Policies – Career Services & Professional Development

Mississippi University for Women’s Office of Career Services is first and foremost committed to working in the best interest of the student. The Office of Career Services policies have been developed to contribute to a positive, successful, and ethical experience for recruiters, students, alumni, and faculty.

Student Policies

* Acceptance and participation of employers are not to be construed as an explicit or implicit approval or recommendation by Mississippi University for Women to its students.

The Office of Career Services is designed to meet the needs of enrolled students and alumni.

The use of the Mississippi University for Women Office of Career Services is extended to the following groups at no cost:

Students currently enrolled in a Mississippi University for Women degree program
The W alumni

Interview and Employer Engagement Policies

I. No-Show

The Office of Career Services works hard to provide services to help you be successful in your job search. The Office of Career Services has partnerships with employers who seek out our assistance with their hiring needs. Missed appointments or cancellations inconvenience employers and are inconsiderate of other students who may have desired an appointment but were unable to get on the interview schedule. These situations also have negative implications on the University’s relations with the employer and can affect opportunities for other W students. This policy refers to all on-campus interviews, employer mock interviews and other employer appointments that you might have.

No-Show to On-Campus Interviews:

A No-Show is defined as an individual who does not notify the Office of Career Services more than 48 hours prior to the interview of their inability to honor the appointment.Missing the scheduled interview, arriving late or canceling within 48 hours of the interview are allconsidered No-Shows. The Office of Career Services will notify you via email of your missed interview and inform you about the No-Show policy.

If you No-Show:

If you are a No-Show for a scheduled interview your interviewing privileges will be temporarily revoked. To reinstate your interviewing privileges, you must meet with a professional staff member in the Office of Career Services to discuss the reason for your No-Show. You will be required to write a letter of apology to the employer of the scheduled interview stating the reason for missing the interview.

Second No-Show

If you fail to appear for a second interview your interviewing privileges will be revoked while you are at The W. Extenuating circumstances will be taken into consideration. Missing an interview reflects badly on Mississippi University for Women and keeps other students from interviewing.

II. Cancellation

Cancellations can be made prior to 48 hours before the interview by contacting the Office of Career Services at 662.329.7296. Any cancellations within 48 hours of the interview are considered a No-Show.

III. Alcohol

Mississippi University for Women is a member of the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), the professional association for college recruiters and career services professionals. Our office abides by the Principles of Professional Conduct which state that “Serving alcohol should not be part of the recruitment process on or off campus. This includes receptions, dinners, company tours, etc.” We encourage students not to partake of any alcohol beverage during the interview process. This could be detrimental to receiving an offer of employment. No alcohol will be served at any on-campus recruitment event.

IV. Employment Offer Guidelines

When accepting an offer of employment, you are committing yourself to that employer. Before you accept, be sure to take time to consider your options. To break your word or fail to carry out a promise on an offer would reflect poorly on you, other students, the Office of Career Services, and Mississippi University for Women. Your actions may hinder future opportunities for other students.

After accepting an offer, your job search must end. Your next step is to change your online job search profile to show you are no longer seeking employment and remove your resume from consideration for other job opportunities. If you are already scheduled for other on-campus interviews please cancel your appointment as soon as possible to allow other students the opportunity to interview.

If you renege on a job offer which was gained through on-campus recruitment, your interview privileges will be revoked while you are at Mississippi University for Women.

V. Mock Interviews

Mock Interviews with an Employer and/or an Office of Career Services staff member are considered an on-campus interview schedule. Please keep in mind that a mock interview with an employer is a commitment they have made from their busy schedules to assist you with your interview skills. Please review all of the Interviewing Policies as they apply to mock interviews as well.

Student Appointment Policy

Any student arriving 10 minutes late without prior notice to a scheduled appointment with an Office of Career Services staff member will be re-scheduled if staff can no longer accommodate for the appointment.

Privacy Policy

Personal Information

The Office of Career Services at Mississippi University for Women is committed to providing its users sound privacy practices regarding electronic personal information. Data collection and access to student information is governed by the following campus and federal policies: Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).

The W Career Connection

Job listings, resume services, career event information, and professional recruiting activities are provided through The W Career Connection, Mississippi University for Women’s career development platform. Employers using The W Career Connection system are vetted by the Office of Career Services, however, job opportunities are posted directly by employers. Due to the volume of these postings, each job opportunity on The W Career Connection may or may not have been reviewed before posting. Site users are urged to validate job postings and use caution and common sense when applying. Do not disclose social security numbers, credit card information or bank account numbers to unknown employers.

External Websites

While using the Office of Career Services website, you may encounter hypertext links to the web pages of organizations not directly affiliated with Mississippi University for Women. The Office of Career Services does not control the content or information practices of these external organizations; we highly recommend that you review the privacy statements of these organizations.

Grievances

The Office of Career Services staff will investigate complaints by users of our services about on-campus and off-campus interviews, job postings, employers, or career events. If we determine that a complaint is justified, we may choose not to sponsor recruiting activities for the employer involved or suspend recruiting privileges for students and alumni.

Faculty Policies

NACE Ethical Hiring

The Office of Career and Professional Development encourages all parties in the hiring process (employers, students, faculty and other references) to follow the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) Faculty Guide to Ethical and Legal Standards in Student Hiring.

