Reference, Credential & Recommendation Files

Career Center staff provide students with counseling and guidance on how to obtain reference letters and prepare effective graduate school, internship and employment applications.

Carleton students and alumni can collect and manage their letters of recommendation via Interfolio, Inc. Interfolio offers credential file holders and recommendation writers a comprehensive online service which is accessible 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Recommendation letter writers can submit confidential or non-confidential letters directly to your Interfolio account.

NOTE: Applicants to law school should have their recommenders send their letters of recommendation directly to LSAC’s Credentials Assembly Service (CAS). Learn more about this service. 

Students

Why start A Reference/Credential File?

A reference file is an easy place for you to keep track of reference letters people write for you. Reference or recommendation letters can be used for graduate school, employment, and internship applications. 

How to get started?

We suggest that you identify three to four people to write letters of reference on your behalf. The writers should know you well and be able to positively speak to your character, work traits, abilities and accomplishments. Ask professors who know your abilities as a student as well as employers who know you in an internship or work setting. Allow them the opportunity to refuse if they are not comfortable recommending you. And, be sure to request references well in advance (a minimum of two weeks) of needing them. Create your own Interfolio account.

Faculty

Faculty and other letter writers may establish a writer’s account at Interfolio, which enables direct uploading of documents. Some of the benefits include:

Quickly and easily upload letters. Electronically uploading a file to the system is the fastest and safest way to submit a document to Interfolio on behalf of your students. It is immediately available for the student to use in the application process. This saves time and limits anxiety as deadlines approach!

Retain access to uploaded documents. You will never again have to rummage through your papers to retrieve an old letter of recommendation. Your writer’s account enables you to have access to all documents you have uploaded into the system. Original documents may be easily retrieved so that you can edit and update them.

Increased fraud protection. As a security precaution, Interfolio does not receive documents via e-mail, nor do they allow unknown individuals to directly upload documents. By requiring you to set up a writer’s account before sending a document electronically, they can verify your identity, thereby reducing the fraudulent submission of letters of recommendation.

Convenience. Though the benefits of a writer’s account are numerous, it is an optional service. With a writer’s account, you can electronically upload documents to Interfolio’s safe and secure system. If you choose not to create a writer’s account, you can still mail or fax letters to Interfolio.

Create a writer’s account on Interfolio.

Frequently Asked Questions