On-Campus Recruiting Policies: Student Responsibilities
All students participating in in-person OCR recruiting are responsible for knowing the policies as listed on the UCS website. These policies will be sent to all students via their Handshake profile and frequently promoted to students throughout the year via multiple channels.
What Is On-Campus Recruiting?
OCR is a recruiting method used by employers seeking to hire interns full-time employees from undergraduate and graduate programs. It primarily consists of the following strategies:
On-Campus Interviewing (OCI)
On-campus interviewing (OCI) is the method that employers use to hire students by hosting first round interviews for full-time and internship roles in the Fall and Spring semesters at our Interview Center located at Hanes Hall or designated campus locations. Students apply for on-campus interviewing positions through Handshake under the Jobs > On-Campus Interviews menu.
Career/Info Fairs and Networking Events
- Career fairs are large-scale events that employers participate in where they can setup tables/booths to market their company, people, and job opportunities to large numbers of students. These events typically take place in event halls and can last from a few hours to an entire day. Info fairs are similar but are focused on Graduate/Professional Schools seeking to recruit students into their Masters/PhD level programs. Networking events can be from small to large scale and involve employers meeting with students in informal settings such as cocktail mixers, speed networking activities, and panel discussions; or can be in more formal settings such as etiquette dinners and career nights.
Employer Information Sessions
- These sessions involve employers presenting to students about their organizations in an interactive way with recruiters, alumni, and hiring managers to discuss the organization’s business, key challenges, and talent needs. The purpose of these sessions is for company representatives to build relationships with students in order to get them interested in the company’s job opportunities, people, and workplace culture in order to apply to jobs and/or refer those opportunities to fellow students in their network.
Profile and Resume/CV Accuracy
Please remember to review and update your Handshake profile and documents each semester or whenever any information changes (address, phone number, email, graduation date, major/discipline, etc.).
It is a violation of the Honor Code to knowingly enter inaccurate information regarding your major/discipline, degree level, GPA, graduation date, or work authorization in your UCS profile or on the resume/CV you submit to UCS. Discovery of falsification will result in suspension of access to UCS services and may be reported to the Honor Court.
Information for Students Studying Abroad
All interviews for will be virtual. Each employer will provide students with the interview platform/link.
Illness or Emergencies
If you scheduled your interview via Handshake and are ill or have an emergency on the day of the interview, please email the employer directly (the contact that sent you the virtual interview link). You will also need to email ucs@unc.edu so that we are aware that you will not be keeping your interview. Or you may call the UCS Help Desk at 919-962-6507 from 8:00 am - 4:00 pm if you’d like to speak directly to the help desk staff.
If you scheduled your interview directly with an employer representative or directly through a link provided by the employer, you will need to notify the employer representative as soon as possible.
Interview “Late Cancellation”
For interviews scheduled via Handshake, you may change the time or cancel an interview online at any time by the “interview signup close date listed by the employer.”
If a situation arises that requires you to cancel an interview scheduled through Handshake, and the signup closed date has already passed, you can email ucs@unc.edu to cancel your interview. You may also call the UCS Help Desk on at 919-962-6507. Please do not contact the employer directly. Failure to cancel will be considered a "No-Show." While we realize that emergencies do occur, we want to impress upon you the fact that campus recruiters invest a great deal of time and money in their recruiting plans and activities. A late cancellation results in wasted time for the recruiter and a missed opportunity for another UNC-CH student to interview.
If you have a late cancellation, you will receive an email from UCS informing you that your interviewing privileges have been temporarily suspended. This email will contain instructions on how to be reinstated as well as the primary employer contact. To have your interviewing privileges reinstated after a late cancellation, you must follow the instructions and send the apology letter/email to ucs@unc.edu.
The On-Campus Interviewing Sign-up System will not allow you to sign up for further interviews until these conditions are met. If a student has two late cancellations, interview privileges may be permanently revoked.
If you scheduled your interview directly with an employer representative or directly through a link provided by the employer, you will need to notify the employer representative as soon as possible.
Interview “No-Show”
Failure to appear for a scheduled virtual interview scheduled via Handshake without emailing UCS or emailing the employer for an employer scheduled interview to cancel in a timely manner is considered a “No-Show." While uncommon, this is considered a serious violation of our office policies, as it reflects very poorly on both the student and UCS. By not fulfilling the obligation initiated by signing-up for an interview, the student wastes the interviewer's time and prevents the use of the interview slot by another interested UNC student.
Once notified of the “No-Show” by an employer, your interviewing privileges will be suspended. You will receive an email from UCS on next steps to take to be reinstated.
Should a student commit two No-Shows over the course of their time at UNC, all Handshake privileges will be permanently suspended.
Accepting a Position
Once a student accepts a full time position, they should no longer participate in any additional job-seeking activities (It is unethical to continue to interview once having accepted a position).
We ask that students please contact UCS to complete the First Destination Survey, which tracks outcomes of students. All personal information is kept confidential and only reported out in aggregate form.
We ask that students and/or employers promptly inform UCS of an accepted job offer at ucs@unc.edu. UCS will deactivate a student's account once we are informed by the student or an employer that an offer for full time employment or entrance into graduate school has been accepted.
