Reference checking for recruitment agencies.
For recruiters, staffing agencies and temp desks. Send a request in two minutes and RefAssure chases the referee until the reference is in.
How do recruitment agencies check references?
Recruitment agency reference checks confirm a candidate’s work history and conduct before a placement starts. With RefAssure a consultant adds the candidate and referees, the candidate signs consent online, and each referee is chased with 5 emails and up to 2 texts over 12 days. The median reference comes back in about 23 hours, as a signed PDF you can send the client.
One process, whoever follows up.
Reference checking for recruiters, staffing agencies and temp agencies hits the same wall: it depends on who chases. RefAssure makes the chase the same for every desk.
Every consultant on one account.
Add your whole team at no extra cost. Credits are shared, so a temp desk with a busy week simply draws from the same pool as everyone else.
Consent built into the flow.
The candidate signs consent online before any referee is contacted. No form to chase separately.
Bounces caught early.
Most bounced requests are flagged within minutes, so you can add a new referee before a start slips.
Client-ready PDF reports.
Answers, ratings and the referee’s signature in one document, with timestamps for every step. Ready for your client pack or a client audit.
A consultant’s week, without the chasing.
An illustrative week for a temp consultant with eight placements to reference. Flip the switch.
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Tue
Wed
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What to ask referees for agency placements.
Temp agency references need speed, perm references need depth. Add these to your template once and every consultant asks the same questions.
Work history
Reliability for temp work
Suitability for the client
Already have a form your clients approved? Upload it as a PDF or Word file and it becomes a template in about 20 seconds.
The chase runs on its own.
Speed to placement depends on the slowest referee. RefAssure keeps nudging them so your consultants do not have to.
- Request by email on day 0, plus a text if you add a mobile number
- Reminder emails on days 2, 5, 8 and 12, with a second text on day 5
- Stops the moment the referee submits
- After day 12 you are told, so you can add another referee
- Replies sent by email instead of the form are captured and forwarded
What do the Conduct Regulations expect from agencies?
The Conduct of Employment Agencies and Employment Businesses Regulations 2003 apply to recruitment agencies placing permanent staff and to employment businesses supplying temps. Among other things, they expect you to confirm a candidate’s identity, experience and qualifications, and that they are willing to do the work. For roles involving vulnerable people, they expect two references from people who are not relatives, or all other reasonably practicable steps to confirm the candidate is suitable. They also require you to keep records. Guidance is published on GOV.UK.
RefAssure helps you show that work. Each PDF records when consent was signed, when every request and reminder went out and when the referee submitted. When a client audits your files, or asks how a temp was vetted, the evidence is already in one place.
Who owns references in a placement?
Usually the agency collects them and the client decides whether it is satisfied. Write it into your terms of business. Sharing the same signed report with the client means nobody has to retype a phone call.
This is general information, not legal advice. Check the current regulations and your client contracts for your situation.
| For your agency | Chasing by hand | With RefAssure |
|---|---|---|
| Who follows up | Whichever consultant remembers | Automatic: 5 emails and up to 2 texts over 12 days |
| Candidate consent | A separate form, often missing | Signed online before referees are contacted |
| Bounced emails | Found days later, if at all | Most flagged within minutes |
| Report for the client | Typed up from notes | Signed PDF with a timestamped audit trail |
| Team cost | Consultant hours | Unlimited users, shared credits, from 80p a reference |
Agency reference questions.
More in the full FAQs, or see how it works.
Do recruitment agencies check references?
Yes. Many recruitment agencies collect references before a placement, and many clients write it into their terms of business. The Conduct of Employment Agencies and Employment Businesses Regulations 2003 also expect agencies to check a candidate is suitable, with references expected for roles involving vulnerable people.
Who is responsible for references, the agency or the client?
It depends on your terms of business. In most temp and perm placements the agency collects the references and the client decides whether it is satisfied. Agree who does what in writing. With RefAssure you can send the client the signed PDF, so both sides hold the same evidence.
Can an agency start a temp worker before references come back?
For many roles there is no legal ban, so it comes down to your policy and your client’s terms. For roles with vulnerable people, the Conduct Regulations expect checks to be done first. With a median turnaround of about 23 hours on RefAssure, waiting rarely costs a start date.
How long do agency reference checks take?
On RefAssure the median time from request to completed reference is about 23 hours, and half come back within a day. About 4 in 10 arrive after an automatic reminder, which is the follow up a busy consultant would otherwise have to make.
How much does agency reference checking cost?
Your first reference is free. After that a reference costs 99p on the 10 pack, falling to 80p on the 250 pack. There is no monthly fee, no contract, no per-user fee and no VAT added. Credits never expire and are shared across your team. See pricing.
Can every consultant use the same account?
Yes. Add as many consultants, resourcers and compliance staff as you like at no extra cost. Everyone draws from the same pool of credits and sees the same live status for each candidate.
Can we share reference reports with our clients?
Yes. Each completed reference is a PDF with the referee’s answers, their signature and a timestamped audit trail of consent, requests and reminders. Download it and attach it to your client pack or compliance file.
Do you have templates for care or education agencies?
There are five starter templates: Basic, Standard, Comprehensive, Character and Performance. There are no built-in sector templates, so add the questions your sector expects to your template once, or upload the form you already use as a PDF or Word file.
Related guides
Place faster. Chase nobody.
Your first reference is free. Add your consultants, share your credits and let RefAssure follow up.