HRchat Podcast
Listen to the HRchat Podcast by HR Gazette to get insights and tips from HR leaders, influencers and tech experts. Topics covered include HR Tech, HR, AI, Leadership, Talent, Recruitment, Employee Engagement, Recognition, Wellness, DEI, and Company Culture.
Hosted by Bill Banham, Bob Goodwin, Pauline James, and other HR enthusiasts, the HRchat show publishes interviews with influencers, leaders, analysts, and those in the HR trenches 2-4 times each week.
The show is approaching 1000 episodes and past guests are from organizations including ADP, SAP, Ceridian, IBM, UPS, Deloitte Consulting LLP, Simon Sinek Inc, NASA, Gartner, SHRM, Government of Canada, Hacking HR, McLean & Company, UPS, Microsoft, Shopify, DisruptHR, McKinsey and Co, Virgin Pulse, Salesforce, Make-A-Wish Foundation, and Coca-Cola Beverages Company.
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Podcast Music Credit"Funky One"Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
HRchat Podcast
The Race Against Time: Speeding Up Hiring with Chris Harper, ZippedScript
Ready to dive into the transformative world of employment verification? Join us as we explore how Chris Harper, the CEO of ZippedScript, is changing the HR landscape one credential at a time. With his background as an entrepreneur, Harper outlines his journey to creating an innovative platform that simplifies education verification and accelerates the hiring process for businesses. ZippedScript’s unique approach allows candidates to pre-verify their credentials, eliminating long waiting times and building immediate trust with employers, a crucial aspect in today’s fast-paced hiring environment.
Throughout our conversation, Harper sheds light on the growing concerns of credential fraud in recruitment, emphasizing how technology can safeguard against this issue. As technology advances and AI becomes more integral to HR operations, we delve into Harper’s vision for leveraging these tools effectively. His insights on global challenges in background checks illustrate the importance of adapting to varying jurisdictions and how ZippedScript is positioned to make a meaningful impact worldwide.
This episode is packed with strategies, inspiration, and an optimistic view of the future of HR tech. Don't miss out on this engaging discussion that promises to be both informative and thought-provoking. If you enjoy these insights, we encourage you to subscribe, share, and leave a review to help spread the word about how technology is reshaping the future of work.
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Welcome to the HR Chat Show, one of the world's most downloaded and shared podcasts designed for HR pros, talent execs, tech enthusiasts and business leaders. For hundreds more episodes and what's new in the world of work, subscribe to the show, follow us on social media and visit hrgazettecom and visit hrgazettecom.
Speaker 2:Welcome to another episode of the HR Chat Show. Hello listeners, this is your host today, bill Bannam, and in this episode we're going to hear from Chris Harper, ceo and co-founder over at Zipped Script. Chris is an entrepreneur with over a decade of leadership experience. His entrepreneurial journey has been defined by innovation, ambition and resilience. From launching his first business in his teens to leading Zipscript's game-changing education verification platform, he has consistently turned bold ideas into thriving ventures. Chris, it's my pleasure to welcome you to the show today.
Speaker 3:Thank you so much for having me, Bill. I'm excited to have a conversation today.
Speaker 2:Me too, me too. So, as we always start with in this show, I'd like you just to take a couple of minutes, tell our listeners a bit about you, your background, your career journey and what gets you up in the morning.
Speaker 3:Absolutely. Thank you, bill, so high level. I've been an entrepreneur for, like Bill mentioned, about 10 plus years now, and I started out with just loving everything in my life to be efficient. If something wasn't efficient, it bothered me. That kind of kickstarted me into the entrepreneurship journey. I've done everything from create custom light switch covers to creating a guilt-free cocktail mixer, to distributed computing startups, to now being in the HR tech space with education verification and employment verification, and the whole mission behind what we're doing today at ZipsScript is really guided by the original principle that got me into entrepreneurship, which is to make the world more efficient, and we believe we're doing that at ZipScript, and we are doing it by reducing the time to hire, by getting great people into great jobs so they can do what they do best and hopefully give the world amazing products that solve global problems.
Speaker 2:Okay. And when you're not solving global problems in your business life, Chris, what's one thing that you absolutely love in your personal life?
Speaker 3:You know what I love working out Bill, specifically in the weight room. And then another fun hobby is I like to play video games. You can catch me on, sometimes weekends, at two in the morning playing Counter-Strike 2. I've been a gamer since the 90s.
