The Interfolio Blog: What I Learned At Your College

During the past couple of months, I have visited with a few of our partner schools to meet with the people that matter most: our members. This is always really interesting for me because I get to learn how we can improve our service to make your application process easier.

This time around, I kept hearing two recurring questions.

1. Should I have my recommendation letters addressed generally or tailored for individual applications?

People that use Interfolio love the fact that they can have one letter uploaded into their accounts and sent to multiple destinations. It saves their letter writers time and lowers the anxiety of managing application deadlines.

However, it seems this tool of convenience gives users the impression that Interfolio only handles general letters. To set the record straight: you control what’s uploaded into your account – whether it’s one general letter or 74 individually tailored recommendations.

Here are a few ways that our users navigate through this issue.

If you ask your writer to create a different letter for each application, make sure you are able to distinguish between the letters by adjusting the document title for each request. That way, you will know which letter belongs to which application.
If you ask your writer to write a single recommendation, make sure you explain to your writer that the letter should be general and appropriate for any application.
You can upload a custom cover letter for each application too. Make sure you dedicate a unique placeholder for each application. We do not recommend re-using the same placeholder with an edited copy for different schools.
Remember, you can store an almost unlimited number of letters in your account so there is no need to hold back. By using tags and the archive feature, you can organize your documents in a way that is not overwhelming, regardless of how many you have stored.

2. An online job application is asking for the email addresses of my letter writers. Can I still use Interfolio to apply?

Yes, you can still use Interfolio to apply in these circumstances. Last year, our team noticed a growing trend in higher education: applications that encourage students to have their letter writers submit recommendations online. This was a shift from traditional applications that required letters to be sent to a physical address or an email inbox.

Our product team was able to meet this new demand by releasing our Web Delivery service. We have generated unique email addresses for each confidential letter in your account. If you are asked to enter an email address for your writer into an online application, you can instead enter the email address assigned to that specific writer’s document stored with Interfolio. This allows you to fulfill your application requirement using Interfolio, while avoiding the headache of contacting your letter writers each and every time you need a letter uploaded to an online application.

For more information on Interfolio web deliveries, please refer to the FAQ in our help center.

Please let us know if you have other questions about these or any other issues. As always, we look forward to helping you!

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