Handling Job and Internship Offers

The Office of Career Services (OCS) supports both employers and students in the hiring process. We assist employers in maximizing their recruiting results and we assist our students in making informed career decisions. In order to project the utmost professional image to employers and to successfully participate in recruiting activities, we strongly urge students to abide by the following guidelines:

• At all times, represent yourself and Harvey Mudd in an appropriate and professional manner.
• Recognize that not all offers are negotiable, even in a competitive market. Be realistic about your expectations and conduct appropriate research before approaching an employer.
• Ask for more time if needed so that you make the best decision for you.
• Do not hoard offers. If you are interested in a particular offer, let the employer know immediately.
• Notify organizations on your decision regarding their offers in the agreed-upon time frame. If you need more time, you may contact the organization for a possible extension. However, it will be the employer’s decision whether to grant that request for more time. (See suggestions below.)
• Accept an offer only after careful consideration and you are 100 percent sure. Ask an employer for more time if you need.
• After accepting an offer, withdraw from the interview process with other companies. If you are holding pending offers, you are expected to immediately notify these organizations of your final decision.
• Do not renege after accepting an offer, except in cases of extreme personal emergency.

Accepting an offer, either verbally or in writing, is an agreement to work for an employer. Rejecting an offer after having previously accepted, for any reason, is a serious recruiting violation and is subject to losing your use of the On-Campus Interview Program and Handshake privileges (each circumstance will be evaluated on a case by case basis). In addition, you may also ruin your chance to work for certain companies permanently and you may also affect future Harvey Mudd students if the company chooses not to recruit here again.

Job and Internship Offer Time Frames

Experience shows the best employment decisions for both students and employers are those that are made without pressure and with the greatest amount of information. Students given sufficient time to attend career fairs, participate in on‐campus interviews, and/or complete the interviewing in which they are currently engaged are more likely to make good long‐term employment decisions and may be less likely to renege on job acceptances and in the long run, this will improve attrition rates. Consistent with the guidelines of the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), we ask that students be given at least two weeks to make an informed and responsible decision. If you would like to make a full-time offer to a former summer intern, we request that you allow the student until November 15 to accept/decline the offer. This will ensure that the student has the time necessary to explore alternatives and make an informed decision.

Thus, the intent of the below guidelines is to show you the time frames that the OCS has shared with our employers asking them to allow you reasonable time to give careful consideration to all of your employment options and to make informed decisions about offers. In conclusion, OCS strongly encourages employers to extend offers in accordance with these guidelines; however, we cannot enforce them.

Written Offer Extended	Recommended Earliest Response Date
To a prior intern	Nov. 15
Before Nov. 15	Nov. 30
After Nov. 15	Two weeks

Written Offer Extended	Recommended Earliest Response Date
To a prior intern	Nov. 15
Before Nov. 15	Nov. 30
After Nov. 15	Two weeks