On-Campus Recruiting Agreement

VCC agrees to:  

Provide Services: Assist you with your job and internship search, career development, and career decision-making activities.  

Career Information: Provide access to a range of career opportunities, industry information, and employers looking for engineering talent.  

Non-Discrimination: Provide access and reasonable accommodations to students and prospective employers without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, age, gender, sexual orientation, or disability.  

Protect Confidentiality: Abide by the Family Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and exercise sound judgment and fairness in maintaining your confidentiality.  

Student Advocacy: Respond to student concerns about Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO), Department of Labor (DOL), or Title IX compliance, the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) Principles for Ethical Professional Practices, or unethical behavior of employers. (Review the Employer On-Campus Recruitment Policies.) 

Follow-up with those posting suspicious vacancies, when possible, and consult with students who believe they have been deceived by organizations posing as legitimate employers. Evidence of this behavior includes requests for personal information (i.e. social security numbers or credit card numbers) and requests for money. If you are suspicious of such an organization, do not respond to them and please share details with us at vcareers@usc.edu 

Supplying false information in your profile, resume, application materials, on employer career portals, or creating duplicate accounts/profiles to meet interview requirements is unethical. You should confirm that your job search materials are truthful and accurate to the best of your ability. Providing inaccurate information throughout the job search, interview, or hiring processes may lead to undesirable consequences from employers (I.e., rescinding job offers).

If you are unsure of how to present your background in the profile, please consult a VCC Career Advisor by scheduling an appointment on Gateway or participating in Drop-In Hours.

On-campus interviewing (OCI) is competitive and highly sought after by all students. When scheduled through Gateway, OCI is only available to currently enrolled Viterbi students. USC students outside of Viterbi, Viterbi Alumni, and Viterbi minors are not eligible.  

You should only sign up for interviews with employers with whom you are interested in working. Doing otherwise may deprive another student of a valuable interview opportunity. 

Always investigate an alternate date with the employer before you cancel an interview. It is your responsibility to speak with the employer and explain why you will not be attending the interview. Please note that students cannot cancel an interview with one employer to attend an interview with another employer.

If you need to cancel an interview, do so on Viterbi Career Gateway at least three business days prior to the interview date to avoid a “No-Show” status. To cancel an interview:

• Log into Viterbi Career Gateway -> Go to “Interviews” -> Select “Unschedule Interview” or
• Contact the Career Connections Team at 213-740-9677 or visit the Viterbi Career Connections office (RTH 218)

The following actions apply to students who miss on-campus interviews and who have not informed VCC prior to the interview: 

1. If you miss an interview for any unexplained reason, you will be required to write a letter of apology to the recruiter explaining your reason for missing the interview. This must be submitted to the VCC Office (vcareers@usc.edu), within two business days of the missed interview, which in turn will be forwarded to the recruiter on your behalf. Failure to do so will result in a suspension of your interviewing and employer event privileges until the letter is received.

1. If you incur a second unexplained “no show,” your recruiting privileges, including campus job search platforms, events, and interview access, will be suspended immediately and for the remainder of the current and following regular academic semester (fall/spring). You will be required to submit a letter of apology to the recruiter and justify missing the interview to the satisfaction of the Viterbi Career Connections Office before your privileges will be reinstated.

1. A third “no show” will result in termination of your interviewing privileges for the rest of your tenure at Viterbi and will not be eligible for reinstatement.

* Note: When a student is blocked from further use of the system, the student is still responsible for attending all previously scheduled interview appointments. 

Events offer students an opportunity to practice professional skills and connect with employers. Though VCC and employers do their best to accommodate all interested students, availability is limited based on time and space capacity. Please RSVP responsibly in order not to deprive other students of participating. If attending an event, indicate your participation via RSVP. If you are no longer able to attend, update your RSVP to reflect the change at least three business days before the event. In the case of an emergency, if you are unable to attend the event and it is less than three business days prior, please notify VCC as soon as possible at vcareers@usc.edu or (213) 740-9677.

Note: Certain events may be limited to students with a confirmed registration and only confirmed registrants may attend these events.  

