Code of Ethics

Introduction
Professional Standards for Students and Alumni
Professional Standards for Recruiters
 

1. Introduction

We believe that establishing guidelines to promote fair and ethical behaviour throughout the recruitment process is in the best interest of our students/alumni and of our recruiting partners. Complying with these guidelines will reinforce the professional reputation and high standards associated with HEC Montréal in the national and international marketplace. Accordingly, the Career Management Services makes its services available to students/alumni and recruiting organizations whose behaviours and practices are consistent with the following policies. When registering with the Career Management Services Web site, you acknowledge and accept the following Code of Ethics.
 

1.1 Career Management Services Policies

1.1.1 HEC Montréal does not guarantee job placement to students upon graduation.  However, the Career Management Services provides several tools and services to help students conduct their own successful job search.

1.1.2 The Career Management Services does not disseminate personal information regarding students/alumni without their authorization. Such restricted information includes grades, test results and photos.

1.1.3 The Career Management Services will not be held liable for false information or misrepresentation provided by students/alumni or interviewers during the recruitment process, either by way of a candidate’s résumé, a job posting or during the interview process.

1.1.4 The Career Management Services will not use words, phrases and actions that could be understood to manifest bias or prejudice based on race, national origin, gender, religion, sexual orientation or other personal abilities, characteristics or beliefs. All students, alumni, employers and visitors will be treated in a professional and courteous manner.

1.1.5 The Directory of Recruiters registered with Career Management Services may not be reproduced, stored or transmitted, in whole or in part, by electronic or mechanical means. Any use of this directory for commercial, advertising, research or other purposes is strictly prohibited.

2. Professional standards for students and alumni

2.1 Preamble

2.1.1 All students/alumni are responsible to adhere to the professional standards and conduct their job search in an ethical fashion at all times. When in doubt, a candidate should seek the assistance of a Counsellor from the Career Management Services to ensure that their choices are consistent with these standards before a decision is made.

2.1.2  Any alleged breach of these standards may lead to a suspension of recruiting privileges for a student/alumni, and a timely review of the situation by the Management of the Career Management Services. When it is determined that there has been an intentional breach of these standards, Management will have the authority to impose appropriate sanctions, including the permanent suspension of future recruiting privileges for the student/alumni. Management's decision shall be conveyed in writing to the candidate and shall be considered final.

2.2 Accuracy of Information

2.2.1 All information submitted to the Career Management Services or directly to an employer must be accurate for ethics and integrity purposes.  Also, many employers verify information submitted by job applicants. 

2.3 Interview Cancellation

2.3.1 Cancellations are prohibited without sufficient notice provided to both the employer and the Career Management Services. If  circumstances result in cancelling an interview, a reasonable notice is required to both the employer and the Career Management Services. This notice shall be provided at least 24 hours prior to the interview.

2.4 Late Arrival to Interviews

2.4.1 If a candidate is late for an interview, it is up to the employer to decide if the interview with the candidate will still be conducted.

2.5 No Show

2.5.1 Failure to honour an interview appointment is considered by all parties to be a serious breach of courtesy and ethics. A letter of apology must be submitted to the employer, with a copy to the Career Management Services, within 24 hours. 

2.6 Interview Behaviour

2.6.1 Companies are expanding considerable resources to recruit qualified and interested candidates. Therefore, candidates are expected to accept interviews only when genuinely interested in the positions for which the organization is interviewing. Treating interviews as practice is unfair to students/alumni who truly want the position and it is an inconsiderate use of a recruiter’s time. 

2.6.2 In general, recruiters expect candidates to make an earnest effort to learn about the company prior to their interview. Failure to do so demonstrates the candidate's lack of interest and reflects poorly on HEC Montréal students.

2.7 Offer Acceptance

2.7.1 Recruiters are required to notify a student in writing of the major elements of a job offer, including a start date or a range of dates to avoid any misunderstandings. We ask students to notify companies of their decision as soon as possible since their acceptance has implications for the employer’s business.

2.7.2 Candidates must honour the acceptance of any written job offer as if it was a contractual agreement with the employer. It is unethical to continue interviewing after accepting an offer, or to renege on an accepted offer. When you accept an offer, all previously scheduled interviews must be cancelled.

2.7.3 When cancelling an interview due the acceptance of an offer, the prospective employer conducting the interview shall be notified either by the candidate or the Career Management Services as soon as possible.

2.7.4 Withdrawing your acceptance of an offer is a serious issue. If a student expresses concern with his or her employment decision, he should seek the assistance of a counsellor from the Career Management Services. We may be able to help the student think through the issues.

2.8 Ethics

2.8.1 Students/alumni shall at all times conduct themselves with courtesy, honesty and good faith.  No matter the circumstance, no students/alumni shall accept any money, bribe or other consideration that would go against this Code of Ethics and tarnish the reputation of the Career Management Services and therefore, HEC Montréal.

2.8.2 All members of the Career Management Services staff will be treated in a professional and courteous manner.

2.8.3 Candidates are expected to adhere to common rules of courtesy when attending company-organized events. If a student signs up to attend an event, he is expected to attend, be on time and act with courtesy. 

