Early Recruiting (OCI)

ELIGIBILITY for Full-Time OCI during Fall 2020

Students who will graduate in December 2020 or May 2021 are eligible to participate in OCI for full-time positions during the 2020-2021 recruiting season as long as they are currently enrolled in at least one unit (and have not participated in Full-time OCI before).

If you will be spending the fall 2020 semester on exchange at a partner institution and still wish to participate in OCI, please reference the Program Office Exchange Student FAQs for specific circumstances and requirements for fall OCI interviews and opportunities.

ELIGIBILITY for Internship OCI during Spring 2021 

Students who will graduate in December 2021 or May 2022 are eligible to participate in OCI for internship positions during the 2020-2021 recruiting season as long as they are currently enrolled in at least one unit (and have not participated in internship or full-time OCI before). Evening & Weekend MBAs must be unemployed prior to beginning an internship.

In order to participate in OCI, you must fulfill a set of requirements. The purpose of these requirements is to ensure consistency in the professional presentation and behavior of our students in the eyes of employers.

Evening & Weekend MBAs

We recommend you work with a coach to discuss your summer internship plans as there are many important considerations for working professionals. The OCI Primer will help get you started. As a reminder, Evening & Weekend MBAs must be unemployed prior to beginning an internship. In addition, participation in OCI cycles is a one-time opportunity for all students, and the cycles are to be completed in order of internship OCI then full-time OCI. Evening-Weekend students considering changing their graduation date to accommodate access to an OCI cycle should be aware that participation in a cycle is determined by application to OCI roles, irrespective of whether you received an invite to an interview. If you are unsure as to your eligibility, please email us to schedule a conversation with a member of our team.

The following standards were developed for the On-Campus Interviews program. However, it is important to note that policies around professionalism and offer acceptance also apply to your off-campus job search.

Preparation

Prepare carefully and thoroughly for all interviews and interactions with alumni and employers. Take advantage of the many resources for company information and interview preparation (e.g., mock interviews, CMG BEARS Resources, company web sites, library databases, current students and alumni contacts).

Attendance at Events

• Honoring your commitment to attend an event is important to the Haas brand, as well as your own brand. Take it seriously
• Always sign up on CMG BEARS for corporate presentations and chats you would like to attend. Note that signing up is a commitment to attend the entire event. We have had situations where employers were disappointed and frustrated that students signed up for their events and did not show up
• Signing up and not showing up for an event also blocks a fellow student from being able to attend – please notify CMG immediately if you can’t attend and can’t remove yourself from the event
• Companies use the attendance list as a way to interpret student interest. Student interest can become a factor when companies decide who to interview

Etiquette at Events

• Dress code for presentations and company chats are “business casual.” Dress code for interviews should match what you know of the company culture. Business formal (suits) are normal for all Investment Banking and Consulting roles. Business casual is usually appropriate for Tech/CPG roles unless otherwise specified by the company or Relationship Manager. If you are interviewing with a CPG company like Levi’s or Nike, it is usually recommended to wear their brand. If you are ever unsure what to wear, please reach out to the respective Relationship Manager.
• Remember to silence your cell phone, and do not take calls or check email or text messages during presentations
• Give all students a chance to ask questions.  Don’t dominate the time of a presenter by asking multiple or consecutive questions
• Demonstrate you are a confident, considerate team player by introducing other students around you to recruiters.  Again, do not overstay your welcome with a recruiter … they will notice

Timeliness

• Schedule your career management activities, including appointments, workshops, presentations, and interviews, during non-class times. MBA Career Management does not condone missing classes
• Keep a careful record of all your interview times and time changes. Please make it a habit to check email and CMG BEARS daily for updates and late breaking news
• “Haas time” does not apply to interviews, presentations, or networking events. Arrive at the event 10 minutes prior to your start time. Recruiters may decline to interview you if you are late.

Gratitude

• Alumni, employers, and those you network with are taking time out of their day to meet or interview you. Be sure to follow up promptly with a thank you note.

