Handshake offers University of Michigan, Ann Arbor students and new graduates online access to job and internship postings, on-campus interviews, employer presentations and job/graduate school fairs. Frequent and ethical use of this system will be an asset in your job search and will ensure fair use for all that utilize the system. The following four policies are designed to encourage ethical and collegial use. Your usage of the system implies your agreement to these policies and University Career Center practices.
I. Falsification of Information Policy
Handshake functions best when integrity within the system is ensured. Just as members of the University community ensure academic integrity by upholding academic conduct policies, Handshake users share responsibility to maintain system integrity by agreeing to represent themselves accurately to potential employers. Those who deliberately falsify documents (e.g., resumes, cover letters, etc.) or misrepresent personal information (e.g., major/college/school, degree level, graduation date, employment eligibility, etc.) will be blocked from using services and will be required to meet with a recruiting team member. This appointment may be made by calling (734) 764-7460 during business hours or visiting the University Career Center Information Desk. Appointments are conducted in person only and will not be offered via telephone or e-mail. First-time offenders may have on-campus interviewing privileges rescinded for the remainder of the academic year. Repeat offenders will have on-campus interviewing privileges revoked for the remainder of the academic year. Not only is it unethical and unacceptable to misrepresent yourself when applying or interviewing for internships/jobs, employers have the right to terminate your employment or withdraw an offer for misrepresentation.
II. Cancellation and No-Show Policy
The University Career Center uses the following guidelines when determining penalties for late cancellations and no-shows to on-campus interviews, and other events involving an employer or guest host/recruiter. (These include but may not be limited to: Immersions, Employer Challenges, Employer/Recruiter hosted office hours and one-on-one consultations, Employer Resume Review events). These guidelines are in place to encourage system users to pursue only those opportunities of genuine interest. Students are encouraged to make informed choices before scheduling an interview or committing to a spot and thus avoid unnecessary cancellations. When an individual late cancels, or fails to attend a scheduled interview/event, another interested student misses the chance to take their spot. The recruiter also misses the opportunity to have a full and productive schedule/event. Recruiters have noted that late cancellations and no-shows reflect poorly on the individual, the University, and may impact upon their commitment to recruit at the University of Michigan now and in the future.
A. Canceling a scheduled interview before the schedule freezes online
Interview schedules will freeze three calendar days prior to the interview date. If you wish to remove yourself from an interview schedule, you may do so online up until the schedule freezes. You are strongly encouraged to make responsible and courteous choices when canceling scheduled interviews. Effective planning on your part benefits fellow system users. If you know you will need to cancel an interview, please do so at the earliest time possible to allow another interested student (or employer selected alternate candidate) time to sign up and prepare for an interview.
B. Canceling a scheduled interview after the schedule freezes online
These are considered late cancellations. You must call the University Career Center at (734) 764-7460 during business hours to cancel your interview. Late cancellations for interviews should be avoided whenever possible, but when they do occur students are encouraged to give an employer as much time as possible to adjust their schedule accordingly.
The University Career Center understands that unexpected events occur; therefore the first late cancellation to any event carries no penalty. However, individuals with a second cancellation of any combination of the above-described events within one academic year will be blocked from using Handshake services. Restoring blocked access procedures are outlined below.
1. Interviews
C. Failing to attend a scheduled interview
- No-Show Consequences:
- If you do not participate in a scheduled interview and fail to notify the University Career Center of your cancellation prior to the interview, or if you fail to check in, you will be considered a no-show.
- First No-Show:
- A block will be placed on your Handshake account
- To regain access:
Reply to the notification email to schedule a meeting with the Industry to Campus Connector (copied in the email).
This meeting is an opportunity to discuss the matter, and the University Career Center will support you in addressing and resolving the issue.
- Additional No-Shows:
- If you no-show more than once in an academic year, you will be blocked from using Handshake services for the remainder of that academic year.
2. Immersion, Employer Challenge, or Recruiter Consultation/Office Hours
D. Failing to attend a scheduled event
- No-Show Consequences:
If you do not participate in a scheduled event (e.g., Immersion, Employer Challenge, recruiter consultation/office hours) and fail to notify the University Career Center of your cancellation prior to the event, or if you fail to check in, you will be considered a no-show.
- First No-Show:
- A block will be placed on your Handshake account
- To regain access:
Reply to the notification email to schedule a meeting with the Assistant Director, Employer Relations (copied in the email).
This meeting is an opportunity to discuss the matter, and the University Career Center will support you in addressing and resolving the issue.
- Additional No-Shows:
- If you no-show more than once in an academic year, you will be blocked from using Handshake services for the remainder of that academic year.
E. Retraction of an Accepted Offer
Formally accepting an offer for a job or internship is something a student should only do in the good faith they fully intend to honor that commitment. The University Career Center strongly condemns declining an offer after accepting and requests all efforts be made to avoid this to the extent possible. These actions can have a negative impact on both an individual student and on the overall impression of the University of Michigan by recruiters. Rather, we encourage students to fully evaluate presented or anticipated offers, gather additional information, and ask clarifying questions before making a commitment. Concerns about an offer’s timeline or competing offers should be addressed to the University Career Center staff prior to any deadlines. The University Career Center refers employers to the NACE Reasonable Offer Guidelines, and encourages both students and employers to find mutually acceptable time periods to thoughtfully consider offers made. Once an offer has been accepted, it is the University Career Center's expectation that a student would not continue to actively job search or participate in on-campus recruiting.
In instances where the University Career Center is informed by an employer that a student retracted a previously made commitment to a position, the University Career Center reserves the right to take actions to address this. These may include blocking access to Handshake, reaching out to a student directly to discuss the implications of the decision, and/or requesting that additional communication be made to the affected employer.
III. Dual System Use Policy (attention Business School and Engineering students)
In an effort to ensure that all students are allowed equal access to employer interview schedules, The University Career Center, with the support of Career Services at the Ross School of Business and the Engineering Career Resource Center (ECRC), has instituted the following policy. If an organization is recruiting at multiple offices (e.g., University Career Center/RCS/ECRC) for the same/similar positions, Business School students will need to utilize iMpact to attain an interview and Engineering students will need to utilize the ECRC system, Engineering Careers, to attain an interview. This ensures that all students will have one method of accessing the employer for a chance at receiving an interview. Business School and Engineering students are welcome to utilize Handshake to access schedules that are not being offered via their school’s online recruitment systems.