Full-Time Recruiting Policies | Columbia Business School

Job Descriptions

Upload job descriptions in COIN before your corporate presentation in the fall or one month before the position's application deadline, at the latest.

Best Practice: Upload job descriptions to COIN as early as possible before your company presentation and be very detailed regarding the position’s function, requirements, location, and work authorization to ensure that you receive the most prepared candidates. If job descriptions are uploaded late (less than one month prior to the application deadline) or are ambiguous, companies may be disappointed in application numbers.

Application Due Dates

Applications must be solicited through COIN for all positions companies will recruit for on campus. Companies may require additional means of application if they wish; this information may also be communicated to candidates through COIN.

Application deadlines generally default to 9 a.m. ET approximately two weeks before the invitation-list due date for companies interviewing on campus or for interviews managed by the CMC.

Interview Policies

Firms may conduct a full-time interview with a Columbia Business School Class of 2026 student, at their earliest convenience, provided the allotted time does not conflict with a student’s academic commitments.

Interviews taking place on campus begin Tuesday, September 2, 2025.
Unless noted, full-time interviews may be at any mutually agreeable day/time that does not conflict with class (options must be provided).
Recruiters must advise the CMC of plans to hold first-round interviews to avoid significant recruiting conflicts. This notice must include the number of candidates to be seen and the expected duration of interviews.
Companies should offer an alternate date and time for second-round interviews for students with scheduling conflicts.
Interviews may not take place during blackout dates.
Companies choosing to interview students on Friday evenings or weekends must be prepared to accommodate students who request an alternate day for religious reasons.
Companies should update candidates of their status within two weeks of interviews taking place.

Interview Blackout Periods

Students should not be asked to interview during exam and blackout periods. There are also event blackout dates to keep in mind when planning your recruiting schedule:

Rosh Hashanah September 23-24
Yom Kippur October 2
Exams October 13-17
Fall Break November 3-4
Thanksgiving November 26–28
Exams/Winter Break December 8-Jan 3
Martin Luther King Jr. Day January 19
Exams and Spring Break March 9-20
Final Exams May 4-8
Commencement May 20

Offers for Full-Time Positions

Full-time offers, including those to summer interns, must be held open for at least three weeks from the date of the written offer, and the CMC encourages employers to be flexible about extending this deadline so that students can make a well-considered decision on offers. Offers extended on or after February 13, 2026, must remain open for at least 7 calendar days from receipt of written offer.
The fundamental terms of an offer must remain unchanged until the expiration date, although incentives encouraging students to commit before the deadline are permitted, so long as incentives are small relative to the overall value of the offer and the incentive is aligned with the spirit of the recruiting process (e.g. group-specific offers which may convert to generalist offers).
Companies should not make conditional offers or ask questions implying a conditional offer—for example, “If we made you an offer, would you accept it?” Student feedback indicates that this makes firms appear desperate and lacking confidence in the recruiting process. Furthermore, conditional offers do not allow students time to consider their options.
Hiring organizations should inform students of their status and/or timeline for decisions within two weeks of their interviews, regardless of outcome.
The rescinding of a verbal or written job offer, unless done under extenuating circumstances such as unforeseen business conditions or egregious student behavior, is a very serious violation of Columbia Business School recruiting policy and will be handled accordingly. Delayed start dates of an extended period may be considered rescinded offers as well. Sanctions against firms in violation of this policy will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Any organization considering rescinding an offer or delaying a start date should first contact the Career Management Center at [email protected]
Students who accept offers verbally or in writing and then renege on that commitment have violated recruiting policy and the Columbia Business School Honor Code. Sanctions will be considered on a case-by-case basis and will include disciplinary action, which may result in the suspension of recruiting privileges and/or a requirement to appear before the Dean’s Disciplinary Committee.

View the Internship Offer Policies.

Pre-interview Dinners and Sell Days

Pre-interview events the night before interviews are generally not allowed. Exceptions may be made for companies traveling from outside the New York tri-state area. Please consult your firm’s account manager about your company’s circumstances.