Your behavior throughout your job search reflects upon you as a candidate as well as the University of Michigan, so it is important to conduct the search professionally and with integrity. The Job Search Code of Ethics states the policy for use of Engineering Careers, by 12twenty, our online recruiting system. The Job Search Code of Ethics also defines expectations for participation in interviews, attendance at ECRC events and appointments, as well as acceptance of employment offers. The expectations within the Job Search Code of Ethics apply to all members of the Michigan Engineering community.
Job Search Code of Ethics
User Eligibility
Employer contact information included in Engineering Careers, by 12twenty is provided for the use of University of Michigan College of Engineering, computer science and data science students/alumni at the Ann Arbor campus. Employer representatives expect that any correspondence (e.g., e-mail messages, telephone inquiries) will only be from engineering, computer science and data science applicants who are enrolled or alumni of the Ann Arbor campus. Maintain the confidentiality of your password and use caution and common sense when using the website.
Falsification of Data
Any falsification of information throughout the employment application process and/or within your Engineering Careers, by 12twenty account is inappropriate. Review your Engineering Careers, by 12twenty profile information and resume for accuracy. Students/alumni who falsify information within an employment application, on their resume or other application materials, or within their Engineering Careers, by 12twenty profile will be removed from interview schedules and will have their Engineering Careers, by 12twenty account deactivated.
Interview Cancellation and No-Show
Interview appointments must be kept to maintain integrity and professional conduct. Interviewing on or off campus is a privilege granted to you by employers who have provided their staff, financial resources, and time to meet you. Only request interviews for positions that seriously interest you. If you find that you must cancel an interview, then you are required to abide by the following ECRC policy.
Interview Cancellation
If the interview is more than three (3) business days away, you may cancel it without penalty by contacting the employer directly. If you have any questions about canceling your interview, please contact the ECRC immediately at [email protected].
Late Interview Cancellation
Canceling an appointment three (3) business days or less before the interview date is considered a late cancellation. Late cancellations should only occur because of unforeseen circumstances such as a serious illness or death in the family. To cancel an interview within three business days of the interview date, you must notify the ECRC at [email protected].
After notifying the ECRC, you must send an apology letter via email to the recruiter that explains the circumstances that caused you to miss your interview and e-mail a copy to [email protected]. This apology letter must be sent within three business days of your interview date. The recruiter’s address may be obtained from Engineering Careers, by 12twenty or may be forwarded on your behalf by the ECRC. Failure to send an apology to the recruiter and provide a copy to the ECRC will result in a suspension of your Engineering Careers, by 12twenty privileges.
Interview No-Show
Interview appointments must be kept to maintain integrity and professional conduct. Failing to attend a scheduled interview without notifying our office to cancel the interview is unprofessional and discourteous conduct. Individuals who do not show for a scheduled interview may have their Engineering Careers, by 12twenty account permanently deactivated.
You must send an apology letter via email to the recruiter that explains the circumstances that caused you to miss your interview and e-mail a copy to [email protected]. This apology letter must be sent within three business days of your interview date. The recruiter’s address may be obtained from Engineering Careers, by 12twenty or can be forwarded on your behalf by the ECRC.
Second Late Interview Cancellation or No-Show
A Late Cancellation or a No-Show for an interview is taken very seriously; therefore, a second violation of this policy will result in the suspension and possible permanent deactivation of your Engineering Careers, by 12twenty account. If a second violation occurs, you must send an apology to the recruiter within three business days of the missed interview, provide a copy to the ECRC at [email protected], and meet with the Director of the ECRC or his/her designee. Your Engineering Careers, by 12twenty account may or may not be reinstated, depending on the situation.
Note: When a student is blocked from further use of the system, the student is still responsible for attending all previously scheduled interview appointments.
On-campus interviewing is very competitive and highly sought after by all students. It is a privilege and not a right. A wasted interview slot represents a lost opportunity for another student and an enormous loss for the employer. Additionally, it reflects very poorly on the University of Michigan, which in turn, reflects poorly on you. Show that you are a person of integrity who keeps commitments.
