Purdue University Northwest > Career Center > Services > Participation Agreement

Participation Agreement

Participation Agreement Regarding Use of Handshake and Career Center Services:

Student Participation Agreement and Missed Interview Policy

I agree to:

  • Accurate Information: Certify my job search documents to be truthful and accurate
  • Grant Access: Allow The Career Center to provide my job search documents to prospective employers
  • Honor Commitments: Keep all appointments that I’ve scheduled with employers and The Career Center Staff
  • Genuine Interest: Sign up for interviews with only employers with whom I’m interested in working
  • Professional Conduct: Accept an offer of employment in good faith and immediately notify employers of acceptance or non-acceptance of the offer. Withdraw from interviewing process and no longer pursue positions with other employers
  • Report Suspicious Inquiries: Understand that job seekers can be 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’re suspicious of such an organization, do not respond to them and please share details with us at thecareercenter@pnw.edu.
  • Consequences for Non-Compliance: Accept that failure to adhere to any point in this agreement may result in the removal of my interview privileges in the Center for Career Opportunities

The Career Center agrees to:

  • Provide Services: Assist you with your career decision-making and job search activities
  • Access of Information: Provide access to a range of career opportunities and types of employers
  • Non-Discrimination: Provide access and reasonable accommodations to prospective employers without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, age, gender, sexual orientation or disability
  • Protect Confidentiality: Exercise sound judgment and fairness in maintaining your confidentiality
  • Student Advocacy: Respond to employer EEO non-compliance concerns and unethical behavior. Follow-up with those posting suspicious vacancies, when possible, and consult with students and alumni affected by this dubious behavior

Participation Agreement: Missed Interview Policy 

On-campus Interviewing: Cancellation and Missed Interview Policy

If you must miss an interview, you are required to cancel it in advance. When you fail to cancel your interviews in a timely fashion or do not appear for your interviews, your actions reflect poorly on you as an individual and on the University as a whole. Not only do you inconvenience the employer, but you may also deprive another student of a valuable interview opportunity. These situations, if unchecked may also have more serious implications on the University’s relationships with employers overall.

Therefore, The Career Center treats these incidents very seriously and advises you to take special note of the following Cancellation and Missed Interview Policy.

Interview Cancellation Policy

  • Cancellations will NOT be accepted via email or voice mail.
  • Students must appear in person in SUL 349 (Hammond Campus) or LSF 104 (Hammond Campus) to complete notification paper work before an interview can be cancelled
  • Students are required to give three (3) business days or 72 hours’ notice to cancel an interview
  • Always investigate an alternate date with the employer before you cancel an interview
  • It is your responsibility to speak personally with the employer representative and explain why you will not be attending the interview. Be aware, however that the employer may still report you to The Career Center
  • If you cancel an appointment directly with an employer, remember to also contact The Career Center

Sudden Illness or Serious Personal Emergency on Interview Day

Students are expected to contact The Career Center at (219) 989-2600 prior to their interview time. Employers check-in between 8 and 8:30 AM and should be notified prior to that time

Employers typically are not in the office on weekends. Monday appointments should be cancelled no later than Friday morning.

If you miss an interview:

  • Your Pride Career Network (Handshake) account, and all other online career services platforms offered by the Career Center including access to MyCCO accounts will be locked
  • You will receive an e-mail from The Career Center with instructions to come to SUL 349 (Hammond) or LSF 144 (Westville Campus) immediately to resolve this matter
  • You will be required to meet with a walk-in counselor and discuss the reason you missed the business appointment to which you committed
  • The discussion and your reason for missing the interview will determine whether or not your file will be reactivated and if you will have the opportunity access career services in the future

Avoid Fraudulent Job Postings

Be Aware of Job Postings Scams

While you’re working hard to make sure you land that perfect job, be aware that the perfect job may not be so perfect. Con artists and scammers post fraudulent jobs that sometimes are difficult to spot at first. Keep reading to learn some tips on what should raise a red flag and how to protect yourself if you think you may have applied for a fraudulent job.

Fraud Posting Red Flags

Although the staff in The Career Center reviews job and internship postings to determine legitimacy, we want to make sure you are aware of these signs that are red flags that a job or internship posting is fraudulent:

  • The job posting asks you to provide your credit card, bank account numbers, or other personal financial documentation.
  • The posting appears to be from a reputable, familiar company (often a Fortune 500), or even a well-known local establishment. Yet, the domain in the contact’s email address does not match the domain used by representatives of the company (this is typically easy to determine from the company’s website). Another way to validate is to check the open positions on the company’s website.
  • The contact email address contains the domain @live.com, @hotmail, @yahoo, @gmail, etc.
  • The position requires an initial investment, such as a payment by wire service or courier.
  • The posting includes many spelling and grammatical errors.
  • You are offered a large payment or reward in exchange for allowing the use of your bank account (often for depositing checks or transferring money).
  • You receive an unexpectedly large check (checks are typically slightly less than $500, generally sent or deposited on Fridays).
  • You are asked to provide a photo of yourself.
  • The position is for any of the following: Envelope Stuffers, Home-based Assembly Jobs, Online Surveys.
  • The posting neglects to mention what the responsibilities of the job actually are. Instead, the description focuses on the amount of money to be made.
  • The employer responds to you immediately after you submit your resume. Typically, resumes sent to an employer are reviewed by multiple individuals, or not viewed until the posting has closed. Note – this does not include an auto-response you may receive from the employer once you have sent your resume.
  • The position indicates a “first year compensation” that is in high excess to the average compensation for that position type.
  • Look at the company’s website. Does it have an index that tells you what the site is about; or does it contain information only about the job you are interested in? Scammers often create quick, basic web pages that seem legit at first glance.
  • Watch for anonymity. If it is difficult to find an address, actual contact, company name, etc. – this is cause to proceed with caution. Fraud postings are illegal, so scammers will try to keep themselves well-hidden.
  • The salary range listed is very wide (i.e. “employees can earn from $40K – $80K the first year!”)
  • When you Google the company name and the word “scam” (i.e. Acme Company Scam), the results show several scam reports concerning this company. Another source for scam reports is: http://www.ripoffreport.com.
  • Google the employer’s phone number, fax number and/or email address. If it does not appear connected to an actual business organization, this is a red flag. The employer contacts you by phone, however there is no way to call them back. The number is not available.
  • Google Map the physical address of the organization. If the “street view” image does not appear to be a business operation, then it is more than likely a scam.
  • The employer tells you that they do not have an office set-up in your area, and will need you to help them get it up and running (these postings often include a request for your banking information, supposedly to help the employer make transactions).
  • For more information on Fraudulent Jobs or Job Scams, please review the Federal Trade Commission’s Consumer Information site at www.consumer.ftc.gov/features/scam-alerts
  • FBI Public Service Announcement from January 18, 2017 warning of internet based employment scams on college students.

What if You are Already Involved in a Scam?

We called the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and received the following instructions for schools to share with students who have responded to fraudulent postings.

  • The student should immediately contact the Campus Police (219-989-2220) The campus police are responsible for conducting an investigation (regardless of whether the scam artist is local or in another state).
  • Please contact The Career Center too. Although we make every effort to review postings before they go live to our campus community, we want to be informed of illegal activity related to postings so that there will not be other victims.
  • In addition to the above instructions, if it is a situation where the student has sent money to a fraud employer: the student should contact their bank or credit card company immediately to close the account and dispute the charges If the incident occurred completely over the Internet, the student should file an incident report with the: http://www.cybercrime.gov/, or by calling the FTC at: 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357).