Student Policies
These policies have been carefully designed with the best interests of Fisher students in mind. They are based on years of recruiting experience with employers and their feedback about working with Fisher students.
How to Handle Conflicts with Interview Scheduling
Fisher students should do all they can to minimize any negative impact on academics when scheduling job interviews-- and in their job search overall.
To manage scheduling conflicts:
- Do your best to schedule an interview that does not conflict with class-- this requires that you schedule a preferred time for an on-campus interview before another student does (first-come, first-serve).
- If a preferred time is taken you can work with our recruiting coordinator to identify a student(s) in the preferred time slot and then contact the student yourself to try and coordinate a swap.
- You can see if there is any flexibility with a preferred interview time-- directly with the company, or through our recruiting coordinator.
For second round interviews:
- If asked to come to a 2nd round, on-site interview on a day that conflicts with classes/exams, see if the employer has flexibility and could offer another day – it is perfectly acceptable to inquire about this! They will let you know whether or not they have flexibility
- If the employer cannot re-schedule, ask them to email you the invitation with an indication that they cannot change the date. Send this to your professor well in advance of the date
These options have a fairly high rate of success if you are proactive. When not successful, you will simply have to accept the consequences of a class obligation where the faculty member does not offer another option. Always seek advice from the Office of Career Management if you are in a situation that you are unsure about.
Student Policy Regarding FisherConnect Work Authorization
The Office of Career Management (OCM) has an obligation to provide accurate information regarding our students to employers. We realize that sometimes students have questions about work authorization, especially in FisherConnect. Based on legal consultation and feedback from employers, it is OCM’s policy that no student will be marked as “permanent resident” or “eligible to work without visa sponsorship” in FisherConnect until they have received permanent residency and are in possession of a government-issued Green Card.
Students and alumni in the final step of the Adjustment of Status (AOS) process and in possession of an Employment Authorization Document (EAD) are still subject to this policy. Neither an EAD nor AOS status guarantees that a candidate will be approved for permanent residency. Given the possibility that PR could be denied, at which time the candidate would require visa sponsorship to continue working for any employer in the US, it is our policy that no student will be able to represent themselves in FisherConnect as “eligible to work without visa sponsorship” until they have received citizenship or permanent residency, wherein no risk of needing sponsorship exists.
It is up to each candidate to communicate their current status to employers by contacting them and explaining their individual situation. We understand that there is minimal risk in hiring a student who has applied for PR and received an EAD, so please schedule an appointment with a career consultant to discuss how to communicate with employers.
Student Policy Regarding Offers of Employment
A verbal or written acceptance of an offer is considered a commitment. It is never permissible to accept a job offer (either verbal or written) and later decline. We recommend that you consider all job offers (internship and career position offers) carefully and seriously before acting upon them. If you have a difficult decision to make or find yourself in a challenging position with regard to an offer, we highly encourage you to meet with a consultant in the Office of Career Management before making your final decision.
If it is determined that you have reneged on either an internship or career position offer, you will be asked to meet with one of the following individuals in the Office of Career Management:
- MBA students (Jeff Rice)
- MHRM students (Audra Fry)
- MAcc students (Steve Singer)
- MBLE students (Steve Singer)
- SMF Student (Audra Fry)
- Undergraduate students (Margie Bogenschutz)
The meeting will focus on a discussion of the situation and may result in consequences to you, including, but not limited to: your writing a letter of apology, your access to FisherConnect being discontinued and/or your access to services as an alum being denied.
If you fail to schedule this meeting within two weeks of our request, or do not attend this meeting as scheduled, your access to FisherConnect will be discontinued and career management offered when you become an alum will be denied.
Exchange Student Policy
Exchange students are able to utilize select career management resources and services while they are studying in the Fisher College of Business. Online resources that provide information related to resume development, interviewing skills, and job search strategy development are available via the Office of Career Management website. In addition, exchange students are welcome to attend career workshops and career fairs offered throughout the academic year.
Student FisherConnect Interviewing Policy
The FisherConnect interviewing policy has been developed in order to create a win-win relationship between employers and students and to maximize interviewing opportunities available to all Fisher College students at The Ohio State University. If you have any questions regarding these policies, please contact Mark Wilson at 614-292-8615. Communication is the key to a successful job search!
When you registered with FisherConnect you made these three commitments which will enable your on-campus interviewing experience to be effective and rewarding.
- You commit to provide true and accurate information in your FisherConnect profile and on your resume at all times.
- By requesting an interview on a company’s interview schedule, you commit to schedule an interview time if your request is accepted.
- When you schedule an interview (either on an employer’s open or pre-select schedule) or mock interview, you commit to show up for the interview.
Carefully consider your level of interest and ability to follow the above guidelines before scheduling a mock interview, scheduling an interview with a company on their open schedule, or requesting an interview with a company for a pre-select schedule.
