Student Applicant Policies
Student Applicant Policies
Applicant Conduct Policy
To participate in services offered by the UD Career Center, including accessing Handshake, you must read and agree to the terms outlined below. Students should recognize that they can both positively and negatively influence current and future positions for themselves and fellow applicants, as well as the reputation of the University of Delaware. If you have any questions, please contact the Career Center.
FERPA Authorization:
By logging into Handshake you give permission to the UD Career Center to share your resume and any other uploaded documents with employers.
The Career Center uses third-party vendors to provide certain services that are available to students through Handshake. By logging in to Handshake, you also give permission to the Career Center to share information that you provide with Career Center's third-party vendors to the extent necessary for the delivery of these services.
Use of Services
Third-party services that are accessible through Handshake and additional web resources may require you to log in separately and accept the service provider’s terms of use. By accepting the service provider’s terms of use, you are giving permission to the service provider to use your information for the purposes described in the service provider’s terms of use.
Participation in UD's Handshake Database and On-Campus / Virtual Interview Program
In order to participate in UD's Handshake database and on-campus/virtual interview program, you must:
- Provide accurate and honest information about your education, experience and qualifications for full-time positions and/or internships for which you apply.
- Attend all scheduled interviews unless you have notified the Career Center of the need to cancel the interview prior to the scheduled appointment (see section on Late Cancellations)
Late Cancellations
If you need to cancel your interview, you must notify the Career Center at least 48 hours in advance so that alternates may be contacted. Call (302) 831-2392 or email: recruitbluehens@udel.edu.
- If you do not show up for a scheduled interview and did not contact the Career Center in advance, you are considered a "no-show" and access to your Handshake account will be suspended until you submit a letter of explanation addressed to the employer and emailed to the Career Center.
- If your letter is deemed appropriate by UD's Career Center, the letter will be forwarded to the employer and your Handshake account will be reactivated.
- If your letter is deemed inappropriate or insufficient, a CC staff member will meet with you and your Handshake account will remain deactivated until a sufficient letter is approved.
- If you miss more than one scheduled interview, you will lose all access to Handshake, as well as, the On-Campus/Virtual Interview Program until you have met with your career advisor and your career advisor authorizes reactivation of your account.
Accepting a Job
When you accept a job offer, it is important to inform the Career Center of your decision because it affects your participation in the Virtual/On-Campus Interview Program. Consequently, you should keep the following principles in mind:
- Accept an offer for a full-time position or internship in good faith, with the full intention of honoring your Commitment.
- Any and all full-time and/or internship offers extended to candidates during a summer or adjacent fall semester should remain valid for a minimum of three (3) weeks (21 days) or through October 15; whichever date is later. Any and all offers made during a spring semester should remain valid for a minimum of two weeks (14 days).
- Any and all offers extended at the conclusion of an externship/leadership program during the Spring/Summer terms, employers should give until September 1 or a minimum of two weeks (14 days), whichever date is later for students to accept or decline the offer.
- All associated offer features (bonuses, start date, relocation costs, etc.) will remain valid for the entirety of the aforementioned offer time frames.
- Candidates may accept an offer prior to an offer deadline. Employers may extend offers with deadlines beyond the aforementioned time frames.
- When you accept a job offer, you must notify potential employers (if you still have outstanding offers or interviews) and contact the Career Center within one business day of your acceptance.
- Withdraw from all interviews immediately upon accepting a position offer.
- If an employer offers travel reimbursement, whether or not a job is accepted, claim only fair and reasonable reimbursement from employers for travel expenses actually incurred.
Renege Policy
- Reneging on a job offer is never permitted or condoned by the UD Career Center. Reneging on an offer is a violation of the UD Career Center’s policy and results in immediate suspension of all recruiting privileges in Handshake. If a student has reneged on an offer the disciplinary actions listed below will be enforced.
Handshake Account Suspension
- Your access to Handshake will be suspended if any of the above conditions are not met.
- If you have been suspended from Handshake, it is still your responsibility to honor all interviews that you have scheduled with other employers in the On-Campus/Virtual Interviewing Program.
Disciplinary Action
The Career Center reserves the right to review violations of this policy and to suspend access to all career services on a permanent basis. In order to regain access to the Career Center, you may be required to:
- Send an email apology to the Career Center who will then forward the apology to the employer and the Dean of your college.
