Sending Reference Requests¶

In order to retrieve references from referees you must first request them. VettingGateway optimises the reference requesting process by aggregating outstanding reference requests into a single page, which you can then work through with ease.

On the References > Ready to Request page you'll be provided a list of references which are ready to request across all profiles assigned to your team.

By default the list of references is ordered by oldest to newest. You may filter the result set using the dropdown at the top of the list.

Request a reference¶

Click on the reference period you wish to request — this opens the reference request form. Select the method you would like the referee to use:

Out of Office replies¶

If you send a reference request to a referee who has their Out of Office replies enabled, VettingGateway will inform you that an automatic reply has been received. VettingGateway will detect if this email contains any forwarding emails, and we will guide you on what steps to take next.

Please see the below on how to enable and configure this feature for your custome bundles:

Importing references¶

Within the References > Upload references page, click the Select PDF(s) button and select all of the PDF files you wish to import from your device.

Now click Upload and process. VettingGateway will now begin importing the documents and you will see a progress indicator at the bottom of the page that includes a descriptive message.

Once the import is completed you must now associate the references to the correct profile. Click on the Verify Import link.

You'll be presented with all of the pages you imported. Work through each page, by clicking the page number and then searching for the reference or profile. Click the Associate button to link the document to a profile.

VettingGateway may auto detect the profile association, in which case you may simply double check its correct. When all pages are associated, the process is complete and may begin processing the references.

Attaching an additional document to the reference¶

When sending a reference request to a referee, you have the option of attaching a document to send out along with a reference request (this will appear in a PDF format).

The list of available of documents are from the selection that have been uploaded in the Documents section on the applicants profile.

If the document you need is not in this list, then please upload it in this section (or alternatively ask your applicant if they can upload the document from their portal) and then it will appear as an attachable document.

You may also choose which reference template you wish to include for this reference request.

Request via profile¶

References can be requested directly from within a profile, including for both whereabouts and gaps.

Troubleshooting Reference Requests¶

Blank Referee Name on a Returned Reference¶

This occurs when a referee completes the online reference form without entering their name. To resolve this:

1. Open the reference record within the applicant's profile.
2. Click the options menu next to the affected reference and select Edit Reference.
3. Enter the referee's name in the Referee Name field.
4. Click Save Changes.

Bounced or Undelivered Reference Request Email¶

If a reference request email has not been received by the referee:

1. Ask the applicant to confirm the referee's correct email address.
2. Open the referee record in the applicant's profile and update the email address under Edit.
3. Use Resend Reference Request to send a new request to the corrected address.

The original request status will update and a new entry will appear in the activity log.

Referee Says They Submitted but the Reference Is Not Showing¶

If a referee reports that they have submitted a reference but it is not visible in VettingGateway, they may have replied by email rather than completing the online form. Ask the referee to confirm they clicked the link in the request email and completed the form on the VettingGateway reference portal — email replies are not captured automatically.

If the issue persists, contact the VettingGateway support team with the applicant's name and the referee's email address.

Aliases and Previous Names in Reference Requests¶

Reference requests display the applicant's current name as the primary identifier. Where a previous name is relevant to the period being referenced, it is also included in the request to help the referee identify the correct individual.

If a referee cannot identify the applicant, check whether they were known by a different name during that period. If a previous name is missing from the profile:

1. Add the alias via the Basic Details section of the applicant's profile (or ask the applicant to add it themselves).
2. Once saved, resend the reference request so that the updated name is included.