Hi ,

August was a month of cutting out manual steps! A few integration improvements landed too, so reports and documents move between systems without anyone needing to click "download" and "upload" in between.

What we shipped in August

Faster education checks
We've automated part of our education checks process. When we need extra information from a candidate after they've submitted their check, 8/10 times they're notified as soon as the need arises and can upload what's needed directly to their profile — no manual handling required on our side. This means faster turnaround on these checks with less back-and-forth.

Automatic PDF delivery to Greenhouse
Once a candidate's check reaches a final state, we now send the PDF report straight into Greenhouse. Recruiters using Greenhouse no longer need to download the report and upload it themselves, so nothing goes missing because a step got skipped. Enable it from the Integrations page if you use Greenhouse.

Clearer CV Check mismatches
The CV Check summary now shows every mismatch in a table, with the CV, candidate, and referee values side by side, plus a link that jumps straight to the flagged reference. Previously this was a single "mismatch found" warning, so recruiters had to open each reference to see what had actually changed.

Reference activity timeline updates
The activity timeline now shows more detail on declined references, bounced referee emails, references reset to "requested," and unresponsive referees, so recruiters can see what's happening without digging.

Employment verification fraud indicator
A new badge on the report flags when the name used to submit employment verification details doesn't match the candidate's name.

Automatic resets for name & DOB mismatches in ID checks for DBS
Remarkably, in 10% of ID checks, the name or date of birth a candidate gives doesn't match their identity document. Sometimes it's a typo, sometimes just a shortened name or initials.

We have introduced this automatic and recruiter-led reset process to automatically identify and help solve these problems. And provide more powerful tools to help your candidates get through the process:

Smaller updates worth knowing about:

• ID verification reliability: fewer unnecessary resubmissions and failures, thanks to background improvements to how we run identity checks.

Coming soon

• DBS identity confirmation step: an update to part of the ID verification flow for DBS checks. Expected soon.
• Direct DBS integration: a direct connection to the DBS for criminal record checks, cutting out the third party currently in between.

Many thanks,

The Zinc product team

Hi,

We've made it easier to get completed reports into Greenhouse.

Once a candidate's request reaches a final stage — either automatically, when all checks clear, or after your team marks the report as reviewed — Zinc now delivers the PDF report directly to Greenhouse.

This means one less manual step for your team, and no more gaps where a report is missing from Greenhouse because that step got missed.

How to enable it

Your Greenhouse admin will need to:

1. Log into Zinc and go to the Integrations page, then click on Greenhouse.

2. Click "Connect Harvest" button — that will take you to the Greenhouse sign in screen.

3. Enable the Harvest connection. Once successful, you will be re-directed to Zinc and will have the Harvest badge. 

If you're having trouble or need support enabling this, feel free to reach out to your account manager.

Warm regards,

Zinc Product Team

To help reduce the risk of candidate fraud, employment verification will now be compared against the candidate's full name.

Zinc's employment verification pulls a candidate's work history and dates directly from HMRC and other global integrations, helping teams to hire with confidence and receive fast, accurate results. With this update, if employment verification details don't match the candidate's name on the background check request, this will now be flagged with a badge on the report. You'll see one of the following:

• Employment verification name match
• Employment verification name mismatch

The badge helps you confirm that the person who submitted the employment verification details is the same person the background check request is for. 

What this means for your team

This feature doesn’t change the status of the check, but you’ll now have visibility of potential mismatches so you can easily review and follow up where needed. For teams not yet using employment verification, a layered approach of both references and employment verification returns results instantly at no extra cost, with candidates' employment details sourced directly from government tax records and any discrepancies flagged. 

Hi ,

July brought a smarter live chat, sharper reference checks, and a batch of upgrades for anyone running iCIMS, PageUp, or the Partner API. Here's what shipped, and what's coming next.

What we shipped in July

Get answers instantly on live chat
The live chat can now take action for you, not just answer questions. You can check how a reference is progressing, get an overview of a background check request, or nudge a candidate to finish their part, all from the chat. We've also refreshed the widget itself — better UI, sound notifications, and a visual nudge when new messages arrive even with it closed.

Spot reference concerns without reading every answer
Referee responses are now checked automatically against the answer you expect, so anything that doesn't match — including job title mismatches — gets flagged for you. You can also customise every type of reference questionnaire to fit what you're screening for.

Smaller updates worth knowing about:

• Bulk recheck uploads: set an individual start date per person when uploading rechecks in bulk.

Integration updates

If you use PageUp, iCIMS, or the Partner API, here's what's new for you:

• PageUp: Zinc now integrates directly with PageUp, so you can run background checks without leaving it.
• iCIMS: reference, DBS, and qualification results now show as Clear or Not clear as soon as they complete, plus the overall order result — no need to switch over to Zinc for the full picture.
• Partner API: cancelling a request from the Recruiter UI or Admin Tracking now triggers the same webhook as cancelling through the API. A new List Results endpoint also lets you pull your full list of background check requests, handy if you ever miss one.