Speaker 2:I love that. I love that. Brilliant Okay. So Zipscript just secured over $3 million in seed funding. Congratulations. What does this funding unlock for the company and how will it accelerate your mission to transform education and verification?
Speaker 3:It's really allowed us to expand what we do today in terms of education verification, and we started out for Contax three years ago now to the day, and we started with one product education verification specifically and over the last few years it's really evolved in something bigger than that and we don't do something traditional which happens in the background tech industry, where when the candidate comes to get a job, that's when they start the verification process and go through the paperwork and whatever else they have to do.
Speaker 3:We had a vision that we could go directly to candidates or end users and get them to pre-verify their credentials and that's been very successful, but it was a lot of work on the back end. So we've expanded to over 44 countries and 77,000 schools in our database, and this funding really really allowed us to do that and integrate some new modern technology into our tech stack as well, to be able to provide faster turnaround times and get people into the jobs they want a whole lot faster. It's also allowed us to really you know, hire the right people. You know, the smartest people we can find in Canada and beyond. The funding has enabled us to do that, so it's very exciting.
Speaker 4:Thanks for listening to this episode of the HR Chat Podcast. If you enjoy the audio content we produce, you'll love our articles on the HR Gazette. Learn more at HRGazettecom. And now back to the show.
Speaker 2:Okay, well, so you said 44 countries you're in now, is that right?
Speaker 3:Correct. We have coverage in over 44 countries.
Speaker 2:So what are some of those challenges when it comes to different jurisdictions, when you're working with background checks and other services?
Speaker 3:Absolutely so, I would say one of the challenges are. So maybe for some context for the listeners, what we do is we're a user permission platform, so that means we integrate with institutions all over the world. So one of the challenges that can come from that is a simple language barrier. And then also certain countries around the world. Perhaps their institutions, websites and school portals aren't that modern. So there's a lot of variants, from Egypt to Australia to Chad to Sudan, all over the world. And then also there's the positives of it. I would guess, maybe to add to this, some of the positives are a lot of people in the background. Tech space are used to very long turnaround times in the Middle East, in Africa, in South America and through our technology and expanding into more non-North American regions with our modern day tech stack, we've been able to reduce turnaround times drastically when it comes to the project as part of my homework ahead of today.
Speaker 2:chris, uh, I was looking at your linkedin profile, sir, and uh, I know that I don't sound like it, but regular listeners of this show will know that I am a proud canadian, as is chris. You're based up in toronto, where I was for a long time Beautiful city and I noticed on LinkedIn that you were interviewed by the BBC quite recently with connection to a little message that you had for the outgoing president, president Biden, warning about a looming tech industrial complex. Can you tell us a bit about that?
Speaker 3:Yeah, yeah, it was interesting and I think the topic stemmed from, you know, the incoming Elon Musk and the Doge team, and I think it was more directly associated to technocrats and the artificial intelligence era that a lot of people assume is coming, and I think they've assumed correctly. I think there's many ways to look at it, but I think really I like to use the kitchen butter knife analogy. You know, it can be used for good, it can be used for bad and I'm very bullish on human beings overall finding the positive way to use this. But I think there obviously will be some negatives uh that arise like anything. But I think we'll be able to get through it, uh, as a species, and I think we'll come out the other side better than we were before okay, very good, thank you very much.
Speaker 2:As I like to do on this show, sometimes I like to switch things up and uh and change up the pace, and what I'm going to do right now is I'm going to challenge you. I'm going to challenge you, chris, if you are prepared to accept the challenge to answer in 60 seconds or less what makes Zipscript's AI-driven approach different and how does it deliver faster, more cost-effective and, hopefully, accurate results. Can you give us that answer, but in 60 seconds or less, go?
Speaker 3:Absolutely so. Zipscript is the only background check company in the world that has verified over 21 million degrees across the United States and Mexico. We store those in our database, making those immediately accessible, so instant turnaround times Bill for anybody that queries our database. And why does that make us different? We were the only company in the space that went directly to graduates through marketing campaigns and convinced them to verify their degrees on our platform so we could store them, so that they can put their resume at the top of the virtual resume pile and build trust with employers from the outset, rather than do it later with global hiring on the rise, credential fraud is becoming a growing concern for hr teams, as it should be.