Interview Commitment

• We recognize that a student’s recruiting plans and priorities change throughout the OCI process. For that reason, after an application has been submitted, a student maintains the option to either accept or decline an interview invitation. There is a deadline for accepting/declining an invitation. It is your responsibility to respond to the invitation through CMG BEARS.
• Once the interview schedule has been finalized there will be no additional changes. Any changes to a finalized schedule will be considered a cancellation. It is important that you note the “Finalized Date” in CMG BEARS to know when the schedule will be finalized. See “Cancellations” for penalties
• Remember that missing or canceling an interview will prevent another interested student from interviewing

Cancellations

• Missing a scheduled interview can impact your career prospects as well as the employers’ relationship with Haas. This also applies to rescheduling an OCI interview. If you are unable to attend a scheduled interview, please contact MBArecruiting@haas.berkeley.edu for guidance before contacting the recruiter to reschedule

Guidelines if you find you are unable to attend an interview.

Canceling prior to the schedule is finalized

If you withdraw from an interview schedule prior to the time that it is finalized for the recruiter (as published in CMG BEARS), there is no penalty for canceling. However, as a courtesy we recommend that you send a note of apology to the recruiter.

Canceling after the schedule is finalized is not acceptable

A warning will be issued for the first offense and additional offenses will result in revocation of your OCI privileges for the duration of the academic term. Please make sure to make an appointment with a CMG Coach or Relationship Manager to talk through your reasons before you make a final decision.

Canceling due to accepting a job offer

Congratulations! Please make sure you report this in CMG BEARS and let us know right away, and we will remove you from any future interview schedules without penalty.

• Note: You may not cancel on short notice because you have received a job offer; you must have accepted and reported an offer in CMG BEARS in order to be removed from future interview schedules without penalty

Please make sure to make an appointment with a CMG Coach or Relationship Manager to talk through your reasons before you make a final decision. Once you have reported, please contact MBArecruiting@haas.berkeley.edu to ask to be removed from the schedule. Once CMG acknowledges this change, you will also want to email the recruiter to apologize and explain your reasons for removing yourself.

Responding to Job Offers

• MBA Career Management communicates the following guidelines to employers to give you time to consider/negotiate your offers:
  • Students who receive full-time offers from their summer internship employer have until November 17, 2020 or at least 15 business days from the written offer date, whichever is later, to respond
  • Students who receive full-time offers during Fall recruiting have until December 1, 2020 or at least 15 business days from the written offer date, whichever is later, to respond
  • Students who receive summer internship offers as a result of pre-MBA and diversity offsite conferences have until February 16, 2021 to respond
  • Students who receive summer internship offers during Spring recruiting have until February 16, 2021 or at least 15 business days from the written offer date, whichever is later, to respond
  • Students who receive just-in-time summer internship or full-time offers after March should ask for a written offer and at least five business days from the written offer to make a decision.
• If you have questions or concerns about an offer acceptance deadline, please contact that your MBA Career Management Relationship Manager
• As a courtesy to your fellow MBAs, do not hold more than three active offers at one time
• If you accept an offer of employment, please immediately report your offer in CMG BEARS under “Offer Reporting”. We will remove you from all pending interviews without penalty. Accepting an offer is a serious commitment

Fall 2020 OCI Process

Students who will graduate in December 2020 or May 2021 are eligible to participate in OCI for full-time positions during the 2020-2021 recruiting season as long as they are currently enrolled in at least one unit (and have not participated in Full-time OCI before).

We share our annual Recruiting Calendar with employers on our website; you may find it useful to get a recruiter-view of the OCI process.

Spring 2021 OCI Process

Students who will graduate in December 2021 or May 2022 are eligible to participate in OCI for internship positions during the 2019-2020 recruiting season as long as they are currently enrolled in at least one unit (and have not participated in internship OCI before). Evening & Weekend MBAs must be unemployed prior to beginning an internship.

We share our annual Recruiting Calendar with employers on our website; you may find it useful to get a recruiter-view of the OCI process.

International Students – you will need to work with the Program Office to obtain the relevant documentation needed by your summer employer. Because this is related to your status as a student it is not something that CMG can facilitate.