Interfolio
Applying to jobs in higher education or for further graduate study typically involves submitting a whole portfolio of documents, including your CV, writing samples, evaluations, and confidential letters of recommendation. To expedite this process, you may want to sign up for a popular dossier service called Interfolio.
What Is Interfolio?
Interfolio is an online dossier service. As is now common practice, application portfolios can be placed online in an Interfolio account and accessed 24/7. The Interfolio system accepts and stores almost any type of information, while maintaining robust technological safeguards to keep documents private and safe. Once you sign up and upload your documents, the process for sending out materials becomes as simple as telling Interfolio where you want to apply and when.
Why Use Interfolio?
Streamline the Application Process
Interfolio’s dossier service allows you to keep your confidential letters of recommendation and other application materials all in one place. Once you’ve done the work of uploading your documents, sending out materials simply involves inputting when and where you’d like them to go.
Request and Submit Confidential Letters of Recommendation
You can request confidential letters of recommendation directly through Interfolio. When you send a new request, your letter writer will receive instructions about how to upload their letter to Interfolio. In the request, don’t forget to include the application due date, supplemental materials from your Interfolio dossier that the writer might find useful, such as your CV, and whether or not the request is for a general recommendation or a specific opportunity. The system will notify you when a new letter has been submitted.
Once a writer has uploaded a letter into your dossier account, Interfolio can submit those letters directly to online application systems. This allows you to avoid having to ask your letter writers to personally resubmit their letter every time you want to apply for another opportunity.
Easily Meet Deadlines
Using Interfolio can help make meeting deadlines easier. Aside from no longer having to wait for your recommenders to individually upload their letters for each opportunity, users have 24/7 access to the Interfolio website, so you won’t have to wait for a physical office to open to send out a time sensitive application. Interfolio sends both paper and electronic deliveries within one business day of your request. Express deliveries requested by 2 p.m. can be sent the same day.
Control When, Where, and How Applications Packages are Sent Out
Interfolio gives users more control over when, where, and how application packages are sent out, reducing the risk of materials never arriving. You can choose to have materials delivered electronically or in print, and can track the status of each delivery.
Affordability
It’s often more affordable to send application packages through Interfolio than to print and mail the hard copy yourself. You may also submit to some opportunities free of charge.
Subscription Options
Interfolio has two subscription options: Dossier and Dossier Deliver. Dossier is a free service that allows you to upload application documents, request confidential letters of recommendation, and apply for free to Interfolio-hosted positions. As of 2021, Interfolio’s Dossier Deliver service costs $48/year and allows you to additionally send a total of 50 electronic and/or mail deliveries to institutions that do not host their positions on Interfolio.
Further Information and Support
For more information, check out Interfolio’s own online help page or contact Interfolio’s customer support team.
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