Education Credential File Guidelines

Your Credential File

Credential files are materials established to verify education and experience and to support an educator's effort to secure employment. Your Credential file information should be as neat and professional as possible. A Credential File consists of the following:

1. Personal resume: Use our online resources to help you create your resume.
2. Baker University transcript: You may request an official transcript from the registrar's office or download an unofficial transcript from your MyBaker account.
3. Letters of Recommendation (2-4): See information below.
4. Supervising professor evaluation (for new graduates only): Career Services will request this form from your supervising professor.
5. Cooperating teacher evaluation (for new graduates only): Career Services will request this form from your cooperating teacher.

Traditional Hard Copy Credential Files

If you maintain a hard copy credential file through Career Services and would like to request it be sent to a school district, please email your request (including district address and contact name if possible) to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . Also, please contact Career Services about switching to an online credential file through www.Interfolio.com.

Online Credential Files (using www.Interfolio.com)

Beginning in the fall of 2009, students will create online credential files using www.Interfolio.com versus creating hard-copy files to be housed in Career Services. All necessary documents may be uploaded electronically directly to the student account. Students then may self-manage their file, overseeing all send requests and selecting the specific documents to be sent with each individual request.

Letters of Recommendation

Two to four letters of recommendation (in addition to your supervising professor and cooperating teacher evaluations) should be in your file. Your student teaching letters of recommendation should be confidential (closed to you). Recommendation letter-writers may be work supervisors, professors and/or administrators who know you well and can speak about your academic or career interests, goals, achievements and performance. Provide a current resume and discuss your career ambitions with each reference writer.

It is your responsibility to maintain and update your credential file. You will want to make sure that all of the people you asked to write recommendations have completed and uploaded them to your file on www.Interfolio.com.

Requests to Send

An application for employment is not complete until your potential employer has received your credential file. Do not wait for the school district to request your credentials; request them in advance from www.Interfolio.com. Your file should be sent to the school district the same week that you submit your application (before your interview). Many school districts have gone to online applications and request certain documents from your credential file at the time of application. Please take care to note which documents the district requests. Your www.Interfolio.com account will allow you the flexibility to submit only those specific documents and also to choose to send them either electronically or by mail.

Cost

A one-year account with www.Interfolio.com costs $19. All deliveries, electronic and hard-copy, begin at $6. There are additional options for priority delivery or overnight.

Notification of Employment & Change of Name or Address

Upon accepting a position, please notify Career Services staff as soon as possible so that we may congratulate you and have that information for our record-keeping purposes. This information is used in our annual graduate survey.

Transcripts

When setting up your online credential file before graduation, upload an unofficial transcript from your MyBaker account as an "Other" document (title it "Unofficial Transcript"). After graduation you will need to upload an official transcript from Baker University that indicates your degree completion. When requesting a final and complete transcript from the registrar, please remember to specify that you want the transcript to reflect your degree completion. Requests for official transcripts should be made directly to the registrar ($10 per request). While your unofficial Baker University transcript may be included in your credential file for a time, a prospective employer may still request an official copy. You must request the official transcript from the Registrar's Office.

Certification

Forms to apply for teaching certification in Kansas and Missouri are available from the Education Department Office. Information on how to secure forms and requirements for other states is available in the current issue of A Job Search Handbook for Educators (available in the Career Services office). Once you receive your certification, you may submit a copy to be included in your credential file.

Updating Information

Your credential file needs to be updated periodically for it to continue to be useful to you. Updating includes activities such as replacing old resumes with current ones, replacing old recommendations with new ones and so on. Your www.Interfolio.com account will only go dormant once your subscription expires -- your file will never be deleted. If at any time you decide to re-enter the job search, you may contact www.Interfolio.com to reactivate and update your online credential file.