students talking on CMU-SV campus

Conducting an ethical internship or job search is key to your success as a student and future professional.

Staying honest and thoughtful throughout the process helps you build a strong reputation and reflects positively on both you and CMU.

Not sure about an offer?

Talk with your career consultant by scheduling a 1:1 appointment through Handshake before making a decision.

Ethical job search practices:

Be honest on your resume and online profiles.

Always be accurate and honest about your experiences, GPA, degree program, and anything else listed on your resume, Handshake, LinkedIn, and other application materials.


Stay professional in interviews and communications.

When you meet and correspond with employers, you’re representing yourself and CMU. Stay professional, be respectful, and share only truthful experiences.


Make informed decisions about job offers.

Choosing to accept or decline a job offer is a big decision, and it should be made carefully. Once you accept an offer (whether verbally or in writing), you’re expected to honor that commitment and follow through.


Once you accept a job offer, it’s important to stick with your decision.

Backing out after accepting an offer, also known as reneging, is considered unprofessional and can have serious consequences for both you and CMU.

Reneging can hurt your reputation and can damage relationships between CMU and employers. When a reneging situation is brought to the attention of the CMU-SV career services team, your go-to career consultant will set up a meeting with you to discuss the consequences. (See consequences for ethical job search policy violations below.)

Ethical search violations affect not only individual students but also the CMU community. The following steps are in place to address these situations fairly.

Consequences for ethical job search policy violations

  • If reneging occurs for an internship or job, the student will lose access to Handshake, including the ability to register for events and schedule appointments with their go-to career consultant for the rest of the current semester and next semester.
  • If reneging occurs a second time, the student will lose access to Handshake indefinitely.

Received an offer? Let’s talk about it.

Received an offer or unsure about next steps? Set up an appointment with your go-to career consultant on Handshake.

Other helpful resources: