Applicants FAQ

1. What service does LetterService.com provide?
LetterService.com is a trusted third party service provider for storing and delivering letters of recommendation.
2. Why should I use LetterService.com?
Well, most likely, you will apply for multiple jobs or apply for admission to multiple institutions. Your recommenders will have to write multiple letters and send one to each of these institutions. With LetterService.com, your recommenders will only need to provide us one copy of their letter. We will keep it on file and you can request us to send the letter to support your multiple applications. When you need to apply for a new job later, you will be able to use that letter without bothering your recommenders repeatedly. You can store all your letters of recommendation in one place at LetterService.com, and use them when needed.
3. What is the procedure to use Letter Service?
  • (1) Create an account on our website www.LetterService.com.
  • (2) Create a letter request asking your recommenders to write a letter of recommendation for you. When you request the letter, you will need to specify whether you waive the right to view the content of the letter. If you waive the right to view the letter, the letter will be marked as "confidential", otherwise it will be marked as "non-confidential". This setting, once chosen, cannot be changed.
  • (3) After your letter request is sent, our system will email a copy of the request to your recommenders with instructions to upload their letters to our website. Make sure they've received our email. Your recommenders (letter writers) will need to upload their letters to our website.
  • (4) Once the letter is uploaded to our website, you will be able to order a delivery of the letter to the institutions you are applying to.
  • (5) You can view all your letter requests and track your delivery orders online.
4. Should I obtain a confidential letter or a non-confidential letter ?
You can access your reference letters unless you choose to waive that right. Keep in mind that most employers and school admission officers prefer "confidential" letters, as a confidential letter tends to be more balanced and candid than a non-confidential letter.
5. Should my recommender write the letter to a specific organization?
Since your reference letters are to be used for multiple applications (i.e. sent to multiple recipients), the letter should not be organization-specific.
6. How are the reference letters sent to the institutions or employers?
  • Each institution / employer may receive the letters of recommendation in a different way.

  • (1) Email. If the institution / employer wants to receive the letters of recommendation via email, please provide us the recipient's official email address (i.e. ".edu") when you order a delivery. We will send the letter to them directly.
  • (2) Uploading. If the institution requires letters of recommendation to be uploaded to their websites, we will upload for you. We just need to know their instructions about where and how to upload those letters. Usually, when you provide your recommender's information, the institution will email the instructions to your recommender.
    For the convenience, we create a special email address (Letter Service Email) for each of your recommenders. You may want to use our Letter Service Email addresses as your recommender's email so that the uploading instructions will be sent to us and we will be able to upload the letters for you.
  • (3) Immediate delivery. Some institutions use our direct access to get letters of recommendation from our system. For these institutions, you won't need to do anything once you've placed an order. They access the letters automatically. This option is limited to a selected list of institutions.
  • (4) Postal Mail. In case the institutions / employers require a hardcopy of the letter to be mailed to them, please provide us the complete mailing address. We will send the letter to them via postal mail. This method of delivery is more expensive and may take more time.
7. I am applying for admission to graduate school, how do I have letters of recommendation sent through Letter Service?
  • Most graduate schools require your recommenders to upload their letters to the school's online application websites. It can be quite bothersome to ask your recommenders to upload their letters to each and every school you are applying to. Letter Service can do that for you whenever needed. Just follow the following 3 steps:

  • (1) Request a letter from your recommender.
    Make sure you have the letter of recommendation saved on Letter Service system:
    - Login to LetterService.com website and follow the link "Request a Letter".
    - Have your recommender upload their letters to LetterService.com website. They only need to upload once.
  • (2) Order a letter delivery.
    Login to LetterService.com website, follow the link "Order a letter delivery".
  • (3) Go to graduate school's online application website, enter your recommender's information. The school's website will send an email to your recommender with instructions about how to upload the letter to the school's website. Important: please use our special email address (Letter Service Email) as your recommender's email so that we can receive the school's instructions to upload the letters for you.
8. How long will you keep our reference letters on file?
We will keep your reference letters for as long as you're an active member.
9. Where can my reference letters be sent to ?
We will only send your reference letters to prospective employers, professional and graduate schools, and scholarship and fellowship offices with verifiable business addresses. If the letter is to be sent via email, the recipient's email address must be an official one (i.e. ending with .edu) and verifiable. If we are unable to verify the recipient, we will refuse to send the letter, and your delivery order will be cancelled and your payment will be refunded.
10. How much does it cost to use your service?
Please see our current pricing here >>