hap pening in the background screening industry 10 years from now?

Technology – such as AI and Verifiable Credentials – and the increasing availability
of data is both a threat and a huge opportunity for the background screening industry. The companies that embrace those developments will be the ones that grow the most in the next ten years.

What is your favorite quote? 

A good one for all managers to remember when hiring…
“I’m not the smartest fellow in the world but I can sure pick smart colleagues.” –
Franklin D. Roosevelt

If you could meet anyone regardless of whether the person is alive or not,  who would you want to meet and why? 

From the business world, it would have to be Warren Buffett. I love his long-term, value-driven approach to investing and he isn’t short of some great nuggets of wisdom!