Rackham Doctoral Application Portal Graduate Student User Policies

Intern Fellowship Search Policies

Your behavior throughout your internship search reflects upon you as a candidate as well as the University of Michigan, so it is important to conduct the search professionally and with integrity. The Job Search Code of Ethics states the policy for use of the Rackham Doctoral Intern Fellowship Application Portal, powered by 12Twenty, our online recruiting system. The Internship Search Code of Ethics also defines expectations for applying to internships, participation in interviews, as well as acceptance of offers. The expectations within the Job Search Code of Ethics apply to all Rackham doctoral students.

User Eligibility

Employer contact information included in the Rackham Doctoral Intern Fellowship Application Portal, by 12Twenty, is provided for the use of University of Michigan Rackham doctoral students. Employer representatives expect that any correspondence (e.g., e-mail messages, and telephone inquiries) will only be from current Rackham doctoral student applicants who are eligible for the Rackham Doctoral Intern Fellowship. Maintain the confidentiality of your password and use caution and common sense when using the website.

Falsification of Data

Any falsification of information throughout the intern fellowship application process and/or within the Rackham Doctoral Intern Fellowship Application Portal, by 12Twenty account is inappropriate. Review your Rackham Doctoral Intern Fellowship Application Portal, by 12Twenty profile information, and resume for accuracy. Students who falsify information within an application, on their resume or other application materials, or within their Rackham Doctoral Intern Fellowship Application Portal, by 12Twenty profile will be removed from all current applications and will have their Rackham Doctoral Intern Fellowship Application Portal, by 12Twenty, account deactivated.

Interview Cancellation and No-Show

Interview appointments must be kept to maintain integrity and professional conduct. Interviewing on or off campus is a privilege granted to you by employers who have provided their staff, financial resources, and time to meet you. If you find that you must cancel an interview, then you are required to abide by the following Rackham policy.

Interview Cancellation

If the interview is more than three (3) business days away, you may cancel it by emailing the site partner and a Rackham Intern Fellowship staff member. If you need help canceling your interview, please contact a Rackham Intern Fellowship staff member immediately. Canceling an appointment three (3) business days or less before the interview date is considered a late cancellation. Late cancellations should only occur because of unforeseen circumstances such as a serious illness or death in the family.

Interview No-Show

Interview appointments must be kept to maintain integrity and professional conduct. Failing to attend a scheduled interview without notifying our office to cancel the interview is unprofessional and discourteous conduct. Individuals who do not show up for a scheduled interview may have their Rackham Doctoral Intern Fellowship Application Portal, by 12Twenty, account permanently deactivated.

Rackham asks that you send an apology letter within three days to the site partner that explains the circumstances that caused you to miss your interview and email a copy to a Rackham Intern Fellowship staff member. Failing to do so will result in your account being permanently deactivated.

Second Late Interview Cancellation or No-Show

A Late Cancellation or a No-Show for an interview is taken very seriously; therefore, the second violation of this policy will result in the suspension and possible permanent deactivation of your Rackham Doctoral Intern Fellowship Application Portal account. If a second violation occurs, Rackham asks that you send an apology letter within three days to the site partner that explains the circumstances that caused you to miss your interview, email a copy to a Rackham Intern Fellowship staff member, and meet with the Professional Development and Engagement Program Manager of their Rackham program.  Failing to do so will result in your account being permanently deactivated.

Offers and Acceptance of Employment

We strongly encourage students to inform a Rackham Intern Fellowship staff member of offers and acceptances of intern fellowships. Accepting an internship offer constitutes your commitment to follow through on the terms of the agreement. Once an offer has been accepted, discontinue interviews and cancel any remaining interviews in accordance with the cancellation policy stated within the Job Search Code of Ethics. Continuing the internship search after accepting an offer is an unethical practice.

Students should also make every effort to avoid reneging on accepted internship offers. Gather information, ask plenty of questions, anticipate other offers, determine your career goals and needs, meet with the Rackham career advisor, and request an extension on the deadline, all in an attempt to make an informed decision regarding the offer. Once that commitment is made, reneging on an accepted offer has a very negative impact. Because of this, before you retract a committed offer, you must contact Rackham Intern Fellowship staff member to set up a meeting. In this meeting, you will consider your options and also outline an apology letter to any affected employers. This letter will be forwarded to the site partner(s) with Rackham’s notification. Failure to contact a Rackham Intern Fellowship staff member with a retracted agreement risks your  Rackham Doctoral Intern Fellowship Application Portal, by 12Twenty account being revoked for a temporary amount of time, or possibly indefinitely.

Once a commitment is made, reneging on an offer has significant ramifications. It tarnishes your reputation and damages the reputation of the University of Michigan. Building a campus presence, identifying suitable candidates, and participating in recruiting activities are time-consuming and expensive undertakings for organizations. Employers incur financial expenses when a candidate reneges on an offer. In addition to financial expenses, retracted offers often present employers with timing challenges related to recruiting. At that point, the employer may be faced with a very short time span available for recruiting another student into the position and is also faced with a much smaller applicant pool to choose from. Due to all the challenges employers face as a result of retracted agreements, it is understandable why reneging on job offers negatively impacts your own reputation as well as that of all Rackham doctoral students.

Students should make every effort to avoid reneging on job offers. Take your offers seriously and plan to honor your commitments. Contact the Rackham Professional Development and Engagement team at [email protected] to discuss any questions regarding this policy.

Rackham Graduate School also provides employers with recommended Guidelines for Intern Fellows Offers.