- Schedule an appointment with your a Career Center staff member who may impose other limitations or sanctions such as
- Attend an Ethics Education workshop or other workshop(s) as designated by the Career Center.
- Be referred to Community Standards & Conflict Resolution for additional action.
This policy is subject to change without prior notice. All applicants are still subject to the terms of this policy.
Updated July 2024
Fraudulent Employer and Job Posting Warning and Disclaimer
The University of Delaware Career Center posts job listings for the convenience of students. The university does not endorse or recommend employers, and a posting does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation. The university explicitly makes no representations or guarantees about job listings or the accuracy of the information provided by the employer. The university is not responsible for safety, wages, working conditions or any other aspect of off-campus employment or pre-employment screening without limitation. It is the responsibility of students to perform due diligence in researching employers when applying for or accepting private, off-campus employment or pre-screening appointments and to thoroughly research the facts and reputation of each organization to which they are applying. Students should be prudent and use common sense and caution when applying for or accepting any position, and they should review the cautionary information we have included below in order to be better informed of potential fraudulent or improper practices in order to protect themselves from harm.
All job listings are posted at the discretion of the UD Career Center. We will not post jobs that appear to discriminate against applicants on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, age, national origin, disabled or Vietnam Era veteran status, sexual orientation, disability or gender. The UD Career Center also reserves the right to refuse to post jobs that do not support the interests of the university.
The UD Career Center offers Handshake, a career services online platform, as a resource for employers to connect with UD students and alumni seeking career-related opportunities including internships, co-ops, and part and full-time jobs. UD is not responsible for the content of any information provided by any person or organization on the Handshake website, nor is UD responsible for the conduct of any such person or organization. If you suspect any fraudulent or other inappropriate actions involving Handshake, please immediately report it to UD Career Center via phone at 302.831.2392 or via email at udcareers@udel.edu.
Furthermore, It is not uncommon in this digital age for your personal contact information to be found elsewhere on a legitimate website outside of the University of Delaware or Handshake. As a result, it is possible that you could receive an unsolicited email, text message or phone call from a fraudulent contact regarding an alleged employment or other opportunity. You should be vigilant in researching any unsolicited contacts. Please reference this Secure UD site for best practices on how to protect yourself and your responsibilities as a UD student. We encourage you to visit Handshake’s Safety: Best Practices for Job Searches. We encourage both students and employers to provide feedback to our office regarding their experience through the use of our service. For additional information regarding our services, contact UD Career Center via phone at 302-831-2392 or via email at udcareers@udel.edu.
We reserve the right to update this warning and disclaimer notice regarding the use of these services. We will include a statement on our website in the event we materially modify the notice.
Use caution when receiving contact from potential fraudulent employers.
While student contact information is often already publicly available on the internet and elsewhere, out of an abundance of caution we recommend that you take care when you are contacted by someone you do not know via phone or email, especially if the communication is unexpected and references your resume. Phishing is one of the most common forms of online threats, and everyone should employ common safety procedures to protect themselves from phishing incidents, including:
Check that the sender's email address matches the sender's name.
Be on the lookout for misspellings and poor grammar, which can be an indication that the email did not originate from a trusted source.
Watch for unsolicited emails, phone calls or text messages that push you to act hastily or that seem too good to be true
Before clicking on a link, hover your mouse over the link. This will show you the actual web address embedded in the link. Check this against the actual web address of the trusted source.
If you are still unsure, contact the source through another trusted channel (for example, a customer support number listed on the official website) to verify the email is legitimate.
It’s important to always vet any employer outreach through Handshake, any other recruiting platform, email or over the phone.
Generally, if a job posting, email, or interaction with an employer contains any of the following, end all contact with the employer and notify the UD Career Center immediately:
Offers to pay a large amount of money for very little work or sends you a check.
Offers you a job without ever interacting with you.
Offers to send you a check before you do any work.
Requests personal information from you such as Social Security Number, bank account numbers, PIN number, PayPal account, credit card information, copies of your passport or license and/or other personal documents
Requests that you forward, transfer or send by courier (i.e. FedEx, UPS), or “wire” any money to any employer, for any employer, using your personal account(s) or that you obtain and forward any prepaid gift cards.