VCC details the expectations and timelines that employers are encouraged to follow in our Employer On-Campus Recruiting Guidelines. We ask that all Gateway-affiliated companies abide by it when recruiting our students, including participation in career fairs, tech talks, on-campus interviews, etc. An employer's failure to do so could result in sanctions in their ability to access school recruiting platforms and activities; therefore, it is in their best interest to adhere to the guidelines.  Students should review the employer timelines and recruiting responsibilities below.  

Organizations are responsible for all representations and offers made to students by their recruiters. Employers should notify students in writing of the job offer's major components, including salary, location, benefits, and starting date. Students should be given sufficient time to make an informed decision regarding offers they receive. Listed below are the timeframes we recommend employers give students to accept an offer. We also strongly encourage all employers to follow the NACE position on Reasonable Offer Deadline Guidelines.

We understand that in certain circumstances, timelines do not align with regular university recruitment cycles. If an offer is made outside of the timelines recommended above, VCC will work with employers and students to find a mutually beneficial solution to their needs.

*Note: Employers not participating in USC on-campus recruitment may have different timelines. Please consult with a VCC advisor to receive support for your unique situation. 

Get your offer in writing before you accept. Make sure that you have read and understood your entire employment offer package, including benefits and non-disclosure agreements. Should you have questions, please consult with the Human Resources Department at the employing organization or your own legal counsel. Upon accepting an offer, whether verbally or in writing, you should uphold that commitment. Accepting an offer of employment constitutes your commitment to follow through on the terms of the agreement.

Once you accept an offer, you must: 

1. Discontinue submitting your resume or profile to job openings in Gateway, on job boards, recruiters, hiring managers, etc.
2. Remove yourself from the internship/job search in both on and off-campus recruitment platforms.
3. Politely decline all remaining offers by notifying the recruiters.
4. Cancel all remaining interviews.

Continuing the job search after accepting an employment offer is an unethical practice.

If you are declining an offer, inform the recruiter verbally as soon as your decision has been made, following your conversation with a thank you letter. DO NOT delay contacting the employer.  

While making that phone call or sending that email may be difficult, it is unlikely unwelcome news will get better with time. Employers need to know you are declining their offer as quickly as possible so they can adjust their plans accordingly. Waiting until the last moment to contact them could force them into a situation they cannot remedy. 

Reneging is going back on a promise or declining an offer after accepting. Before you retract a committed offer, you should 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 a VCC advisor, and request an extension on the deadline, all in an effort to make an informed decision regarding the offer of employment.

Once that commitment is made, reneging on an accepted offer has a negative impact. Industries are small, and recruiters are well connected – you could potentially harm your professional reputation resulting in limited opportunities for yourself and fellow Trojans in the future.

When reneging or terminating an internship before the contracted end date occurs, the VCC Director or Career Advisors will meet with the student to assess the situation and consult with the Associate Dean to determine the appropriate actions. Each case is considered individually, as there may be reasonable circumstances resulting in either students and/or employers altering their commitments.

The following actions may apply to students who renege. You will be held to this standard regardless of if you found the opportunity through a USC resource or not. 

First Offense of Reneging: The student must meet with a VCC Career Advisor to discuss professionalism and avoid similar situations in the future. The student must:

1. The student must review the Returning to Professionalism Pathway on the EngageSC platform and pass a quiz.
2. Write a formal letter of apology to the employers impacted by the reneging to explain the reasons for your actions, and a VCC Advisor must approve it before it is sent. VCC must be copied on this correspondence.

VCC will reinstate access to on-campus recruitment, events, and job postings in Gateway, connectSC, and Handshake, pending the apology letter and the workshop and quiz.

Second Offense of Reneging: Immediate suspension of access to on-campus recruitment, events, and job postings in Gateway, connectSC, and Handshake for the remainder of the semester and the following regular academic semester.

Third Offense of Reneging: Immediate and permanent suspension of access to on-campus recruitment and job postings in Gateway, connectSC, and Handshake.

If dishonesty is involved, the behavior may violate the Honor Code and could be subject to additional penalties.