The Yale School of Management Career Development Office provides resources and support throughout the internship and full-time job search processes. Students are expected to take responsibility for their job searches and to represent the School well by acting professionally in all interactions. Professional conduct conveys the shared values of our community and benefits all students. The CDO is your partner in your job search; reach out as early as possible with questions or concerns as they arise.

All questions regarding student or employer recruiting policies should be directed to som.cdo@yale.edu.

CDO Resources

The CDO website (https://som.yale.edu/careers) provides industry and job-search resources, event information, recordings, and useful links. It is a dynamic site, so bookmark it and check back often.

CDO Coaching Appointments

Coaching appointments are made via the Career Management System (CMS). A student who needs to cancel an appointment must do so via CMS as far in advance as is feasible. For “just-in-time” needs, send a Slack message, call, or stop by the CDO.

CDO Programming

The CDO offers a series of in-person and virtual professional development programs throughout the year. Information about these offerings is listed in CMS and is updated regularly. For those sessions that require an RSVP, please promptly cancel your reservations if your plans change, so another student may attend in your place.

CDO Résumé DATABASE/Résumé Review Process

The CDO facilitates a résumé database through CMS for employers. To ensure consistency and ease of use by all potential Yale SOM employers, students are required to submit résumés written and formatted according to the SOM résumé template; résumés not meeting the SOM template format will be excluded from the Résumé Book. Participation in the résumé database is managed in CMS, and students must have their approved résumé in CMS by the initial deadline (to be announced) to participate.

The Recruiting Process

Employer Events and Interactions

Students will interact with employers throughout their experience at Yale SOM. Whether in educational or recruiting contexts, students are expected to represent themselves and the School well by conducting themselves professionally. Professional conduct includes only attending events to which students in your program were invited, coming prepared, asking relevant and appropriate questions during Q&A sessions, and appropriately managing attendance (“no showing,” arriving late, leaving early, using devices, etc., are examples of poor professional conduct). All of these expectations apply to both in-person and virtual engagements.

Class Attendance

Students may not miss class for interviews, recruiting events, or travel related to these or other recruiting activities. Employers may not require a student, as a condition of employment candidacy, to interview or attend an event at a time that conflicts with the student’s individual academic schedule. To avoid class conflicts, the CDO expects that all interviews take place outside of scheduled academic commitments. Contact the CDO (som.cdo@yale.edu) with any questions as you navigate scheduling.

Interviewing

Students are expected to act in good faith when applying to positions and interviewing. Upon verbal or written acceptance of an employment offer, a student is expected to cease interviewing with other employers and cancel all scheduled interviews. Sending a note of explanation/apology for canceling upcoming interviews is an expected professional courtesy and an important part of long-term relationship management.

• Students are not permitted to miss class for interviews. Students who have a complex interview scheduling conflict should contact or stop by the CDO for guidance.
• Students who have accepted an offer must cancel all upcoming interviews and inform the recruiting contact (cc’ing som.cdo@yale.edu).
• After accepting an offer, students complete the Employment Survey in CMS in a timely manner, thus removing themselves from the résumé database and consideration by other employers.

Making and Accepting Offers

Offer Timelines and Acceptance Policy (M.B.A. and M.A.M.)

Offer timelines, for both internship and full-time offers, should not preempt a student’s ability to participate in the on-campus recruiting process.

• We expect employers to keep full-time offers open in their fundamental terms for three weeks or until November 28, 2025 (whichever is later) without any material change to the offer. This includes offers through diversity initiatives and offers from summer internships/ previous employers.
• We expect summer internship offers to remain open in their fundamental terms for three weeks or until January 30, 2026 (whichever is later) without any material change to the offer. This includes offers through pre-M.B.A. and diversity initiatives.
• Yale SOM recognizes some non-M.B.A. recruiting processes have earlier timelines.
• Financial incentives encouraging acceptance before the deadline are permitted.

In general, SOM asks that students work with employers to identify mutually agreeable offer response deadlines. A student who feels that the amount of time permitted to make a decision is not reasonable should communicate to the employer how much time is required and why the time is needed. Students who would like to discuss how to approach a firm to negotiate more time or who are unable to secure a reasonable decision period should contact the CDO to discuss next steps.

After accepting an offer, students must complete the Employment Survey in CMS.

Reneging on an Employment Offer

Definition of a Renege

 “Reneging” means that a student has accepted an offer of employment—verbally or in writing—and subsequently turns down that offer for any reason. Acceptance of an offer should be made with the genuine intention to honor your commitment.

Yale SOM Policy on Reneges

We expect the highest degree of professionalism from all members of our community. Once you accept an offer, you must withdraw from consideration with all other employers you are pursuing, including any interviews you may have scheduled, with an explanation that you have accepted another offer.

If you are considering reneging on an offer, your first step needs to be speaking with the CDO. If reneging is in fact the path you take, how you do it matters. Reneges may cause significant harm to your professional reputation and severely damage the relationships shared by the Yale SOM community. What may seem like an individual choice, in fact, affects your classmates, alumni, and the overall reputation of Yale SOM.

Instances of reneging will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. All students are expected to be accountable for their actions and to take appropriate steps to address the situation with the affected employer.

Why Early Consultation Matters

It is critical that you reach out to the CDO in the early stages of the decision-making process. Reneging always has serious consequences, but the outcomes of a poorly handled decision to renege can be particularly damaging. The CDO can provide valuable input, including ideas and options that you may not have previously considered, which could result in a more positive outcome. In the event that you are considering reneging on an accepted offer, it is imperative that you meet with the CDO director or assistant dean before initiating any communication with the employer.

Professional Standards for Employers

Yale SOM holds all parties involved in the recruiting relationship to the highest professional standards. We take instances of unprofessional conduct by employers very seriously. Please bring any such cases to the attention of the CDO, including receipt of an “exploding offer,” rescindment of a previously extended employment offer, and any other egregious actions taken by an employer, so that we may address them appropriately. As with students verbally accepting an offer, we consider verbal offers by employers to be binding.

Student Privacy

Yale SOM recruiting partner access to Yale SOM student profile data is limited to a student’s default résumé and preferences in CMS. Information shared in one-on-one coaching sessions is kept confidential; only salient points may be shared internally with other CDO staff who might serve that student. The CDO does not recommend or endorse students, nor does it refer résumés to employers based on knowledge of or interactions with individual students. Employment data, including compensation information, reported by students is kept confidential and is only reported in aggregate.