Will contractors need to obtain a reference passport?

Banks have always had strict checking procedures, especially for finance and IT contractors. Once an offer is made, the applicant needs to produce proof of their degree and any professional qualifications and recruitment agencies are now being asked to verify that the certificates are authentic.

There has also been an increase in the number of organisations requesting school certificates, such as those awarded for A-levels and GCSEs.

Furthermore, banks are scrutinising CVs more closely. It is common for a freelancer to have employment breaks but these now have to be explained. For example, if a woman claims to have taken time off to have a baby, she must back that up with the child's birth certificate.

Financial institutions also require credit checks to be carried out on potential employees.

Financial recruitment agencies are struggling to cope with the amount of checking required. It used to take around two weeks, but that has increased to three. However, the banks want the information within one and a half weeks.

It has now been suggested that a 'reference passport' could be a way around the problem. This would allow freelancers to move between assignments more easily and reduce the burden of administration on both sides.

Freelancers and contractors would need to abandon their laissez-faire attitude to dates and references and we could end up with a business climate where CVs need pre-referencing before they are submitted to a client.

Although this might sound like a bind, once the system was up and running, it would not only save time and money, but also ensure freelancers could take up a contract quickly.

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Image: Passport protector by kalleboo