Reneging an Accepted Job/Internship Offer
Reneging is the act of accepting a job/internship offer from an employer and then rejecting it later to accept an offer with another company. If you are uncomfortable with the decision and commitment you have made, please consult with a Career Advisor to discuss your situation.
If a student reneges on a full-time offer, they will be suspended from using Handshake and any alumni services provided by Career Services until the issue is resolved. If a student reneges on an internship offer, then their access to Handshake will be suspended until the issue is resolved in accordance with our Renege Policy.
Reneges are the most egregious of all ethical breaches that a student can commit in the OCR program. Not only does it reflect poorly on the student and the institution, but it can also negatively impact job/internship opportunities for other students. If an opportunity emerges after you accept an offer, then you should contact a Career Coach from UCS or your Department immediately to discuss ways to approach the situation.
Students who renege an acceptance of employment will have their recruiting privileges suspended until they meet with the External Relations Director, who will determine an appropriate course of action based upon the details of the case. This can include:
- If you renege on a full time offer, you will not be allowed to apply for jobs on Handshake and use alumni services provided by UCS for up to 12 months post-graduation.
- If you renege on a Summer internship offer, you will not have access to Handshake for the academic year in which the infraction occurred, plus the first two (2) months post-internship (October 15th).
UCS staff are here to support you in your career search efforts. If you find yourself in a situation where you are managing multiple offer deadlines, please contact our office immediately - or contact your Department-based Career Coordinator if one exists.
Employment Offers/Job Acceptance Guidelines Given to Employers
Sometimes students feel pressured by employers to accept an offer quickly. UCS believes it is best practice for employers to allow students sufficient time to carefully consider their employment options and to make informed decisions. We ask employers to consider our guidelines when making offers in order to reduce the risk of student reneges. The guidelines below are merely strong suggestions and we ask that both students and employers be as flexible as possible when requests are made for offer extensions:
Full-time Offers to Your Summer 2022 Interns
- Students who request it should be given (when feasible for the organization) a minimum four (4) weeks from the written offer or until October 15, whichever is later, to accept/decline offers if they have valid reasons for requesting that additional time. This will allow students time to review their upcoming OCR employment opportunities or consider competing post-graduate opportunities.
Full-time and Internship Offers from Fall 2022 On-Campus Recruiting
- Students who request it should be given (when feasible for the organization) a minimum four (4) weeks from the written offer or until October 15, whichever is later, to accept/decline offers extended as part of the OCR Program. This will allow students time to review their upcoming OCR employment opportunities or consider competing post-graduate opportunities.
Full-time and Internship Offers from Spring 2023 On-Campus Recruiting
- Students who request it should be given (when feasible for the organization) a minimum four (4) weeks from the written offer to accept/decline offers extended as part of the OCR Program. This will allow students time to review their upcoming OCR employment opportunities or consider competing post-graduate opportunities.
Special note to Students: Job Offer Reneges
Every employer is different and will have their own philosophy/policies/protocols regarding reasonable job/internship acceptance deadlines based on its industry, available talent pools, and time of year. As a student, recognize that talent acquisition is an important business function within organizations seeking to fill open job roles and remain competitive in their markets. Employers have an incentive to fill open roles as quickly as possible so they do not lose out on first choice candidates. In the Fall, employer flexibility with offer deadlines will vary depending on their industry. For example, some employers may have short timelines based on their industry norms and be less flexible during this period, while others could be amenable to extending offer deadlines. If you have a legitimate reason for needing extra time to make a decision on a job/internship offer, then please contact a Career Coach from UCS or your Department.
If you experience an employer not adhering to any of these UCS recruiting policies/guidelines throughout the OCR process, we encourage you to contact UCS so we can help you navigate the situation. Please note that employers recruiting outside of the OCR program are not held to these policies.
Special Note to Employers: Job Offer Reneges
Our guidance on job/internship offers are designed to encourage employers to be empathetic to students and allow them the opportunity to reasonably explore the career opportunities that are available to them in the Fall. There are a few ways to reduce the possibility of students reneging on accepted job offers. For employers whose industries operate on a fast turnaround for filling roles, or for any employer whose policy for accepting a job offer is two (2) weeks or less, we have the following suggestions:
- Offer a signing bonus for accepting the job within two (2) weeks.
- Offer tuition reimbursement for a portion of classes (when applicable).
- Offer an opportunity to begin paid part-time remote work (when applicable).
- Offer a retention bonus to be paid out upon completing one (1) year of employment.
This is not an exhaustive list, but is meant to provide you with ideas for reducing student reneges while also meeting your talent acquisition goals. Most students who accept offers early in the Fall or within two weeks throughout the year will honor their commitment. However, a small percentage of students who accept offers earlier than they’d like could be tempted to continue their job searching. Our major career fairs take place in mid-September and mid-February and many students look forward to participating in those fairs to meet new companies and explore potential opportunities.
If a student reneges an accepted job offer with your company, then please contact UCS immediately at ucs@unc.edu. Alternatively, if you are an employer that requires a fast turnaround on job offers, then you should contact the UCS External Relations Director, Roderick Lewis, at Roderick.Lewis@unc.edu in order to discuss it.