Coming soon

• Direct referee edits: referees will be able to edit their own submissions directly.
• Automatic resets for name & DOB mismatches in ID checks for DBS — read more.
• Greenhouse PDF reports: view reports directly in Greenhouse.

As always, if you have any questions just reply to this email.

The Zinc product team

Remarkably, in 10% of ID checks, the name or date of birth a candidate gives doesn't match their identity document. Sometimes it’s a typo, sometimes just a shortened name or initials.

Recent Trust Framework changes have made this a more common issue. We require an exact match on the primary document, so we've built a feature to take the manual chasing out of this for you.

How it works:

• First mismatch — we automatically reset the candidate's submission, no action needed from you
• Second & third mismatch — we flag it for your review, so you can guide the candidate or send them back to try again
• Fourth attempt — if it's still wrong, we automatically move the case to manual review

You'll now see new "Action required" flags on the report for these issues. Previously, these would remain in a pending state, so they were quite hard for anyone to identify and unfortunately often lost. We have introduced this automatic and recruiter-led reset process to automatically identify and help solve these problems. And provide more powerful tools to help your candidates get through the process.

Hi,

There are two threads running through June's updates. The first is about giving recruiters sharper insight into reference results, and more ways to act on what you see. The second is about less context-switching — more of the compliance work handled directly inside the tools your teams already work from. Here's what shipped.

What we shipped in June

Reference level notes
Recruiters can now attach notes and files directly to an individual reference, not just the overall request. There's also a new Activity tab showing relevant events in chronological order alongside those notes (when a referee completed their reference, when a chaser email went out, and so on), so the full picture of each reference is in one place.

Reference questionnaire results and flagging

Recruiters can now set expected answers for each question in a reference questionnaire via the package editor. Once a referee submits, the questionnaire is evaluated automatically and any responses that don't match the expected answer are flagged for your attention. Job title mismatches are flagged too. Less time scanning every response to find the ones that matter.

Workday-native manual DBS identity verification
When a DBS check requires in-person identity verification, that step now happens entirely inside Workday. Recruiters get an automatic alert on the candidate's profile, mark it complete without leaving Workday, and the check moves forward on its own. Alerts work for all Workday customers automatically, with a one-time setup needed to enable the completion step.

SeeMeHired ATS integration
Our integration with SeeMeHired is now live. Customers can trigger checks, track progress, and access reports without leaving the platform.

Other updates to help you work faster

• Partner API: manual DBS identity verification. Partners can now receive notifications when a DBS check needs manual identity verification and mark that step complete through the Partner API, without accessing the Zinc platform. Checks that previously stalled with no external visibility now progress automatically.
• Selfie check wording. We've added clearer text during identity checks so candidates know the camera captures a wider frame than shown on screen.

Coming soon

• Direct referee edits. Recruiters will be able to update a referee's name, email, company, and dates of employment directly in Zinc, with no CS ticket or candidate re-engagement needed. Arriving in the next two to three weeks.

As always, if you have any questions just reply to this email.

The Zinc product team

When a referee raises concerns about a candidate, you should instantly be able to see what matters. Two updates make that easier: reports now flag the answers that are worth a closer look, and you can ask referees exactly what you need to know with customisable questions for all reference types. Here's what to set up to get the benefit of both.

What you need to know

• Answer flagging is live now, ready for you to configure which answers trigger a "Consider" in your package editor.
• You can now write your own questions for academic, character, and HR references, so referees answer exactly what you need.
• Nothing changes by default. You'll need to set this up yourself in the package editor.

What to do now

1. Go to your reference packages.
2. Review your questionnaires to set which answers should count as clear.
3. Want more specific answers on academic, character, or HR references? Customise those questions while you're there.

Looking for more information? Check out our help article or talk to your account manager.

From early next week you'll be able to review references at the individual reference level

Until now, any notes on a candidate report were recorded at the report level. You'll soon be able to add notes, attach documents, and mark each individual reference as reviewed, directly on the reference card.

What's new
Mark a reference as reviewed
Once you've examined a reference and are satisfied with it, mark it as reviewed. A green Reviewed badge appears on the collapsed card so your team can see it without opening the card. A note explaining what you've confirmed is required, for example, that you've verified the referee's identity or reviewed safeguarding content.

Withdraw a review if needed
If a reference needs re-examining, you can withdraw the reviewed status. A reason is required, and the original review record is always preserved. If you withdraw a review that a colleague originally set, they'll receive an email notification.

Add notes to a reference
Record anything relevant to a specific reference — an offline conversation with the referee, safeguarding notes, additional context. Notes are timestamped with your name and can't be edited or deleted after saving, which keeps your audit record intact.

