Dossier and Search-Management Services Available through the JIL

In fall 2012, the MLA Job Information List will make Interfolio’s online dossier and search-management services available through JIL advertisements.

What This Means for Job Seekers

Job seekers will be able to apply for positions directly from advertisements in the JIL by creating a free Interfolio account (the normal charge is $19 per year). Transmission of application materials, dossiers, writing samples, and letters of recommendation is free of charge from candidates’ Interfolio Dossier accounts to JIL advertisers who use the Interfolio ByCommittee search-management platform. Where ads direct candidates to apply by e-mail—where application documents must be transmitted from an Interfolio Dossier account to a departmental e-mail address—candidates will incur a maximum fee of $6 per search, no matter how many electronic transmissions are requested for a given search.

With an account, job seekers can

• upload, store, and manage letters of application, CVs, letters of recommendation, writing samples, and other materials using the secure Interfolio Web site
• store customized letters of recommendation and dossier materials in a personal Interfolio account for future delivery
• manage and track the status of applications

What This Means for Advertising Departments

All departments that place ads in the 2012–13 JIL will be able to use Interfolio’s suite of online search-management tools, called ByCommittee. ByCommittee provides a single secure Web interface for departments to manage search-committee memberships for multiple searches and to receive candidate applications, dossiers, and other materials. Using ByCommittee, departments can

• receive applications and materials electronically in PDF, which are organized for each search being conducted
• send automatic e-mail acknowledgments of the receipt of candidates’ applications
• manage search-committee membership
• provide search-committee members a secure online environment to review candidates’ materials and record comments and evaluations
• manage the sharing of search-committee members’ rankings and evaluations of candidates
• organize candidates into groups according to their status in the search
• send customized e-mail messages to candidates and groups of candidates
• retain an archive documenting job searches, candidates’ applications, and search-committee members’ evaluations for as long as the department maintains an Interfolio account
• upload application materials to their institutional applicant-tracking system

What This Means for Writers of Letters of Recommendation

The Interfolio system streamlines the process of submitting letters of recommendation.

• Letter writers receive requests for letters directly from a candidate’s Interfolio account and submit their letters to Interfolio’s centralized dossier service.
• Letters are stored securely on Interfolio’s server, where they remain confidential.
• Candidates manage the transmitting of recommendations from Interfolio directly to the departments to which they are applying.

Additional information is available in FAQs for job seekers and hiring departments.