Speaker 2:can you, can you now share some real world examples of how zip scripts team helps companies verify qualifications quickly, securely? Have you got to use cases that you guys are particularly proud of?
Speaker 3:Yeah, yeah, it's a great question, Bill, and I think people should be concerned about it. And this actually speaks to why. Zipscript is, you know, the leader globally in education verification and soon to be, in employment. Where we source our record from Sibyl is the institution database directly. The traditional way of doing this back all over the world outside of the United States would be to receive a transcript, either by mail or digitally. The issue with a transcript is it can be manipulated. You can edit it on a PDF, you can print it out on whatever kind of paper you want. It doesn't take a big brain to fudge a transcript. So with Zipscript, we retrieved the information directly from the institution database. So if the institution did not input the data for the human being that graduated, then it's not in there. It's probably not real. So I would say there's no more secure way of verifying a degree on planet Earth than getting it directly from the source itself, aka the institution database.
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Speaker 2:Visa processing, chris, particularly for H-1B applicants, is known for delays and inefficiencies. We've had several folks on this show over the years who've come behind and explained some of that to us. How is script streamlining this process? What kind of impact have we seen in reducing fraud and exploiting approvals? And also, just contextually, um, any any anticipated additional difficulties for canadians wanting to work in the us? Do you think, uh, given given recent changes?
Speaker 3:yeah, it's. It's a slow process and it has been a slow process for what I believe to be too long. Now, um and I I'm familiar and I'm sure a lot of listeners are familiar with the world education services, love them, I think they're a fantastic platform, albeit I think they charge too much money and I think the process takes far too long. You're seeing an average of two months wait on this to get people their records and the cost upwards of $300 to $500 to get their education verified. So we're working with our partners all over the world because our average turnaround time is less than 24 hours to accelerate this process. So educated people that want to apply for H-1B visas, that want to work in different countries and have the degrees and the credentials to do so, they should be able to be reviewed and trusted a whole lot faster, so they're not waiting around in limbo, and trusted a whole lot faster, so they're not waiting around in limbo.
Speaker 3:Now the second part to your question. Canadians, you know working in the US. You know, pending what the current administration is going to do, I think it's definitely going to be more difficult in general right now for people to get jobs in the United States if they're not from the United States. But I think time will tell. Here we're going to have to kind of sit tight and see what the administration is up to and what they kind of rule on with H-1Bs and what they're going to do with immigration and work permits etc inside the United States. Because we're kind of beholden to what this administration is going to do and I think everyone listening knows it can change minute by minute and hour by hour.
Speaker 2:Currently it can change minute by minute and hour by hour, currently, yep, but it keeps it interesting, newsworthy. You might say, okay, looking beyond the verification, if you don't mind. Where do you see the future of AI in HR tech? This is something that I love to learn about all the time. I'm mainly in the UK, sadly, these days, chris, because we've got a couple of young kids that we're raising near the grandparents. So while I'm over here, I've days, chris, because we've got a couple of young kids that we're raising near the grandparents. So while I'm over here, I've been involved with producing a bunch of ai summits, um and uh, involved with some other hr related events, like like disrupt, and we love talking about ai and hr tech. So where do you see the future of ai and hr tech and, as part of that, how will zip script continue to innovate and what's your vision for the company's role in shaping that next generation of hiring and compliance solutions?
Speaker 3:Yeah, it's obviously the buzzword of the year, maybe the last year as well, and I think it's going to continue to be the buzzword artificial intelligence and I think there's very good reason for that. I think it's absolutely necessary for every single organization that is involved in HR tech to utilize artificial intelligence in some fashion. The benefits are undeniable, and I can speak to a specific example inside of ZipScript. When we do verifications from A to Z, our process is fully automated, not only thanks to AI. There's other pieces of it in our tech stack but without artificial intelligence we would probably require a team, you know, of over a hundred engineers to get this job done. When we're doing, you know, thousands and thousands of verifications a month, and artificial intelligence allows us to do that with nowhere near that size of a team. So it's really made us a lot more efficient. It's allowed us to, you know, verify degrees a whole lot faster. We don't have to pick up phones anymore, and I think if anybody in a leadership position at any organization inside of an HR tech company were to take a look at some of their processes that maybe are manual, whatever it is, artificial intelligence will be able to assist with that and the cost savings will be amazing. The reduction of time to hire will also be there. I think in the next couple of years we're going to see a massive reduction in time to hire, also with just looking at resumes, finding correct candidates for jobs, everything. I think it's going to be applied across the board and I think it's going to be fantastic and to talk about ZipScript and what we're doing from a future-looking perspective and a forward-looking perspective.
