For the complete documentation index, see llms.txt
For the complete documentation index, see llms.txt
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What Happens When a Reference Is Requested
As soon as a reference is requested by a candidate, Zinc will attempt to contact the referee via email.
This happens immediately after the reference is requested so, if you know a candidate is waiting to provide a reference at a later point, you can remind them of this before completing the section and Zinc will remind them as well on the platform.
## If the referee email bounces
Sometimes, an email isn't valid or is no longer in existence. If this happens, Zinc will automatically send the candidate an email to notify them that the email bounced and ask them to check or replace the referee email address.
## What the referee can do
When a referee is successfully contacted, the email they receive looks like this:
- The referee can click the green box to provide a reference directly via the Zinc platform.
- If the referee is unable to use the platform, they can reply to the email with a PDF version of the reference, following the instructions provided in the email.
## How often we contact referees
After the first contact via email on day 1, Zinc will continue to contact the referee up to 5 more times over the following two weeks, following this schedule:
| Day | Contact Type |
|-----|---------------|
| 1 | Email |
| 3 | Text Message (if a phone number is provided) |
| 4 | Email |
| 7 | Email |
| 14 | Email |
You can monitor how many contact attempts have been made for a reference on the candidate's report using the tags.
If you see a bell icon with **x2**, **x3** (or any **xN**) next to it, that number shows how many times the referee has been notified so far.
## Why you might not see the next reminder yet
If you can see the first one or two notifications (for example, the Day 1 email and then a Day 3 text message), it can feel confusing if you don’t immediately see the next email reminder.
A few things to check:
- **Match what you’re seeing to the schedule.** After the Day 1 email, the next contacts are:
- **Day 3:** a **text message** (only if a phone number is provided)
- **Day 4:** an **email**
- **Day 7:** an **email**
- **Day 14:** an **email**
- **No phone number = no Day 3 text message.** If you didn’t provide a phone number for the referee, the Day 3 SMS reminder is skipped. You should still expect email reminders on Days **4, 7, and 14**.
- **Timing/visibility delays.** Reminders are scheduled by day (Day 4, Day 7, etc.). Depending on when the reference was requested and how notification logs update, the next reminder may not appear exactly when you expect.
- **If the reference is no longer in a “pending/requested/in verification” state, reminders may stop.** Automated reminders are intended to chase outstanding references; if the reference status changes in a way that indicates it is no longer awaiting a referee response, further reminders may not continue.
## If the referee does not respond
If after five attempts the referee still hasn’t responded, Zinc will notify the candidate via email and ask them to provide a new reference.
More guidance for candidates on what to do if a referee does not reply can be found here: [What to do when a reference referee does not reply](https://help.zincwork.com/hc/hm54ky7yrc/article/324e70af-what-to-do-when-a-reference-referee-does-not-reply).
Once the maximum number of contact attempts (5) has been reached without a response, the candidate report will show a bell icon with **x5**.
This signals that Zinc has reached the maximum number of automatic contacts. At this point, you should nudge the candidate to chase the referee or follow up with the referee yourself if necessary.
If you need Zinc Support to send a manual reminder to the referee because the automatic messages have not been getting through, you can request this via email or live chat.
## Adding notes, documents, and marking a reference as reviewed
Once a reference appears on a candidate's report—at any stage—you can manage it directly from the report. You can add notes, attach supporting documents, and formally mark the reference as reviewed.
For full guidance, see [Adding Notes and Reviewing References on a Candidate Report](https://help.zincwork.com/hc/hm54ky7yrc/article/1af6858a-reference-level-notes).