It is important to read all position descriptions carefully and make sure you are aware of the job location, responsibilities and assignments so that you understand the scope of the position for which you are interviewing. Before you request or schedule an interview, double check your calendar to ensure that you will not have a scheduling conflict. School work (exams, group projects, papers, presentations, etc.) does not excuse you from fulfilling your commitment to show-up if you request or schedule an interview, as you should be able to anticipate and plan accordingly.
Your QUIC Interview will be the first opportunity to put these policies into practice. To create a win-win relationship between the Career Management Office and all the students who are attempting to complete their QUIC interview you must follow these policies:
- Only schedule ONE QUIC interview at a time.
- Schedule your QUIC interview on a date and time when you know your schedule is free and then begin to prepare for the interview. If you need to change the time of your QUIC interview, you can do so through FisherConnect, but you must do that at least a week in advance in order to give another student the opportunity to schedule his/her QUIC interview in the time slot you vacated.
- Last minute cancellations for QUIC Interviews are not permitted. In cases of emergencies call the Career Management Office at 292-6024. You will receive a warning in FisherConnect, but upon providing adequate documentation of the emergency, the FisherConnect Policy Committee will remove the warning.
When you requested the interview, you made the commitment to the employer that if accepted you would schedule and show up for an interview. It is your responsibility to monitor your request for an interview by checking your status in FisherConnect. Failure to schedule an interview will result in a warning in FisherConnect.
When you scheduled your interview you made the commitment to prepare and show up for your interview. Take the time to research the company, the position, and identify two or three pertinent questions you can ask the recruiter. Make sure your suit is clean and pressed (dry cleaned if appropriate) and you come to the interview prepared to represent yourself and Fisher well. We want your interview to be a successful and positive experience and should you desire additional assistance preparing for your interview, we encourage you to take advantage of services available to you in our office. Failure to show up for an interview will result in a warning in FisherConnect.
Sometimes it is necessary to cancel a request or an interview. You are able to withdraw or cancel your request for an interview without penalty as long as the Interview Request or Open Sign-Up deadline hasn’t passed. Cancellations after this date are considered Last-Minute Cancellations and will result in a warning in FisherConnect.
As soon as you are aware that you are not going to be able to honor a commitment you made on FisherConnect, please notify Susan Geier in the Career Management office or by phone at 614-292-6024. Provide us with the following information: your name, your phone number, the schedule ID#, the company name, the position title, the time and date of the interview, and your reason for canceling. Also please contact the recruiter (we will provide contact information if it is not listed in FisherConnect) to let him/her know.
In cases of emergencies such as sudden illness, accident or a death in the family, you (or your designee) are still expected to call the Office of Career Management, and we will alert the employer that you will not be able to make the interview. You will still receive a warning in FisherConnect, but upon providing adequate documentation of the emergency and correspondence with the recruiter, the FisherConnect Policy Committee will remove the warning. The committee evaluates all appeals on a case-by-case basis and should they decide to remove the warning, it will not count against you.
The following is a list of UNACCEPTABLE reasons to cancel your interview:
- I don’t have time in my busy schedule now
- I changed my mind
- I didn’t fully read or understand the job description when I applied for the position
- I didn’t complete the application process through the employer’s web site
- Failing to schedule an interview time after your interview request is accepted. (does not apply to alternates)
- Failing to show up for an interview you scheduled either with a company or a mock interview.
- Canceling an interview at the “Last-Minute” as defined above.
- Intentionally providing false information on your FisherConnect profile or on your resume. *see the Accurate Representation policy below
Outcome of Warnings and Policy Violations
The Office of Career Management monitors warnings and repeated violations of the interview policy. You will be warned for your first violation. In the event of a second violation, your FisherConnect status will become inactive immediately and remain so for one full year from the date your account was made inactive and you were notified of the second violation.
If you have violated the policies twice and your account is inactive, you will need to schedule and attend a meeting with the Director for Recruiting Operations to explain why your account was inactivated before your account is re-activated - reactivation is not automatic.
Complete loss of access privileges to FisherConnect.
- This means that you will not be able to view, schedule or make requests for future interviews and your resume will not be referred to employers.
- If you have other interviews already scheduled, you will be expected to keep those commitments.
If the Office of Career Management staff members and/or employers determine that you are misrepresenting yourself on the FisherConnect system (including, but not limited to, work authorization, GPA, graduation date), your status on the FisherConnect system will be made inactive immediately and permanently—There is no first warning and any scheduled interviews will be canceled. You will not be eligible to re-activate your FisherConnect profile.
Note: The Office of Career Management may refer cases to Student Judicial Affairs or The Committee on Academic Misconduct (COAM) as appropriate.
You are welcome to appeal any warning or profile inactivation to the FisherConnect Policy Committee (contact Mark Wilson, email or 614-292-8615 for more information). You must submit a written explanation of the circumstances and provide any documentation that you feel might help your appeal (correspondence with an employer, doctor’s note, etc.). The committee evaluates all appeals on a case-by-case basis and should they decide to overturn the warning or inactivation, it will not count against you.