Attach documents
Upload supporting evidence alongside a note: scanned reference letters, external documents, anything gathered outside Zinc. Accepted formats: JPEG, PNG, PDF. Maximum file size: 5MB.

Everything appears in your PDF
All notes, document attachments, review actions, and timeline events are included automatically when you download the report.

What you need to know

• Notes and review records can't be edited or deleted after saving. This is by design — it keeps your audit record reliable for compliance purposes.
• Marking a reference as reviewed has no effect on the check status (Clear, Consider, etc.) or the overall report status. It's a record that your team has examined it — separate from Zinc's automated outcome.
• A note is required when marking a reference as reviewed or withdrawing a review.
• If a colleague withdraws a review you originally set, you'll receive an email notification.

We'll be in touch once it's live. In the meantime, if you have any questions, get in touch with your account manager or reach out to our support team.

Welcome to our monthly product update!

With some big releases just around the corner, we have been a bit light on product updates recently. Having said that, there are still some super exciting changes that you might have missed!

Professional qualification form improvements

We've made the professional qualification form clearer for candidates. They now select their qualification type first and the form adapts to show the right fields. Membership or licence numbers (such as an NMC PIN) are now required fields, reducing errors and improving data quality.

Partner API: manual DBS identity verification 

Recruiters can now complete manual DBS identity verification directly from supported ATS and HRIS platforms. When a DBS check requires in-person identity verification, integrated systems can receive the notification and mark the step as complete through the Partner API — eliminating the need to switch platforms.
This helps teams keep background checks moving within their existing workflow, reducing context switching and saving time.
If you'd like to use this functionality, speak to your ATS or HRIS provider about supporting the latest Zinc Partner API capabilities.

Other improvements we made in May

• We've upgraded our UK address finder to a new provider with 33 million address records — up from 8 million. Candidates should find it easier to locate their address, and we expect to see fewer DBS rejections from invalid entries.
• Workday HRIS customers can now configure their integration to route check requests to candidates' work email rather than their personal email — useful where company policy restricts personal inbox access at work.
• We've added clearer guidance to the selfie capture step so candidates better understand what's being photographed.

Zinc Product Team

Welcome to our monthly product update.

Here’s a quick recap of what we delivered for you last month 🙌

Changes to identity verification for DBS checks

We've updated the identity verification process for DBS checks to stay aligned with the latest version of the Digital Identity and Attributes Trust Framework. Here are the new requirements: 

Basic DBS: All UK or Irish nationals will now require a passport. Non-UK or Irish passport holders will require a passport plus one additional photo ID (e.g. driving licence, national ID card, or residence permit).

Standard & Enhanced DBS: Candidates will require a passport plus one additional photo ID (e.g. driving licence, national ID card, or residence permit).

Please note, not all passports are accepted, they typically need to be a modern biometric passport (strength 4). See our IDSP's document strength rating system. Any required secondary documents need to be a minimum of strength 3. 

We appreciate this change in process means we have had an increase in the number of manual reviews required. We are working hard to release improvements and we'll be expanding out the accepted document pathways throughout the year.

Changes since release

- Document strength failures → now trigger immediate manual review, with no resubmission.

- ID failure reasons in emails → failure reasons are now displayed in emails, for example: no consent given, document data missing, duplicate document used, or passport not provided.

Coming soon

- ID failure reasons on reports → failure reasons will also be displayed directly on reports.

- Displaying documents when ID fails → document copies will soon be visible when ID checks fail.

- Manual review document selection → reviewers will be able to specify which documents they reviewed.

Academic references and structured non-employment periods on references

Zinc will now guide candidates to explain any gaps in their timeline while completing their reference check. Candidates can choose from structured options including education, seeking work, travelling, or other.

If a candidate was in education during the required period, we’ll automatically request an academic reference.

Find out more about non employment references here.

Improvements to the Partner API statuses

Partners often saw many different scenarios in Zinc summarised under a single “pending” status in the Partner API. The partner API did not yet reflect the more granular statuses shown in app such as "awaiting candidate".  This made it difficult for recruiters to know whether to chase the candidate, wait on Zinc, or take action themselves.

This has now been fixed and new statuses are available to map to. Webhook events will now always fire on these important transitions, meaning updates can't be missed.

See the updated docs here.

Other improvements in April

Reference chaser notifications

Previously, we only showed the number of times a referee was contacted via icons or badges on the candidate report, and up to three contact attempts on the PDF report.

We’ve now updated reports to show all contact attempts in hover content and display the full contact history in the PDF report

CV requirement indicator for CV checks

We've improved the Partner API to make it clearer when a CV upload is required. Previously, partners could not determine via the API whether a package included a CV check, which could lead to missing information and delays.

Zinc Product Team 🌸