Candidate consent reference checking — documented GDPR-compliant consent before every referee contact

Why candidate consent matters in reference checking

Candidate consent in reference checking serves two purposes. The first is GDPR compliance — the candidate's consent provides a lawful basis for the agency to approach the referee and process the referee's personal data. The second is candidate relationship management — a candidate who is informed that references are being sought, asked to provide consent, and given the opportunity to ensure referees are expecting contact is more likely to have a positive experience of the reference process than one whose references are approached without notice. RefAssure's consent step addresses both.

Written, timestamped consent — what it means in practice

Written, timestamped consent means the candidate has provided affirmative agreement in writing — not a verbal agreement, not a general consent clause buried in registration terms, but a specific, recorded consent to references being sought for this particular application. RefAssure collects this by sending the candidate an email and SMS explaining that references are to be sought, asking them to confirm consent and provide referee details. The candidate's response is timestamped and stored. This record is included in the PDF reference report as documented consent evidence.

For agencies in regulated sectors — care, education, healthcare — documented candidate consent is particularly important. CQC inspection teams review consent documentation as part of safe recruitment file checks. NHS Employment Check Standards reference the importance of candidate transparency in the reference process. RefAssure's automatic consent collection satisfies these requirements without adding administration to the consultant's workflow. From 99p per reference.