No letter of recommendation can be made confidential after receipt by the Career Center. All letters of recommendation wrote after December 1974 are assumed non-confidential unless a waiver is signed to the contrary. In general, a confidential letter may be more honest about some of your weaknesses and therefore carry more weight. However, other career development professionals recommend that you never give up your right to see documents regarding your candidacy, as it is important to have control over all documents that represent you. Non-confidential letters have become an acceptable part of the hiring process.
Most employers now call references for verification and clarification.
Credential files are maintained in the Career Center for five years after graduation or last active use. After five years, all inactive files are terminated. If you would like the contents of your file, you must send a written request to the Career Center. Confidential materials can not be released without the permission of the letter's author. We will retire old letters at your request and add new ones.