2.8.4 Engaging in any unprofessional conduct, which intentionally seeks to defame other HEC Montréal students/alumni, disqualify them or otherwise harm their job prospects, will automatically lead to a suspension of recruiting privileges. 

2.8.5 Candidates who experience unprofessional or unethical recruiting practices with a company are requested to notify their Counsellor at the Career Management Services of the situation immediately so appropriate action can be taken with that company. 

2.8.6 All students/alumni shall ensure that they do not adopt any method of obtaining a job that will reflect poorly on the public image of the Career Management Services or HEC Montréal.
2.9 Confidentiality of Job postings on the Career Management Services Web site

2.9.1 The Career Management Services maintains a confidential Web site where all positions available to HEC Montréal students/alumni are posted. In order to maintain the confidentiality of this site, applicants are required not to disclose or share job offers with non-participating candidates.

3. Professional standards for recruiters

3.1 Preamble

3.1.1 It is our experience that the vast majority of employers operate ethically. However, some inaccurately believe that in the competitive job market, it is justifiable behaviour for a recruiter to do whatever it takes to hire the best candidate. 

3.1.2 All recruiters are expected to conduct themselves at all times in a manner that promotes respect for the law and inspires candidate confidence in the fairness, impartiality and professionalism of their duties as prospective employers.

3.1.3 Professional search firms are allowed to post jobs for both students and alumni. The postings must be for legitimate openings and not an attempt to accumulate résumés for future use. Under request from the Career Management Services, search firms must also identify their client (the company).

3.1.4 Any alleged breach of these standards may lead to a suspension of recruiting privileges for a company, and a timely review of the situation by the Management of the Career Management Services. When it is determined that there has been an intentional breach of these standards, Management will have the authority to impose appropriate sanctions, including the permanent suspension of future recruiting privileges for the company. Management's decision shall be conveyed in writing to the company and shall be considered final.

3.1.5 Companies excluded – We do not accept the participation in recruiting activities of companies with sexual, religious or political undertones, or any other company whose activities lead to controversy and to which it would be inconscionable to associate the names of HEC Montréal and Université de Montréal.  For example:  dating services, multi-level sales, war games, tarot, numerology, astrology, personal development classes, pawnbrokers, etc.

3.2 Participation in on-campus recruiting activities

3.2.1 While participating in HEC Montréal on-campus recruiting activities (i.e. Career Day, Job Fair, Conferences, etc.) recruiters shall not seek representatives from another participating company for recruitment purposes.

3.3 Interview Process

3.3.1 Recruiters shall not ask questions during the interview that could construed by a candidate as being unethical, illegal or in violation of personal privacy. Such questions include inquiries as to age, marital status, and religious preference.

3.3.2 Recruiters shall not ask candidates to evaluate the skills or appropriateness of a fellow student or alumni for employment.

3.3.3 If a candidate fails to appear for a scheduled interview, the Career Management Services must be notified by the recruiter as soon as possible. We reserve the right to revoke a student’s recruiting privileges in the event that the student misses interviews with no extenuating circumstances.

3.4 Job Offers

3.4.1 Recruiters must give candidates a minimum one-week deadline to respond to a job offer. Undue pressure often results in candidates making premature decisions, often not in their or their prospective employer’s best interests.

3.4.2 To avoid any misunderstanding, the company must notify a student in writing of the major elements of a job offer, including a start date or a range of dates. We ask students to notify companies of their decision as soon as possible since their acceptance has on company business.

3.4.3 Under no circumstances shall a firm encourage a candidate to renege on a previously accepted job offer from another company. 

3.4.4 If a firm must withdraw an offer made to a candidate for any reason, the recruiting contact should notify the Career Management Services as soon as possible. This is a serious matter that can do irreparable harm to a company's reputation on campus and may lead to a loss of recruiting privileges at HEC Montréal. Withdrawing a job offer, whether verbal or written, violates HEC Montréal's Code of Ethics.

3.4.5 In Quebec, regulations have been adopted under the Charter of the French language. For example, one requirement is that job postings be published in French. These regulations are available on the Office québécois de la langue française website at: www.oqlf.gouv.qc.ca/english/charter/index.html

3.5  Unpaid work

3.5.1 In our experience, the vast majority of employers agree that all work done by a student has value for the organization.  However, some mistakenly believe that since some students are ready to accept an unpaid job to get experience to integrate the work force, it is justifiable for them not to offer compensation.  

3.5.2 Normally, compensation in the form of a salary, bursary or other form of incentives (allowances) must be given to a student for the work accomplished.  This compensation shall be in the form of an agreement between the student and the organization offering the internship.

3.5.3 To prevent abuses, unpaid job offers by any employer will not be posted by Career Management Services, for all types of employment except for credited internships and supervised field projects.

3.5.4 From time to time, unpaid internships and supervised field projects will be posted provided the work description is approved by the Program administration and that the student is given course credits for the internship and/or supervised field project. Usually, these internships and/or supervised field projects are done for non-profit organizations and enable foreign students to get initial experience on the Canadian work force.