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How to Send an Email Delivery in Three Steps

on Apr 28, 2010
by Mike Lovell
In: Dossier Account , Email Delivery , Graduate Students , save paper on campus , technology , Higher Education , Job Market

As a recent college graduate and philosophical enthusiast, I consider myself to be part of the last generation that will remember what it was like to NOT check and send email daily. Even deep into my collegiate experience, I recall dropping off my job application at Bill Bateman’s Bistro in Severna Park, MD in the same archaic format that the Pony Express was created to deliver. With the lightening-fast pace of horses in mind, I would like to discuss one of Interfolio’s lesser-known features: email delivery. It’s quick, easy and efficient; so much so that I will be able to explain it in three steps!

  1. Once you’ve logged into Interfolio, you will navigate to the delivery tab and select “Add Delivery”. This will bring up an additional screen and a few options. Under “Step 1”, select “I want to enter the address myself” and you will be presented with several address fields to populate. Once you do, it should look like the following:
    2. interfolio email delivery letters of recommendation
  2. After filling in all the required fields above (don’t forget the “email” box!), you will scroll down, add the documents you would like to deliver and click on the orange “Check Out” button. You will then be taken to the “Pending Deliveries” section of your account where you will select the “Email” option, customize the subject line (if necessary) and again click “Check Out”.
    3. interfolio letters of recommendation email delivery
  3. On the next screen, you will be prompted to pay for the delivery. Next, our Manager of Document Processing, Josh Ragent, personally performs quality checks on each email delivery that is sent from Interfolio, making sure that every electronic package has the correct contents and is being delivered to its secure and intended destination. While this kind of magic is going on behind the scenes at our Washington, D.C. fortress, you will be shown a delivery confirmation screen and receive an email from the good folks in our Member Experience department.
    4. interfolio email delivery dossier account credentials

And, that’s it – you have now successfully processed your first email delivery. Kind of exciting isn’t it?

Once you’ve done a delivery this way, it will make the sluggish grind of traditional paper applications seem more and more like the Pony Express - a fondly remembered but impractical idea.

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Comments

Jackie

Jackie wrote on 06/02/10 2:55 PM

And pray tell, why can't I send prospective employers an email myself...saving the cost?
Mike

Mike wrote on 06/02/10 3:19 PM

Hi Jackie,

You can personally send an email of your credentials to a prospective employer, however, a submission of this kind would be considered non-confidential.

The real value that you are paying for here is complete control over your confidential files at any time, and the ability to react to opportunities in the job market almost immediately, without waiting on registrars and individual recommendation writers to send in your application piece by piece.

For this reason, and the fact that Interfolio can manage transcripts and other credentials, we are recommended by search committees, career centers, and registrars across the country.

Just take a look at our (growing) list of University partners: http://www.interfolio.com/about/clients/partners/

We're always available to discuss this further over the phone and I encourage you to give us a call at (202)223-3358 x100.

Regards,
Mike
CN

CN wrote on 10/09/10 11:46 PM

How does this work for graduate school applications? My applications give me the option to enter my letter of recommendation writers information and have them upload their letter via an email. They do not want to do this 14 times, hence Interfolio.
Mike

Mike wrote on 10/11/10 10:07 AM

@CN -- That is a great question and a topic that we hope to cover on our blog sometime in the near future.

Interfolio actually assigns a unique email address to each confidential recommendation letter in your account.

You'll be able to find these email addresses by starting a new delivery and selecting "Click here if your online application requires that you enter the email addresses of your writers" right below Step 1.

Then, you will be shown the email addresses you seek and instructions that illustrate how to create an Interfolio web delivery.
Liz

Liz wrote on 12/06/10 10:15 AM

Do the institutions receiving emails from Interfolio have to have an Interfolio account, or can you send the documents to personal/institutional email addresses? Thanks!
Mike Lovell

Mike Lovell wrote on 12/12/10 5:27 PM

@Liz -- Institutions receiving documents from us are not required to have an Interfolio account. As long as our team can verify that your confidential documents are being transmitted to a secure inbox, we are able to send them accordingly.
Michael

Michael wrote on 12/27/10 8:39 PM

What do you mean by a "secure inbox"? Some applications I'm looking at suggest e-mail applications be sent to individual persons (usually but not exclusively at their .edu address).
Greg

Greg wrote on 12/29/10 10:10 PM

And what do the e-mail deliveries actually look like? Do the documents come attached to the e-mail as one large PDF? Several smaller PDF/s? Or is there a link the person has to click on for each document?

Finally, if they are attached to the e-mail and the person at the application site wants to send it to their assistant director, other faculty, etc, can they just forward the e-mail similar to just making photocopies of documents I might snail mail?
Mike

Mike wrote on 01/04/11 10:41 PM

@Michael -- Since we are dealing with confidential documents, it is important that those files remain out of your possession.

You can use Interfolio to email your credentials to individual persons at any application to which you are applying. If there is a problem verifying that your documents are going to a legitimate place, our Operations team will contact you accordingly.

@Greg -- By default, email deliveries are sent out as one large PDF file. However, if the recipient contacts us and requests the files as individual documents, we can send them a ZIP containing your credentials as individual files.