Student Equal Access to Employment Opportunities

The Office of Career and Professional Development believes that students should have open and equal access to information about opportunities no matter their degree or major. Employers must work through the Office of Career and Professional Development when recruiting on campus. Faculty can play a key and complementary role in the recruiting process and the Office of Career and Professional Development will help employers connect with them.

Class Assignments

The Office of Career and Professional Development is happy to assist faculty who wish to include utilizing our services as a class assignment. In order to ensure that students are able to be served effectively and to not have assignments due on major career events, please email careers@muw.edu to let us know of any upcoming assignments you have scheduled for your students.

Classroom Presentations

The Office of Career and Professional Development staff are available to present a wide-range of career development topics in classroom presentations. Mississippi University for Women faculty members can schedule these presentations through the Presentation Request Form on our website

Grievances

The Office of Career and Professional Development staff will investigate complaints by users of our services about on-campus and off-campus interviews, job postings, employers, or career events. If we determine that a complaint is justified, we may choose not to sponsor recruiting activities for the employer involved or suspend recruiting privileges for students and alumni.

Employer Policies

*Acceptance and participation of employers is not to be construed as an explicit or implicit approval or recommendation by Mississippi University for Women to its students.

NACE and Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO)

In order to provide fair and equitable services to our students and employers, the Office of Career and Professional Development and its clients adhere to the following policies:

Employers must subscribe to the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) Principles for Ethical Professional Practice and to the Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) recruitment and employment guidelines and laws established by the Federal and State of Mississippi governments.

Right to Refuse Service

We reserve the right to refuse service to employers for factors such as the following:

Providing fraudulent information and/or misrepresentation of positions or company information through dissemination of dishonest information or absence of information to the Office of Career and Professional Development or to students
Receipt from students of complaints of improper or illegal recruiting or employment practices, or harassment of Mississippi University for Women students, alumni, faculty or staff
Breach of confidentiality of student information without prior written consent from the student
Requiring, at the time of application, personal information such as bank or social security numbers or photo of the applicant
Requiring students to pay personal funding to obtain the position
Failure to accurately describe the responsibilities and requirements of the employment opportunity in all publicity
Failure to adhere to the Office of Career and Professional Development’s policies and/or any violation of the Mississippi University for Women rules and regulations, local, state, or federal laws
Providing no value or is not relevant to Mississippi University for Women students and/or alumni

Third Party Recruiting & Staff Agencies

Third party recruiters are agencies, organizations, or individuals recruiting candidates for employment other than for their own needs. Third party recruiters using the Mississippi University for Women Office of Career and Professional Development are expected to follow the same policies and procedures established for recruiters representing their own organization.

The Office of Career and Professional Development will provide assistance to third party recruiters/ agencies only when a third-party recruiter/agency meets the following conditions:

Meets the NACE and EEO policies and laws described above
Charges no fees to the candidate
Reveals to the Office of Career and Professional Development the identity of the employer(s) being represented and the nature of the relationship between the agency and the employer(s), and permits the Office of Career and Professional Development to verify this information by contacting the named client
If requested, provides a position description to the Office of Career and Professional Development for valid openings

Ethical Recruiting

Recruiters must work within the framework of professionally accepted recruiting, interviewing, and selection techniques. The Office of Career and Professional Development encourages all parties in the hiring process (employers, students, faculty and other references) to follow the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) Principles for Professional Conduct.

Interviewing Policies

• If it is necessary to cancel an interview reservation, please do so as far in advance as possible. Space is in high demand, and an early cancellation will allow the Office of Career and Professional Development to reassign resources. Please see the Event Policy to view the guidelines on how to cancel event attendance.

Job Posting Policy

Jobs posted on The W Career Connection will automatically be assigned an expiration date of 30 days from the posting date. Employers may select an expiration date earlier than the 30 day default. If an expiration date beyond the 30 days is selected, the Office of Career and Professional Development will correct the date. Employers who have not filled the vacant position can repost the job for an additional 30 days.

The Office of Career and Professional Development reserves the right to delete job postings deemed unsuitable for students seeking full-time, internship, co-op, or relevant summer positions.

Event Policies

The Office of Career and Professional Development offers several career fairs and other events (either on-site or virtual) each academic year. Employers offering full-time, part-time, internship, and co-op opportunities are eligible to participate. Event space is often limited; and each event must be registered for. Deadlines for registration will not be extended. The Office of Career and Professional Development screens employers to ensure they are offering legitimate experiences and that there are a variety of organizations represented at the event.

Event participants who do not comply with the following Office of Career and Professional Development event policies may be asked to leave the event and/or may be denied future registration:

Career fairs and other events are designed to provide a venue for sharing employment opportunities and information only. Participating employers may not recruit other businesses or sell products and/or services at the event.
If the need to cancel registration arises, employers must do so two or more weeks prior to the event to receive a full refund or have that money applied to a future event. Employers that cancel registration less than two weeks prior to the event or do not show up will not be eligible for a refund of their fees.
All registration fees are at the time of registration. If the Office of Career and Professional Development’s records indicate an outstanding balance for any registration, employers will be given an opportunity to pay the balance in full or provide documentation of payment. An account with an outstanding balance 30 days past the due date is considered delinquent, and future event registration will be denied until payment is received.

Faculty Contact

In order to ensure that students have open and equal access to information about job opportunities, employers must work through the Office of Career and Professional Development when recruiting on campus. Faculty can play a key and complementary role in the recruiting process and the Office of Career and Professional Development staff will help employers connect with them.