Requests to have funds or paychecks directly deposited into any accounts by a new employer. (Arrangements for direct deposit or paycheck should be made during your first day or week of actual employment on site – not before.)
Additional Red Flags to Assess Suspicious Employers and Job Postings
- Does this job promise a large salary for almost no work? Especially if you have little or none of the required experience? Does the posting focus more on the money you will make rather than the responsibilities of the job?
- Does this position offer you a large payment or reward in exchange for allowing the use of your bank account?
- Does the contact's email address match the company's website domain? (i.e. JohnSmith@gmail.com rather than JohnSmith@companyname.com)?
- Are there multiple misspellings in the job posting or email?
- Does this opportunity sound too good to be true?
- Read all information carefully. If the opportunity sounds too good to be true, it probably is! Just because a job lead appears in a legitimate publication, it does not mean that the job or company is, necessarily, legitimate. Forget getting rich quick.
Visit the company website.
- If the company in question doesn't have a website or the website does not seem to match the advertised job, there may be cause for concern.
- Note the professionalism of the web site. Is there specific contact information? Are jobs and career information actually posted on the site?
- Lack of pertinent information is a red flag.
Investigate the company's references.
- If you are not sure if a company is legitimate, request a list of other employees or contractors and then contact the references to see how satisfied they are.
- If a company is not willing to share references (names, email addresses and phone numbers), this is a red flag.
Poor Communication Skills
- Be careful when an employer cannot communicate accurately or effectively on the website, by email, over the telephone, etc. If communications are sloppy, how professional is the organization?
Exercise Extreme Caution When Asked to Pay Any Fees
Most legitimate employers will not charge to hire you! Don't send money for work-at-home directories, advice on getting hired, company information or anything else related to the job. There are some well-known internship programs that do require payment to place you in internships. Remember that Handshake and other databases can provide UD students with free help in locating internships.
- Do not give your personal bank account, PayPal account or credit card information to a new employer.
- Do not agree to have funds or paychecks directly deposited into any accounts by a new employer. (Arrangements for direct deposit or paycheck should be made during your first day or week of actual employment on site – not before.)
- Do not forward, transfer or send by courier (i.e. FedEx, UPS), or “wire” any money to any employer, for any employer, using your personal account(s). Do not obtain or forward any prepaid gift cards.
- Do not transfer money and retain a portion for payment.
- Do not respond to suspicious and/or “too good to be true” unsolicited job emails.
- In general, applicants do not pay a fee to obtain a job (but there are some rare exceptions – so be careful, and consult with a professional at the Career Center first).
Review Payment Information
- When information about salary is not listed on a job posting, try to find out if you will receive a salary or be paid on commission.
- Find out how much you will be paid, how often you will be paid and how you will be paid.
- If the company does not pay an hourly rate or a salary, be cautious and investigate further.
Follow these safety tips when going on an interview:
- Always ensure it is in a public place and that someone knows of your plans to interview and the location.
- If your instincts tell you it’s suspicious, it probably is.
- Do not feel pressured to give personally identifiable information in an application if you are not comfortable during an interview or during online/phone correspondence. Ask to take the document with you to complete and return so you have time to research the issue further.
You can check to see if a company is legitimate through various websites (some listed below).
If you contact the company directly, you can ask if the person actually works there. Don’t share personal information unless you are confident that the person and the company they work for are legitimate.
Visit the Federal Trade Commission for more examples and signs of a job scam.
Remember, if you are suspicious of a posting or email, end all communication with the employer and contact the UD Career Center via phone at 302-831-2392 or via email at udcareers@udel.edu.
- Please contact the University of Delaware Career Center via phone at 302-831-2392 or email udcareers@udel.edu, so the employer and posting can be investigated and appropriate action can be taken.
- You should immediately contact the local police. The police are responsible for conducting an investigation (regardless of whether the scam artist is local or in another state).
- If you have sent money to a fraudulent employer, you should contact your bank and/or credit card company immediately to close the account and dispute the charges.
- If the incident occurred completely over the internet, you should file an incident report with the United States Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission.
The UD Career Center is part of the Division of Student Life, which advances equity and inclusion, deepens student learning and drives holistic development through education, experiences and communities.
