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Reference File Service: Policies
Establishing a Reference File
- Complete a Master
File Form and pay the initial $10.00 set-up fee. (Master File
Form is also available in Word.)
Note: The Master File Form must be completed, signed and returned. No references will be sent by UCS without the signed authorization included on the form. Print out and complete the Master File Form and return it to our office with the $10.00 set-up fee. (Please make your check payable to "UNC-Chapel Hill". No cash accepted.)
- Complete the top portion of the evaluation forms
regarding confidentiality status and signature. It is particularly important
that the form be signed by both the candidate and the evaluator. Unsigned
forms are considered incomplete and will not be sent by the office.
(UCS will accept a letter of reference unaccompanied by the completed
evaluation form, but it will be considered a non-confidential reference.)
Be sure you have checked the waiver or non-waiver box on the form and signed it BEFORE you give it to your reference. If you waive your right to review an evaluation, UCS cannot, under any circumstances, allow you to see the evaluation nor can UCS reveal information to you about its contents.- If you are establishing a file for employment/internship
purposes and have or will be receiving a bachelors degree, you may
have up to six evaluations in your file.
Download and print out the Recommendation Form for Undergraduate Degree Employment (also available in Word). - If you are establishing a file for employment
purposes and have or will be receiving a masters degree, you may
have up to six evaluations in your file. You may have up to six
evaluations if you have or will be receiving a doctorate.
Download and print out the Recommendation Form for Graduate Degree Employment (also available in Word). - If you are establishing a file for applying
to scholarships/academic programs, graduate or professional schools,
you are allowed up to six evaluations. Please click here to download
and print out evaluation forms.
Download and print out the Recommendation Form for Application to Graduate/Professional School/Academic Programs(also available in Word).
- If you are establishing a file for employment/internship
purposes and have or will be receiving a bachelors degree, you may
have up to six evaluations in your file.
- Distribute evaluation forms to faulty members,
advisors, and/or employers who are well acquainted with your work. Ask
the evaluator to complete the form and return it directly to UCS. (Be
sure you have checked the waiver or non-waiver box on the form and signed
it before you give it to your reference. See policy above.)
- Log into our online system to check to make sure all evaluations have been received and that your file is complete.
Sending a Reference File
Reference files are always sent directly to admission offices or employers
in the fields listed above or, at your request, employment agencies in
the above areas. UCS will not send references to any other employers,
unidentified post office boxes, street addresses, or relatives.
Requests for a reference file to be sent should be made online. No file will be sent unless it contains at least one recommendation and a signed Master File Form. UCS will not hold requests for processing for any reason. Please make sure that your file is complete and that all necessary evaluations are received before submitting any requests for file to be sent.
UCS will process and send any Standard request within 2 business days of receiving the request and payment. Other options for processing are available for additional fees. These options include:
- RUSH Processing: processed by UCS within 24 business hours of receiving the request
- DHL Next Day Express: overnight delivery (does not include RUSH processing unless specifically requested and RUSH fee is paid).
Updating Your Reference File
In order to update your reference file, new completed evaluation forms
should be submitted. If inclusion of the new evaluations results in your
file exceeding the maximum number of references allowed, you must notify
us of the letters you wish destroyed. Please submit a Reference
Destruction Request (also available
in Word) in writing before (or with) the submittal of the new
evaluation/s.
If you are submitting an update of a previous evaluation, please let UCS know how the reference should be handled: If the new evaluation is to be used as an attachment to the old, we will consider it non-confidential unless a new, completed evaluation form is attached. If we become aware that your file has two references from the same person, and you have not requested that both be included in your file, we will send the more recent one. Please do not assume that we will notice the repetition. It is your responsibility to keep us informed about changes you wish to make in your file.
Maintaining Reference Files
Files are maintained for 10 years after the last date of use. After
this time, files are destroyed. Please help us keep your file up-to-date
with
your current telephone number, address, and email address.
Important Points to Know
- Signatures: The evaluation
forms must be filled out completely. It is particularly important that
the form be signed by both the candidate and the evaluator. Unsigned
forms are considered incomplete and will not be sent by the office.
- Waiver: Please check
the waiver or non-waiver box before giving the form to an evaluator.
If you waive your right to see your evaluation, you will not be permitted
under any circumstances to be shown that evaluation by UCS or to receive
information about its contents from the UCS staff. Some states have
enacted laws which permit candidate and the public to review the contents
of their applications, including any references. References that are
confidential and attached to our forms printed prior to August 1989
cannot be sent to states with such laws (applies only if your file was
established prior to August 1989.) Some recipients may return your references
if they feel they cannot assure this confidentiality. If you are considering
an out of state job search, you may wish to consider a mixture of confidential
and non-confidential evaluations. Please
make an appointment with the counselor for your area if you have
any questions or need assistance in determining which type of evaluation
is best for you.
- Your Privacy: When
UCS sends your references to a potential employer, it cautions the recipient
that the references are not to be re-released to third parties outside
the recipient’s organization because of a requirement of the federal
Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act. Recipients who are unable
to meet this requirement are asked to return the references to UCS.
You should be aware, however, that if you apply for public employment
in a state that has broad public records law, your references might
be made public by the recipient.
- Official transcripts
may be obtained from the University Registrar at 919-962-3954 or http://regweb.oit.unc.edu/.
- Call to Confirm: We
recommend that you call the designated recipient within three weeks
of your request in order to confirm that your file has been received.
- Review by Faculty: Reference
files of graduate students applying for employment may be reviewed by
the student’s dept chair/graduate adviser/dissertation chair who
has been specifically identified by a student, if the student has given
written permission for such review on a Recommendation
Review Release (also available in Word).
All information in a file must be considered confidential and may not
be released to the student or any third party. The faculty member may
advise a student to retain or eliminate a particular letter, but may
not state the reason. Any faculty member given review permission by
a student will be asked to sign the Recommendation
Review Release (also available in Word)
indicating acceptance of this restriction.
- Education K-12 / Administration National Teachers
Examination Applicants: The N.T.E. tests are
required by the State of North Carolina. The out-of-state school systems
strongly recommend that the tests be taken. In taking the test, please
note that the Educational Testing Service will send one copy of your
test results to you and one to the School of Education (as explained
in the N.T.E. Information Bulletin). An additional copy will be sent
to the Certification Division, State Department of Public Instruction,
Raleigh, NC, only upon your request. N.T.E. scores are not a part of
your file in the University Career Services Office.
- Health Science Applicants:
We suggest you check with your department advisor regarding the licensure/certification
requirements of your profession. This is not a part of your file
with University Career Services.
Questions, comments? Email us
at ucs@unc.edu
919-962-6507
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