Appointment and Event Attendance
The ECRC’s career advising appointments, workshops, and other events are in high demand. Many of the ECRC’s events require advance registration. You are expected to attend appointments and events for which you have registered to attend. It is important to remember that students who sign up for an appointment or event and then do not attend have taken a spot that another student could have used. In addition, employers frequently participate in our events, and a smaller-than-anticipated audience damages the college’s relationship with affected employers. Please also note that events typically start promptly at their scheduled start-time. If you are late to an event, your spot may be given to another student.
If you sign up for an advising appointment or register for an event and find you can no longer attend, please cancel your registration at least 24 hours prior to the appointment/event via Engineering Careers, by 12twenty. If unforeseen circumstances occur within 24 hours of the appointment/event and you are no longer able to attend, please notify the ECRC as soon as possible at [email protected] and provide a brief apology that the ECRC can forward to any guest speakers.
The following actions apply to students who are absent for an appointment or event for which they had registered and who have not informed the ECRC ahead of time:
1. For a first absence, a warning will be sent to the student.
2. For a second absence, the student’s ability to schedule career advising appointments within Engineering Careers, by 12twenty will be suspended.
Offers and Acceptance of Employment
We strongly encourage students to inform the ECRC of offers and acceptances of employment. Accepting an offer of employment constitutes your commitment to follow through on the terms of the agreement. Once an offer has been accepted, discontinue interviews and cancel any remaining interviews in accordance with the cancellation policy stated within the Job Search Code of Ethics. Continuing the job search after accepting an employment offer is an unethical practice.
Students should also make every effort to avoid reneging on accepted job offers. Gather information, ask plenty of questions, anticipate other offers, determine your career goals and needs, meet with an ECRC advisor, request an extension on the deadline, all in an attempt to make an informed decision regarding an offer of employment. Once that commitment is made, reneging on an accepted offer has a very negative impact. Because of this, before you retract a committed offer, you must contact the ECRC Office and setup an appointment with an ECRC Career Advisor and/or the ECRC Director. In this meeting, you will consider your options and also outline an apology letter to any affected employers. This letter will be forwarded on to the employer(s) with the ECRC’s notification. Failure to contact the ECRC with a retracted agreement risks your Engineering Careers, by 12twenty account being revoked for a temporary amount of time, or possibly indefinitely.
Once a commitment is made, reneging on an offer has significant ramifications. It tarnishes your reputation and damages the reputation of Michigan Engineers. Building a campus presence, identifying suitable candidates and participating in recruiting activities are time-consuming and expensive undertakings for employing organizations. Employers incur large financial expenses when a candidate reneges on an employment offer. In addition to the expenses related to travel and time already spent with a recruited candidate, companies hiring international students may have started the visa application process and incurred additional fees. Recruiting any new employee to an organization is expensive, and launching a new search to backfill a retracted offer is an additional, unexpected expense for the company. In addition to financial expenses, retracted offers often present employers with timing challenges related to recruiting. Employers plan their recruiting efforts for set times during the fall and/or winter semesters. When a student reneges on an offer late in the year the employer has already missed out on all recruiting opportunities. At that point, the employer may be faced with a very short time span available for recruiting another student into the position, and is also faced with a much smaller applicant pool to choose from. Due to all the challenges employers face as a result of retracted employment agreements, it is understandable why reneging on job offers negatively impacts your own reputation as well as that of all Michigan Engineers.
Students should make every effort to avoid reneging on job offers. Take your offers seriously and plan to honor your commitments. Contact the ECRC at [email protected] or (734) 647-7160 to discuss any questions regarding this policy.
The ECRC also provides employers with recommended Guidelines for Employment Offers and Offer Deadlines.
ECRC Privacy Policy
The Engineering Career Resource Center is committed to ensuring the privacy of users of the Engineering Careers, by 12twenty, recruitment system. Learn more about our privacy policy.