Speaker 3:I touched on it a little bit earlier, bill, but maybe I'll elaborate a little more here. Like I mentioned before, the way the background check industry works, specifically prior to ZipScript entering the space, was you only start doing the background check process when the candidate has already been selected and gone through the interview process. That really adds to the time it takes to onboard that candidate. In a fast-paced world, we want to get employees hired. We want to get them onboarded and trained up as soon as possible so we can keep moving and keep winning, because in today's fast-paced world, that's really one of the biggest advantages companies can find today.
Speaker 3:So how are we helping that at ZipScript? How are we building that future today? This is what we believe to be one of our biggest pieces. As I mentioned earlier, we started marketing directly to graduates all over the world and we've successfully verified over 21 million degrees now I think I mentioned 20, but it's over 21 million degrees in the United States and Mexico that allow our customers and employers to immediately unlock the verifications of those candidates so they do not have to wait, and we plan on doing the same thing for employment verification this coming year. So it's going to be exciting and our customers are very happy with it, and so are the employers, because they don't have to wait. So I'm excited for the future.
Speaker 2:Okay, you make me excited too. Thank you very much. We are coming towards the end of this particular conversation already, chris. We'll just have to get you on again pretty soon. Um, before we go, just two more things for you. Firstly, skills-based hiring. Okay, I often chat to hr leaders on this show saying that for as many positions as possible within their companies, they try to look at skills over resumes. Um, because they believe that people are malleable and if they've got the right attitudes and the right skill set, they can learn new roles. Again, in 60 seconds or less, I'm going to challenge you in 60 seconds or less. Why does educational and career background why does that still matter Go?
Speaker 3:I love that question and for context, I believe that education does matter, and for context for the audience. I went to university but I did not graduate. I dropped out. So the irony is not lost on me here. But for most people what a degree shows is that they were willing to commit to something and they were willing to stick it out. And I appreciate that. I know a lot of employers do as well, because it's a lot of work ethic, it's a lot of time, it's a lot of commitment, it's also a financial commitment for people. So it shows that you can commit to something, follow through and get it done.
Speaker 3:From a past employment perspective, I do believe it's important, depending on the role you're hiring for, if that role requires you know very detailed experience in the specific vertical you're in. For example, we're a software company. So if we're looking to hire, you know, business development representative or a sales development representative, they're going to have to have familiarity with application program interfaces, apis. They're going to have to have you know how long does that take. They're going to have to have familiarity with application program interfaces, apis. They're going to have to have you know how long does that take. They're going to have to have basic knowledge of you know platforms and different technical platforms that we use to integrate with our customers. So I think education and employment do matter when it comes to hiring people, just depending on what role you're hiring for.
Speaker 2:My last question for you and I think it's a pretty straightforward one and that's how can our listeners connect with you? So maybe you might want to share your LinkedIn details, your email address, maybe a super cool and all over Instagram and TikTok and places. And, of course, how can people learn more about ZipScript?
Speaker 3:Awesome. Yeah, if people want to connect, they can absolutely find me on LinkedIn. It's actually one of the better places to find me on. My LinkedIn is just Chris Harper and you can type in ZipScript at the end of that to find me. But I should pop up Happy to share my email as well. My email is harperatz, Zipscriptcom. So if anybody's interested in chatting or if anybody's in the HR tech space and they think there may be some synergies or they just want to talk about the market and trends et cetera, feel free to reach out. Other than that, Instagram and TikTok I do not have, but you can find Zipscript on both of those platforms at just add Zipscript. Rock that, just add zip scripts Rock and roll.
Speaker 2:Well, that just leaves me to say for today, Chris, thank you very much for your time.
Speaker 3:I appreciate you having me on Bill. It was great to chat.
Speaker 2:And listeners as always. Until next time, happy working.
Speaker 1:Thanks for listening to the HR Chat Show. If you enjoyed this episode, why not subscribe and listen to some of the hundreds of episodes published by HR Gazette and remember for what's new in the world of work? Subscribe to the show, follow us on social media and visit hrgazettecom.
