Ethical Job Search Student Contract

The Career Center – University of Notre Dame

The Career Center at the University of Notre Dame requires students who are engaged in a career or job search to conduct themselves in an ethical manner reflecting the policies and expectations put forth by the University of Notre Dame in its student handbook, DuLac. The Career Center takes this issue seriously and requires all students who use its services to sign a contract that outlines expectations and consequences.

Policies and Procedures for an Ethical Job Search

Notre Dame students will:

1) Attend all meetings, interviews, and other job related commitments and obligations:

Counseling Appointments:

  • Students are expected to honor all scheduled counseling appointments by being on time and prepared. Students more than 10 minutes late for an appointment, and who have not notified The Career Center, will be asked to reschedule.
  • Students who are late/miss 2 appointments will not be permitted to schedule a counseling appointment for 30 days.
  • If a student cannot make a scheduled counseling appointment, he/she is required to notify The Career Center 24 hours in advance.

Interviews:

  • Students will honor all interview commitments by being on time, prepared, and professional in their actions. Students not honoring an interviewing commitment will be considered a No-Show.
  • Canceling an on-campus interview must be done before the interview schedule “Sign Up End Date” on the Go IRISH system – typically 48 hours before the interview. If one cancels after an interview schedule freezes and does not attend that interview, that student will be considered a No-Show.
  • Canceling an on-campus interview due to your attendance at an on-site/final round interview should be done 48 hours prior to the on-campus interview by contacting the company contact and Career Center. Failure to do so will result in the student being considered a No-Show for the on-campus interview.
  • Canceling an on-site/final round interview must be done 72 hours prior to the visit by calling and emailing the company contact person. This allows companies to fill the interview slot with another candidate. Canceling after the 72 hour window has passed and not attending the on-site interview will result in the student being considered a No-Show.

Commitments and Obligations:

  • If a student has arranged a meeting or phone call with an employer, The Career Center expects the student to honor these commitments by being prepared, professional, and on-time.
  • If an employer has requested information, presence at a function, an answer to an offer, etc., The Career Center expects that a student will honor all reasonable requests to the best of their ability and in a timely fashion.

    2) Represent Oneself Professionally in all Recruiting Practices:

The following are practices which should be followed as students begin the job search process:

  • Provide accurate information on a resume and in answers to interview questions regarding academic background, GPA, work history, activities, and other qualifications.
  • Apply for interviews only when genuinely interested in the company and the position.
  • Meet all online application deadlines for submitting resumes and obtaining interview times.
  • Conduct extensive research about yourself, the industry, the company, and the position prior to your interviews.
  • Attend all information sessions sponsored by employers as your schedule permits.
  • Dress and conduct oneself in a professional manner befitting a Notre Dame student.

3) Act Ethically When Accepting Offers of Employment:

When accepting an offer of employment, one must have every intention of honoring that commitment. If a student accepts an offer of employment, admission to a graduate or professional school, or other post-graduate career opportunity, he/she must withdraw from the recruiting process immediately. This includes but is not limited to:

  • Not applying to future job postings
  • Declining all future interview invitations
  • Canceling any active applications
  • Contacting all recruiters to inform them of your wish to be removed from the interviewing and recruitment process (this includes all scheduled interviews).

Students who renege on an offer of employment may face disciplinary action. The relevant dean will be made aware of any student who has reneged on an offer of employment.

If you feel a company has not provided you enough time to accept an offer of employment (please see the Notre Dame Employment Offer Policy for employer guidelines), please contact The Career Center immediately.

This contract is in place to protect your rights during the recruitment process as well as to continue the strong reputation Notre Dame students enjoy with employers who recruit through The Career Center. Please read through all materials carefully. The Career Center would like to thank you for agreeing to honor this contract of job search ethics and looks forward to assisting you during your career search.

The Career Center No-Show Policy

Students who fail to attend a scheduled interview or fail to cancel an interview within the timeline parameters stated in the Ethical Job Search Contract will be considered a NO-SHOW for that interview. The following details the steps The Career Center will take, student obligations, and potential consequences. Please note that until a final decision is made concerning your missed interview, students are expected to meet interview obligations for which you are already scheduled.

If an employer reports a student as a No-Show for a scheduled interview, that student’s Go IRISH account will be deactivated immediately – thus preventing that student from applying to any jobs or signing up for any additional interviews. To be reinstated on the Go IRISH system, the student will need to :

  • Complete a Missed Interview Explanation Form (this will be emailed to the student)
  • Write a letter of apology to the employer
  • Meet with a Career Center Staff member to request reinstatement
  • Bring the Missed Interview Explanation Form and apology letter to the scheduled meeting in an unsealed envelope pre-addressed to the employer (include postage)

The Career Center will review the Missed Interview Explanation Form and make its determination.

The missed interview may be deemed an excused absence. An excused absence indicates a compelling reason for the absence (serious illness, family emergency), and documentation of the emergency (e.g. note from University Health Services, rector, resident assistant). If the missed interview is deemed an excused absence, the student will be reinstated on the Go IRISH system.

The missed interview may be deemed an unexcused absence. An unexcused absence may be an absence for a non-compelling reason (copied the wrong date or time, overslept, simply forgot about the interview), or it may be for a compelling reason but no corroborating evidence was provided.

  1. First Offense: The first unexcused missed interview will result in loss of application/scheduling privileges for seven calendar days. During this period, one’s Go IRISH account will be deactivated, preventing one from applying for positions or responding to companies who extend offers for interviews. Students will be expected to meet interview obligations previously scheduled prior to account deactivation.
  2. Second Offense: The second unexcused absence will result in permanent suspension from all on campus recruiting activities for the remainder of the academic year.