Finally, for email delivery attachments over 3 MBs, our system will provide a link to the recipient where they can download your documents as one complete PDF. This is to prevent exterior email clients from bouncing the large attachment from Interfolio.

Once the files are received at their destination, they can be forwarded by the recipient to other faculty, academic directors, etc.
LF

LF wrote on 10/26/11 9:20 PM

Do most schools accept Interfolio deliveries via email? (In case it's relevant, I should mention that I am applying to academic jobs in the humanities.) This is my first year on the market, and I've found that the ads are astoundingly vague about the submission process (email vs. regular mail, Interfolio vs. no Interfolio, received deadline vs. postmark deadline, etc). I even emailed a couple schools to ask about Interfolio for recommendations and application documents. Both schools told me that Interfolio was acceptable for recommendations, but they didn't answer the part of my email where I asked about delivery options ... basically, they told me I can use Interfolio, but I still have no idea if they will accept electronic deliveries from Interfolio, or if they assume that I will be mailing everything.
Ethan Douglas

Ethan Douglas wrote on 10/27/11 12:17 PM

@LF

I am not sure I can give a direct answer about "most schools," because every school may have its own requirements for receiving application materials. My inclination would be to say that if the university offers a mailing address and email address for receiving materials, then you would have either option as a form of submission. While the school you contacted may not have been specific in their response, it is a good idea to follow up with each school if you have any questions about their application process.
LF

LF wrote on 10/27/11 12:27 PM

@ Ethan

Thank you! I know you can't give a direct answer, but inclinations are useful. I'm just trying to get a sense of whether or not people assume it's ok to send files via email, and how schools respond to that. It would be interesting to see data on this aspect of the application process someday, if it exists.
Ethan Douglas

Ethan Douglas wrote on 10/27/11 1:42 PM

@LF

If we ever receive a response back form an email delivery indicating that the applicant should submit in another manner, we will always follow up with the applicant and share the message we received.

In regards to data collection. Universities/departments may change their application process year to year. I would imagine that data would be outdated very quickly. That being said, it is always great to see trends in higher education and either set them, or adapt to them.
Lesley

Lesley wrote on 10/28/11 11:55 PM

What is the turnover time for an email delivery? For example, if my deadline is Monday and I send my dossier on that day via the email option, will it arrive the same day? Or is there a lag time required for you to verify and check everything?
Kate

Kate wrote on 10/29/11 3:11 PM

I have recently encountered universities that require job applications be submitted through Interfolio (I am applying for academic positions in the humanities). I am confused as to what I am paying for when I upload my materials (I am not using Interfolio as a dossier service) to the Interfolio site and then you email them to the school for a $6 fee. I understand that the universities have chosen to use your site as a way to have applicants submit materials. However, what I do not understand is why it should cost $6 for you to send my electronic files to the school. Why is there any cost for this service? It costs me nothing to email the school my materials. The only reason I am paying for the service is because the school has chosen to use Interfolio. Can you clarify your role in the application process? Thank you, Kate
Ethan Douglas

Ethan Douglas wrote on 10/30/11 2:47 PM

@Lesly

The processing deadline to have an email go out the same business day is 2pm ET. Monday at 2pm would be the cut-off to have the email of your application materials sent to meet the deadline.
Ethan Douglas

Ethan Douglas wrote on 10/31/11 10:33 AM

@Kate

The application to which you are applying is web-based and run through our site. The transfer of your documents from your account to their application is what you are paying for. The cost of the delivery is encompassing of many factors, such as the software needed to make this transfer, which is expensive to create and maintain, the quality assurance and careful examination of each document prior to delivery and the ability to transmit confidential documents with the rest of your materials from one easy location.
Kate

Kate wrote on 10/31/11 10:55 AM

Thank you for your quick response! I guess what I am having a difficult time understanding is, in the past, when I have applied to academic positions, I only submitted my materials stored on my computer and sent them (via email or post) directly to the school. I understand quality assurance, however, this should probably be my responsibility since they are my materials. Since I am not using Interfolio as a dossier service, the convenience of having all of my materials sent at the same time is not really all that convenient in the end. My letter writers still must upload their letters. Additionally, because of the field I am in, my letter writers like to write individualized letters (one for each job). So this means they must upload new letters for each position. I guess what I am concerned about is that in the past I have applied to jobs and not paid a third party for the same services I seem to be paying for now. Thank you again for your help.
Ethan Douglas

Ethan Douglas wrote on 10/31/11 8:48 PM

@Kate

I understand your position. The department running the faculty search is using our software to manage their application. As a part of this, they have sponsored the account creation aspect of submitting your documents, but do not cover the cost of delivering your materials. The Interfolio member must do this on their own.

You now have a dossier account that you can use to take advantage of for other applications, should you choose to do so. Your account has 250 mb of storage, which is plenty of room for tailored letters of recommendation.

You may also find that having a generic recommendation letter stored in your account can be useful tool for submitting to positions that you find out about last-minute. If you do not have enough time to procure tailored letters of recommendation for a specific application, a generic letter may be the best option to meet a potential deadline.

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