Students often ask,
"Why there are so many rules in the On-Campus Recruiting Program?" The policies and procedures have been developed to maximize the opportunities for students while ensuring fairness among students, among employers, and in their interactions with each other.
We are consistent about deadlines and policies with all participants. Since this program is a potential bridge to the work world, we are also communicating an important lesson about that world: in a job, it is important to learn the rules and meet the deadlines. Below is a list of policy sections:
RECRUITING POLICIES
Deadlines
Application deadlines are listed on
Crimson Careers, and on the
Recruiting Calendar. As the Calendar indicates, the vast majority of full-time and summer job deadlines are on Wednesdays at 11:59 p.m. and about 2 weeks prior to the employer visit. The exception is “open” interview schedules which have a deadline two days prior to the employer visit date. Any other exceptions will be listed on our web site.
Plan ahead. You must be registered with the On-Campus Recruiting Program and logged in to Crimson Careers in order to submit any application materials for a given deadline. Deadlines are final and strictly enforced.
On-Campus Interview Policy
Only those students that have submitted materials and applied to employers through our on-line system,
Crimson Careers, may interview with employers when they visit Harvard. If you decide to submit your application materials to an employer outside of the Recruiting program, you will have to make separate arrangements to meet with the employer outside of our facilities.
Interview Cancellation Policy
Please check your schedule carefully to avoid conflicts. Students may freely change an interview time or cancel an interview using
Crimson Careers as long as it is more than 48 hours in advance. This allows time for an alternate to sign-up in that interview slot.
Students may not cancel an interview with less than 48 hours notice. Cancelling an interview with short notice:
- deprives a fellow student the opportunity to interview with that employer
- wastes the time of the employer who has spent their limited resources traveling to Harvard to conduct interviews
- reflects poorly on Harvard on the whole, and can damage the long-term relationship between Harvard and that employer
We understand that emergencies do come up. If there is an emergency or you are severely ill and it is less than 48 hours before your interview, you must contact the Recruiting Office at 617-495-2598 or ocsrec@fas.harvard.edu. This way we can attempt to find an alternate to fill your interview slot.
Students cannot cancel a first round interview for a second or final round interview. See the Second Round Interview Policy for more details.
| Cancellation Policy |
Date |
| You may freely cancel an interview through Crimson Careers... |
...if the interview is more than 48 hours away |
| You must contact the Recruiting Office immediately... |
...if you need to cancel within 48 hours of your interview - which is only permitted in cases of emergency or severe illness |
Interview No Show Policy
Not showing up for an interview is rude, denies other Harvard candidates an opportunity to interview, and jeopardizes our positive relationship with recruiters. We take this offense very seriously, and will put a hold on your Crimson Careers account and prohibit you from applying to or signing up for any further on-campus interviews until you meet with Deb Carroll in the Recruiting Office. Failure to contact her immediately will result in your perminant removal from the On-Campus Recruiting Program. In case of an emergency, explain your situation to Deb Carroll as soon as possible via the Recruiting Office, 617-495-2598.
Second Round Interview Policy
Employers and students must both follow the timeline listed below when arranging second round interviews because
students should not have to and are not permited to cancel a first round interview for a second round interview. These policies are in place to ensure that student do not have to cancel first round interviews for second round interviews.
Fall 2009: Date Limits for Second Round Interviews
| 2nd Round Policy |
Date |
| No 2nd Round interviews can be conducted outside the Cambridge Area |
September 25 - October 2, 2009 |
| Employers must give students at least 72-hour notice to leave the Cambridge Area. |
After Wednesday, October 2, 2009 |
Spring 2010: Date Limits for Second Round Interviews
| 2nd Round Policy |
Date |
| No 2nd Round interviews can be conducted outside the Cambridge Area |
January 29 - February 5, 2010 |
| Employers must give students at least 72-hour notice to leave the Cambridge Area. |
After Friday, February 5, 2010 |
Students cannot cancel a first round on-campus interview for a second round interview with another employer. Employers have planned months in advance to hold first round interviews on campus on a particular day. Thus, they have also agreed to our policies stating that they must give students flexibility with scheduling second round interviews, especially if they conflict with another first round on campus. If you have an issue or a concern with an employer, please contact the Recruiting Office at 617-495-2598 or ocsrec@fas.harvard as soon as possible so we can help.
Job Offer Policy
In order for students to make effective decisions, they must explore all of the options open to them. All companies participating in the On-Campus Recruiting Program (which includes all interviews conducted off-campus with students whose resumes have come to you through our resume drops) must follow this timetable:
Full Time Hiring Acceptance Deadlines
| Date of Offer: |
Deadline: |
| Offers Resulting from Previous Summer Internship |
Friday, November 13, 2009 |
| Fall Recruiting Season (September 25, 2009-November 6, 2009) |
Friday, December 11, 2009 |
| Spring Full-Time Recruiting Season (January 25, 2010 - March 11, 2010) |
Friday, March 5, 2010 or 3 Weeks
from Date of Offer (whichever comes later) |
Internships Acceptance Deadlines
| Date of Offer: |
Deadline: |
| Offers Resulting from Previous Summer Internship |
Friday, March 5, 2010 |
| Offer Resulting from Spring Internship Recruiting Season (January 25, 2010- March 11, 2010) |
Friday, March 5, 2010 or 3 Weeks from
Date of Offer (whichever comes later) |
No Exploding Offers. We expect employers to honor all offers made to students and that no conditions will be placed on the offer (e.g., "We have 10 offers outstanding for 8 openings and will accept the first 8 students who get back to us," etc.). No incentive (e.g., “We will provide a $5,000 bonus if you sign today,” etc.) may be offered to induce students to accept offers early. If you receive an exploding offer or have a concern about offer deadlines, please contact the Recruiting Office right away at (617) 495-2598.
Students should always insist on receiving offers in writing. Please examine the contract you sign very carefully. Students who renege on offers after both parties have signed will be denied future access to the On-Campus Recruiting Program.
