Am increasingly getting requests to send references I’m writing to the candidate so they can include it with their application. I know it cuts down admin but it’s awful. References are already degraded. How can anyone possibly take seriously a reference that is so open?

I really hate doing references but this is definitely becoming more common and is terrible.

Why oh why cannot UK universities use Interfolio? It makes it sooo much easier to write letters for North American jobs. To be sure, it reduces referee's ability to customise letters for specific adverts, but is that such a terrible thing? One letter per candidate per annum: bliss!

When I refuse, it always turns out that there's an appropriate alternative submission channel. But it does seem that the institutions are increasingly frequently telling the applicants to do this.