Code of Ethics

The McCoy College of Business - Department of Accounting 

Students are expected to represent both themselves and the McCoy College of Business in a professional manner during their career search. This constitutes the following:

1. Show up and be prepared for all recruiting events to which you have planned to attend

  • Attend all recruiting events, interviews and meetings that you have committed to and be prepared to engage in conversation and questions as appropriate. Being prepared involves being on time, dressing appropriately, completing company/industry research and preparing questions in advance. Students are expected to learn and understand how to use campus recruiting systems as part of their preparation. Please keep cell phones, laptops and pagers off during any event or interview.

2. Be on time, all the time

  • Arrive 10 minutes prior to your scheduled interview time. By scheduling an interview you commit to showing up on time for that interview, unless a legitimate reason arises (e.g. recent acceptance of another offer, sudden personal illness or a death in the family). Should an emergency arise, or if you know ahead of time that you will be late for an interview or event, please notify a Career Services staff member ASAP. Students are expected to accept interview opportunities when they request pre-select consideration unless they have accepted another offer in the intervening time. If you do not plan to take an interview spot for which you have been pre-selected, please decline the invitation as soon as possible. There is no penalty for declining invitations to interview. You cannot transfer your spot to another student. By declining the interview, you allow Career Services to fill the open slot with another candidate.
  • Missing an interview or having a late cancellation (defined as canceling an interview after you can no longer cancel in the on-campus recruiting system - this date is reflected as the "Sign-up End Date") are considered serious offenses and will result in immediate and permanent loss of access to on-campus recruiting. If you have a legitimate reason for missing an interview (as defined above), you will need to contact your Career Services Director to appeal your case and have your on-campus recruiting privileges reinstated.

3. RSVP when asked

  • Students are expected to RSVP (Repondez S'il Vous Plait is French for "please reply") in the affirmative by the deadline posted to help employers plan their events or workshops. Large numbers of no-shows for events or receptions can result in companies canceling campus interviews. Large numbers of unexpected guests can result in companies not having enough recruiters, refreshments, or handout materials for students.

4. Respect recruiters, employers and the Career Services staff

  • Both employers and staff manage large volumes of students during the school year. We ask all students to treat staff and recruiters with the utmost respect, understanding that every interaction you have with a prospective employer or staff member either enhances or detracts from your personal reputation and the reputation of the school.

5. Respect your classmates

  • Students should conduct themselves with professionalism throughout the recruiting process. Unprofessional behavior reflects poorly on you, your classmates, the department and McCoy College. You should submit your resumes only for positions which align with your career interests and for which you are qualified. Indiscriminate "shopping around" diminishes opportunities for your classmates. Do not treat recruiting as an opportunity for "practice interviews." It is unfair to your peers who genuinely want the job and to the company expending resources to recruit. Career services staff can do mock interviews.

6. Dress appropriately

  • Interviews are typically business dress unless otherwise noted. Presentations and company receptions are typically business casual unless otherwise noted. Jeans, shorts, sneakers, flip flops and similar casual wear are never appropriate at any recruiting-related or company-sponsored event.

7. Provide accurate information

  • You must provide complete and accurate information on all career-related materials (e.g. graduation date, GPA, standardized test scores, work eligibility, transcript, employment data). Furnishing false information is a violation of student standards of conduct which will result in immediate loss of on-campus recruiting privileges.

8. Stand behind your decision

  • Students must honor the acceptance of an offer as a contractual agreement with the employer. It is unacceptable to continue interviewing or making office visits after accepting an offer, or to back out on an accepted offer. Students who back out (renege) on an accepted offer will be denied all future use of the career services including coaching and on-campus recruiting services. Please do not represent yourself as being prepared to accept an offer unless you are prepared to do so. An offer is considered accepted once the student and the employer have jointly agreed to the terms of employment.
  • Students must respond to every offer, whether they accept or reject it. Upon the acceptance of a job offer you agree to:
    • Notify all other employers with whom you are a job candidate and withdraw yourself from further consideration.
    • Notify our office of your acceptance.
    • Report all relevant offer information (e.g. company name, salary, bonus, location, etc.) for employment reporting.
    • Refrain from interviewing for a permanent job until after the completion of the internship, once an internship offer is accepted.

9. Report your employment status

  • After accepting an offer of employment, you agree to notify Career Services and the department. While the individual salary and offer data provided by students are not released, the aggregate results are critical to current and prospective students, recruiters and administrators. The data are necessary for the department and McCoy College to complete information for business school rankings and the information provided is among your best tools for future salary negotiations. It is a student's responsibility to keep their personal profile and current employment information in all career-related systems updated and accurate.

10. Uphold ethical guidelines for employers

  • We expect all companies to evaluate candidates without consideration of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, ethnicity, national origin, age, disability or veteran status. We also ask all employers to grant students a minimum of three weeks to decide on any offer. "Exploding offers" or pressure from companies to accept an offer "on the spot" or within an unreasonably short time frame are considered violations of our expectations of companies. Just as we expect students not to renege on offers, we expect companies not to withdraw or rescind an offer to a student. Students who feel they have experienced unprofessional or unethical recruiting practices with a company should notify the department chair and Career Services Director about the situation immediately so appropriate follow-up action can be taken with that company.

Appeals Process: If you have questions regarding your individual circumstances or about penalties for missing interviews please seek the advice of the Career Services Director or the department chair.