Start Your File

To start a placement file you will need to:

  • First, register . If you have questions about registration, call our office at 509-335-2536.
  • Next, complete and send the following materials to Career Services:
    1. Signed Declaration of Choice form. (Will not be seen by employers.) In accordance with the U.S. Public Law 93-380, you may choose to establish a confidential (closed) or non-confidential (open) placement file. Read the form carefully and sign for the option of your choice. Once established, you cannot automatically change your file from confidential to non-confidential or vice versa. Instructions for changing your file type are here.
    2. Signed Reference Authorization form. (Will not be seen by employers.) List the persons you will request to write letters of recommendation for your file. Make sure to sign and date the bottom of the form to authorize these writers. Career Services cannot release recommendations without your signed authorization. You can authorize new letters at any time by completing and sending to our office a new reference authorization form listing your new references. You may also have letters removed from your file at any time by sending a signed and dated request to our office. (For example, "Please remove the following letters from my file...") Old letters are not destroyed. They are placed in the inactive part of your file and are not sent to employers. Recommendations for the number of letters to include in your file is listed on the form. You may have a maximum of 10 active letters in your file.
    3. Current resume. It is important to keep your resume current so employers will receive the most up-to-date information. Your resume must be updated at least every two years in order for your file to be current. If you do not want to include a resume in your file, you must submit a General Information Form instead.
    4. Course Summary form. Optional. If included, they will be seen by employers.) Both a "Summary of Undergraduate Courses" and "Summary of Graduate Courses" can be included. Create the appropriate page for the degree you received from WSU. List courses by category in the areas of major, minor, and professional education (for education candidates). In all cases, list each course by course number, catalog title, credit hours, and grade received. (Note: Graduate degree candidates should list all courses.) You may include course work from other colleges as long as you denote where the courses were completed.
    5. WSU Transcript. (optional) Only a WSU transcript can be included in your file and it is considered an unofficial transcript. To show courses from other institutions, include them on the Course Summary form. To order your transcript, please contact the Registrar's Office.
  • Finally, ask references to send letters of recommendation to Career Services to be included in your file.
    • You must establish either a confidential or non-confidential file (using the Declaration of Choice form) before we can include letters in your file. After establishing a file, it is your responsibility to distribute the appropriate recommendation forms (confidential or non-confidential, depending on the type of file you established) to your reference writers. General reference writers are not required to use our forms. They may use their business letterhead instead.
    • Student Teaching Supervisors and Master/Cooperating Teachers complete an evaluation form. We do not distribute these forms directly to students, as your Student Teaching Supervisor and Master/Cooperating Teacher should have these forms.
    • Reference writers should return their letters directly to our office. You will want to check with Career Services to see which recommendations have not arrived and need follow-up attention. This information is available on our web site at http://www.careers.wsu.edu/pfiles. Letters many times are delayed in sending and writers often need a reminder. It also helps the writer if you give them a stamped, addressed envelope in which to send their letterto Career Services.
    • It is important to keep your recommendation letters as current as possible. At any time you may request, in writing, that any recommendation letter be removed from your file. Removed letters are not destroyed. They are placed in the back of your file and are not sent to employers.