With the move to Interfolio, Law School Appointment Committees will be able to find candidates more easily through a more robust search process. This new platform improves the online review process, allowing interviewers to review and evaluate all candidates’ materials in a document reader, comment on, and rank applicants. To learn more about the functionality of the new platform, we encourage you to view this course. Below are answers to frequently asked questions:

1. How do I sign in to the AALS Interfolio Faculty Search platform?

As a committee member, you will receive a link to activate your Interfolio account. Please do not “register” directly through Interfolio; registration through Interfolio is for candidates only.

Once you have activated your account, go to www.interfolio.com. Select “Log In” in the upper right-hand corner.

2. I am a Committee Manager, how can I grant other colleagues access to the AALS Interfolio Faculty Search platform?

Although Interfolio permits committee managers to add new users, this action will not give those users access to the distribution. To give your appointment committee members access to the distribution, please provide AALS with a list of your committee members in an Excel file. Please have a column for first name, last name, the school name, and school associated email. AALS will then  add the users to the distribution. Please send the Excel document to AALS at [email protected].

3. What is the difference between the Committee Manager role and the Evaluator role?

Committee Managers can do everything evaluators do but they also can run reports. These reports allow them to download excel documents from Interfolio. This role is intended for the Primary Administrative Contact and the Committee Chair. Evaluators can evaluate candidates and use the filter within the distribution, but they cannot run reports. They can download PDFs of their searches.

4. What happened to the FAR form?

There is no longer  a single page form for applicants.  Instead, all candidates will complete several forms upon submission of their application. You will be able to search for candidates based on these responses as well as view all of a candidates’ responses to these forms within the application.

5. Can I print the forms?

You will be able to print the forms and materials of a particular candidate and/or download all forms, CVs and other materials in bulk.

6. What is the Reader?

The reader enables Evaluators to preview all of the applicants’ FAR forms and materials, as well as  to leave annotations, ratings, comments, or download the applicants materials to your computer. To review applicants using the reader tool, select the checkbox next to one or more names and a blue “Read” button will appear on the page. Learn more <link>

7. Can I download applications individually as well as in bulk?

Yes, you will be able to download applications individually or in bulk. Once you have selected one candidate record by clicking the box next to the name, you will be able to click the ellipsis button to the right of the screen and select download. Learn more. <link>

8. What is the meaning of the word status in FAR?

Status in FAR refers to the current state of the distribution process.

The possible distribution statuses are:

  • Accepting Applications: During this time, candidates are able to update their materials but evaluators are not able to review candidates.
  • Reviewing Applications: Candidates cannot update their materials and evaluators can review the candidates.
  • Distribution Closed: Candidates cannot update their materials and evaluators cannot review the candidates.

9. Can only entry-level candidates use the AALS Interfolio Faculty Search platform?

The Faculty Appointments Register (FAR) is the primary source of information for law schools to identify potential candidates for entry-level positions. Experienced faculty may also use  the FAR if they choose to do so because they are looking to relocate or are looking for new professional opportunities in the academy.

 10. What candidate materials are accepted? Which are required? Which are optional?

The only documents required to apply using Interfolio are a CV and a list of references. There is a wide variety of other formats including documents, webpages, and videos that the platform accepts. Candidates have the option to upload additional documents they consider relevant to their application. Common documents types that have been included in job postings include a research statement and job talk paper.

11. What types of filters could evaluators use to review applications?

Evaluators will be able to filter searches for candidates based on their responses to the forms listed below:

  1. Position Sought and Teaching Preferences (Required for candidates)
  • The type of position the candidate is seeking.
  • Teaching preferences. Candidates are told to choose up to 5 subjects they would be most interested in teaching.
  1. Education and Employment History (Optional for candidates)

     Law Degree

  • The school from which the candidate graduated with a JD or JD equivalent
  • Graduation date
  • Class rank percentage
  • Academic Honors
  • Whether a candidate was a member of a law review
  • Additional Degrees the candidate has

     Employment History

  • The position types
  • Whether interviewers can contact their most recent employer
  • Employment Experience Comments
  1. Academic Publications (Optional for candidates)
  • Total number of published works
  • List of Publications. Candidates may provide details for up to 5 publications. One unpublished work such as a job talk paper can be included.
  1. Bar Admissions and Geographic Restrictions (Optional for candidates)
  • Bar admittance
  • Bar location(s)
  • Geographic restrictions
  • I will ONLY accept a position in
  • I will NOT accept a position in
  1. Demographic information (Required for candidates)
  • Gender (female, male, prefer not to disclose)
  • Ethnic/Racial Group(s) (American Indian, Alaskan Native, Asian, Black or African American, Hispanic/Latino, Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, White Caucasian, other, prefer not to disclose)

12. Can I save my views?

The list of candidates within the distribution is often quite long, but Interfolio provides you with tools that will help you organize your work by allowing you to customize how the list of applicants is sorted and what information is displayed. You can filter candidate searches based on such information as their academic degree, or the rating you have already assigned to them, as well as other responses in the application forms. Once you’ve created a filtered view of the candidates, you can save the view to easily return to it at a later date.

13. As an evaluator, am I able to customize the columns when searching applications?

Yes, you will be able to customize columns according to your school job requirements criteria. The courses illustrate the process. Learn more <link>

14. Can I create tags?

Not yet. Interfolio hopes to release functionality for this in the future.

15. For ratings, can Interfolio aggregate all committee members ratings?

Not yet.

16. Are comments, annotations, and ratings private?

All comments, annotations, and ratings you add are yours alone.  No one else will be able to view them. The “Notes” section at the bottom of the Applicant Profile page is not private and anything left in this section will be visible to all evaluators from all schools using the FAR.

17. Are there any changes in the way we communicate with candidates in the new platform?

As has always been true of FAR, communication with candidates takes place outside of Interfolio. Once you’ve identified candidates your school wants to follow up with, you should use the contact information they have provided to communicate with them.

There are two ways to find a candidates’ contact information.

The first option, available to all users, is to locate the candidate’s CV in their materials and find the contact information they have provided in it.

The second option, available only to Committee managers, is to generate a report of applicants and add a column to include the candidates email address. Learn more.

18. What types of reports are available?

From the “Applications Reports” tab, Committee Managers can pick and choose from an extensive list of applicant data fields including: Degrees, Employment Type, Geographic Restrictions, Teaching Preferences, and Publications. To create a customized report, which can be viewed on screen, saved and recalled, and downloaded as a CSV file. Learn more.

19. I am a committee chair, how can I get the access to the EEO report?

The FAR Statistical Report will be posted in the spring on the AALS website Deans-only page. Please contact your Deans office for access.

20. My school already uses Interfolio Faculty Search, how can I bring a candidate application into my Interfolio University environment?

If you find a candidate that fits your requirements, you can use the Reports to generate your candidate’s email address and provide them a direct link to your institution’s position. Your candidates can reuse the existing materials in their Interfolio AALS Dossier to fulfill requirements when applying for your position.  Learn more.

21. Whom do I contact if I have questions about the FAR process?

Please contact us at [email protected].

22. Whom do I contact if I have technical questions about the platform?

For any technical questions about using the platform, please contact Interfolio at [email protected] or (877) 997-8807.

You can also view help articles on Interfolio’s Product Help site: https://product-help.interfolio.com/