The policies below apply to all students and Career Advancement programs, including employer recruiting events and the Jeff Metcalf Internship Program. Incoming students are invited to complete the guidelines using a Handshake survey. If you have any questions, please contact careeradvancement@uchicago.edu.
2023-24 CAREER ADVANCEMENT STUDENT GUIDELINES
Navigating the recruiting process to achieve your goals while balancing academics and extracurricular activities can be both exciting and challenging. UChicago Career Advancement is committed to supporting students throughout this process, including sharing guidelines and professional standards that you can utilize to guide your activities and navigate decisions. Your shared commitment to these professional guidelines provides a foundation for a successful recruiting process where you can best represent yourself as a candidate, the institution, and UChicago community.
A UChicago candidate:
- Acts with honesty and integrity in all aspects of the job search and represents skills, qualifications, and experiences truthfully.
- Demonstrates maturity and maintains a professional tone and demeanor in all communication with employers.
- Responds promptly to employers’ inquiries, interview invitations and acknowledges job offers.
- Expresses appreciation and gratitude to employers and alumni invested in students’ success.
- Commits to ethical practices in the recruiting process and on the job, maintaining confidentiality and not disclosing proprietary, sensitive company-specific information.
- Honors commitments and accepted job offers, promptly contacting Career Advancement for guidance on unique circumstances or changes in plans.
- Endeavors to fulfill high-level performance expectations during the internship.
Below is a summary of recruiting best practices along with detailed information to follow. Career Advancement is available to provide guidance and support you in the recruiting process throughout the year. Contact your career adviser or email our team.
Recruiting Best Practices | 5 Things to Remember:
- If you have a scheduling conflict with a career-related commitment or need to cancel an interview, contact your career adviser or email our team immediately for assistance.
- If you accept an offer, withdraw your candidacy from any other pending applications or recruiting processes.
- If you receive multiple job offers, make decisions promptly and inform employers professionally if you need additional time to consider the offer.
- If you’re no longer interested in a position, withdraw from recruiting and decline an invitation to interview. One of your peers will benefit from this opportunity.
- If you’re interested in pursuing more than one internship in the summer, please connect with your career adviser before commencing your search.
Academics Come First
- Students should not miss academic commitments to attend career-related engagements.
- RSVP only for career events that do not conflict with your course schedule. Partner with a member of our team to navigate your interview re-scheduling.
- If you have a class that conflicts with a required Career Advancement program, attend class and reach out to your career adviser to discuss alternative opportunities.
Interview Cancellations
To ensure strong relationships with employers and ongoing opportunities for students, we discourage multiple interview cancellations. If you need to cancel an interview, contact us at erd@uchicago.edu or 773-702-7040 to inform us promptly of the reason for your cancellation and to discuss next steps based on your unique individual circumstances. We recommend that you send an email to the employer contact and thank them for the opportunity.
- If you must cancel an interview you scheduled via Handshake and the interview schedule is still open, you can withdraw from your slot.
- If you must cancel an interview you scheduled via Handshake after the schedule has closed (usually within 24hours from the interview), contact Career Advancement as soon as possible before your interview so that we can support the employer in coordinating alternative arrangements, if possible.
- If you need to cancel an interview you set up outside of Handshake, please contact the employer directly as soon as possible.
- If you’ve accepted an offer, you must cancel all other planned interviews and declined future invitations for job opportunities during the same time period.
- If you have accepted an offer and you need to cancel a previously scheduled interview with a different employer, please inform Career Advancement immediately at erd@uchicago.edu to discuss appropriate next steps.
Interview No-Shows
For the benefit of all UChicago students, we highly value our employer relationships and discourage actions which take away opportunities from your peers. Accordingly, being a no-call, no-show to a scheduled interview on-campus or virtually is considered a violation of professional conduct which can result in possible suspension of your recruiting privileges in Handshake.
Offer Evaluation & Guidelines
Evaluating a job offer requires your careful and full consideration. If you’re excited about the opportunity and would like additional time to make a decision, you may ask the employer for an extension. You’re welcome to proactively consult with your career adviser to discuss communication and explore offer considerations. Contact your career adviser or email our team.
A verbal or email acceptance of an offer is considered a commitment made in good faith. Be mindful of language you use in conversation or writing that creates the impression that you are accepting offer. Once you have accepted an offer:
- Withdraw your applications from all other positions and courteously decline other existing or future offers.
- Continuing to interview for other positions after you have secured a position and considering other opportunities for the same time period reflects poorly on you and the University, is a violation of professional conduct, and can result in suspension of your recruiting privileges in Handshake.
Reneging on an Offer
It is unethical to “renege” (pull out) of an already accepted offer. Your actions in this situation impact your professional reputation and are a reflection of the University. Your actions may limit future opportunities for your peers and damage the relationship between the employer and The University of Chicago.
We understand that sometimes personal circumstances can change. If you plan to withdraw from an already accepted position before or after you have already started for any reason, you should discuss with your career adviser before finalizing this decision. Reneging on an offer is an act that demonstrates a lack of professionalism and integrity and therefore may result in loss of recruiting privileges.
Summer Internships
Most students prioritize full-time experiences for the summer, which is considered 8+weeks or 320+total hours. Balancing multiple experiences can be challenging and does not always allow you to put your best foot forward: from navigating weekly work schedules, meeting competing deadlines and working on multiple projects to balancing personal commitments and well-being during that time.
Should you wish to pursue multiple opportunities for the same time period, please meet with your career adviser as soon as you decide you’ll be seeking more than one summer experience before commencing recruiting for a second experience.
Offer Deadlines
- UChicago asks employers to give students a minimum of one week to respond to all employment offers.
- For return offers given during the summer, employers are encouraged to give students a minimum of 3 weeks to respond.
- Once you accept an offer, you agree that you will no longer participate in the recruiting process and will withdraw from any pending applications. If you have any questions about your situation, please connect with your career adviser.
Summer Internship Start Dates and Final Exams
Requests for early finals must be discussed directly with the appropriate faculty member and it is at each professor’s discretion to accommodate this type of request.
- Plan ahead to avoid possible scheduling conflicts between final exams and internship start dates and ensure they are resolved prior to the end of add/drop registration period.
- Consult with the University’s academic year calendar as you work with your employer to finalize a start date. The end of the spring quarter will be Saturday, June 1, 2024 and therefore internships can begin as early as Monday, June 3, 2024.
- If going overseas (including if working virtually for an overseas employer), you agree that you will educate yourself about applicable local laws and abide by them, including local anti-bribery laws. Please review the University Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (“FCPA”) Policy.
Career Advising Records
By submitting your application materials, you authorize Career Advancement to share information, including information that may be considered as education records under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, with individuals outside the University, including employers.
Please refer to Career Advancement’s website for any updates to the Student Recruiting Guidelines and in your decision-making process.