Second-Year Event Guidelines
Joint-Year or First-Year Event Guidelines
MBA Career Fair
Off-Campus Events
Event Blackout Periods
Informational Interviews
RSVPs
Pre-Interview Dinners & Sell Days

All members of organizations hosting multiple events through the CMC or through student clubs are asked to clearly convey to students that they are not asked or expected to attend all events to be considered for employment.

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Second-Year Event Guidelines

Recruiting activities exclusively for second-year students can begin on September 11, 2017.

• On-campus corporate presentation events exclusively for second-year students may take place on specific dates from September 11 to October 13, and again from October 24 to December 8, 2017. Events must be no more than 60 minutes long and event blackout periods apply.
• Off-campus presentations and events may be held on Thursday evenings after 7:30 p.m. or anytime on Fridays, beginning September 14, 2017.
• Company representatives may not meet with first-year students prior to September 25, 2017.
• Invitation-only events must be cleared through Mary Kagan to avoid conflicts with other firms in your industry.
• See blackout periods below.

Joint-Year or First-Year Event Guidelines

• No events involving first-year students may take place before September 25, 2017.
• Corporate presentations targeting both class years or only first-year students may be scheduled on specific dates from September 26 to October 13, and again from October 24 to December 8, 2017. Events must be no more than 60 minutes long and event blackout periods apply.
• International recruiters: Exams take place from October 17 to October 23, 2017. This is an event blackout period. However, there may be some flexibility for visiting international recruiters. You must discuss your specific situation with the CMC for any exceptions.
• Off-campus presentations and events including first-year students may be held on Thursday evenings after 7:30 p.m. beginning September 28, 2017, or anytime on Fridays beginning September 29, 2017.
• Off-campus invitation-only events may take place any evening after 6:30 p.m. between November 15 and December 6, 2017 (except during blackout periods). These events must be coordinated through Mary Kagan.
• Companies may request only one invitation-only event of any size during the off-campus evening event period.
• Educational/Content events must have a stated purpose in order to be booked on the calendar.
• See blackout periods below.

 

MBA Career Fair

The MBA Career Fair is for companies that are new to recruiting at Columbia Business School or have not generated a high number of attendees at past events. Additionally, companies that don’t typically participate in on-campus recruiting are invited to attend as well. The MBA Career Fair will be in lieu of a standalone corporate presentation and will allow companies to meet with a larger number of candidates earlier in the recruiting season.

The MBA Career Fair will be September 29 from 11:00a.m. - 2:00 p.m. ET. For more information, contact Mary Kagan.

Companies that do not recruit on campus, and instead recruit off campus in the spring, may wish to participate in the CMC’s spring networking event, usually held in late March.

Off-Campus Events

• Events held off campus, including dinners and cocktail receptions, may be scheduled only on Thursdays after 7:30 p.m. or on certain Fridays during the day until November 10, 2017. These events must be approved by the CMC so that event dates are not overbooked.
• Firms may plan one invitation-only off-campus evening event between November 15, 2017, and December 8, 2016, excluding blackout dates. These events will take place from 6:30–8:00 p.m. or 8:30–10:00 p.m. Submit your date/ time requests through COIN. Beginning in mid-June, we will assign dates/times in consultation with companies. Requests received after June 16, 2017, will be evaluated on a first-come, first-served basis.
• Day-in-the-life events should not exceed 120 minutes. Based on repeated feedback, candidates and companies find events that last longer to be counterproductive.
• The CMC encourages firms to hold off-campus events near campus whenever possible. A list of neighborhood venues is available upon request.
• The CMC cannot guarantee any conflict-free times for invitation-only events not scheduled through COIN. Every effort is made to avoid conflicts within industries and functions.
• See blackout periods below.

 

Event Blackout Periods

Recruiting events of any size planned through the CMC or with student clubs may not be held during exams. Event
blackout dates are as follows:

• Midterm exams June 26–June 29
• Independence Day holiday June 30–July 4
• Final exams August 9–14
• Labor Day holiday September 4
• Rosh Hashannah September 20–22
• Midterm exams October 17–23
• Election Day holiday November 3–7
• Thanksgiving holiday November 22–24
• Study Days/Final Exams December 11–22
• Midterm exams March 5–9
• Spring break March 12–16
• Final exams April 30–May 11

Informational Interviews

Feedback from corporate representatives, students, and faculty members indicates that student visits to corporate offices are best kept to a minimum.

Since repeated student visits to firms are disruptive to both classes and the workplace, companies are encouraged to streamline the informational-interview process and limit visits to each firm to one or two visits per student.

Please e-mail your company’s informational-interview policy to Cecilia Manzollilo before September 16, 2017, so the CMC can advise students and assist them in managing their schedules.

Best Practice: Announce your informational-interview policy at your firmwide event and inform the CMC to help publicize it.

RSVPs

RSVPs for events planned by the CMC may be captured in COIN. Be advised that all venues have capacity limits.
For catering purposes, it is advisable to reduce RSVP numbers by 25 percent.

By assisting companies with RSVPs, Columbia Business School and the Career Management Center take no responsibility for compliance with University, federal, state, or city laws including those involving venue capacity.

Pre-interview Dinners & Sell Days

Pre-interview dinners are generally not allowed. Exceptions may be made for companies outside the tri-state area. Please consult Mary Kagan or your account manager about your company's circumstances.

Sell Days should never conflict with academic commitments and are therefore best held on Fridays or Saturdays. Additionally, firms may not invite students to sell days or other post interview events until after offers are extended.