Recruiting Policy and Disclaimer

Disclaimer

Kent State Career Exploration and Development is responsible for the supervision of the entire student employment program at the University including the development of off-campus employment opportunities for students.  Career Exploration and Development, in its provision of services to students, alumni, and off-campus employers makes no representations or guarantees regarding the opportunities listed on its website and is not responsible for the wages, safety, working conditions or other aspects of off-campus employment. It is the responsibility of students and alumni to take the necessary precautions when interviewing for and accepting part-time, full-time and/or internship positions. Applicants should never provide their Social Security numbers, birth dates, credit card numbers, bank account information or other private information when communicating with prospective employers or responding to employment opportunities online. 

In addition, Career Exploration and Development's website contains links to other sites as a convenience to our students and is not responsible for the content of these sites. The opinions and views associated with these linked sites are not necessarily those of Career Exploration and Development. 

Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO)

Career Exploration and Development and Kent State University adhere to EEO guidelines and offer employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, national origin, sexual orientation, disability, citizenship, or identity as a disabled veteran or veteran of the Vietnam era unless legally required. Furthermore, in good faith, Career Exploration and Development works only with those employers who subscribe to EEO guidelines.

Fair Labor Standards Act  

While unpaid internships are accepted in Handshake, we encourage you to review the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) with your human resources department and legal counsel to determine whether your internship is in compliance with federal law. Approval of these positions is not an indicator of legal compliance. The United States Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division provides Fact Sheet #71 to help you determine whether your internship complies with federal law. 

Employer Fee Payment and Event Cancellation/No Show Policy

Employer event registration fees must be paid prior to attending an event, or submitted immediately upon receipt of invoice within 30 days following the event. Fees are non-refundable for an organization cancelling within five business days prior to the event. Future event registration for an organization with an unpaid balance due to late cancellation or nonattendance will not be approved until full payment is received. Access to all other recruiting services will also be denied. 

Handshake Posting Policies 

Criteria for identifying appropriate employment opportunities for promotion through Handshake are detailed below.  All organizations, including entrepreneurial organizations must have progressed sufficiently in their business development process so that they can: 

  • Provide a company name; 
  • Business address that is easily identifiable as a place of business (no P.O. Box or personal residence); 
  • Corresponding website and email address; 
    • Organization website address that clearly relates to your organization and contains helpful information about your company for the potential applicant 
    • Website should not be in a pre-launch/beta phase nor contain "coming soon" language  
    • Social media websites (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, blogs, etc.) should not take the place of a company website 
  • Email addresses must be associated with your organization website domain (no Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail, etc.) 
  • Identify a key contact; 
  • Verify that they are not seeking potential partners or investors; 
  • Confirm that they have obtained the necessary business licenses and Tax ID’s as well as sufficient funding, including identifying their funding model and investors, if requested; 
  • Offer positions for pay, not just for equity. 
  • Provide clearly defined organization and position descriptions in Handshake. 

Those organizations who cannot meet these guidelines may contact Career Exploration and Development to discuss access to services. 

Third Party Recruiter Policy

The policy of Career Exploration and Development is to educate students, alumni, faculty, and staff regarding a wide variety of employment search strategies, including third party employment services. Individuals can then determine whether utilizing these services will be of benefit to them. Career Exploration and Development does not investigate, endorse, or recommend any third party employment services. 

  • Definition
    • According to NACE, the National Association of Colleges and Employers, third-party recruiters are defined as agencies, organizations, or individuals recruiting candidates for temporary, part-time or full-time employment opportunities other than for their own needs. This definition includes, but is not limited to, employment agencies, search firms, contract recruiters, and resume referral firms. (Note: Temporary agencies are not third-party recruiters. They are employers who pay individuals to perform work at a client organization.) 
  • Third-Party Recruiter Services
    • Third-party recruiters who are hiring for positions within their own organization may be granted on-campus recruiting privileges (excluding online resume search). 
    • Third-party recruiters who are hiring for positions outside their own organization may have positions posted provided they disclose the name of the clients they represent within the position descriptions. Career Exploration and Development reserves the right to verify this information. 
    • You may also contact Kent State's Office of Student Media for advertising through the daily, student-run newspaper (print and online), magazines, and TV and radio programs. 
  • Conditions
    • By participating in these services, organizations agree that they will adhere to EEO standards in all recruiting activities, that no fee will be charged to any candidate at any time, and that organizations will not disclose student information under any circumstances to other entities without the student's prior written consent. 

Teaching English Abroad Opportunities 

Organizations that recruit Kent State University students and graduates to teach English abroad must meet the following criteria: 

  • The organization must provide the Career Exploration and Development with at least two references from past participants in the program (we may not need this only if they are interested in getting credit). 
  • The program must be formally structured so that applicants understand the role the organization will play in arranging for their teaching opportunity and the support that will be provided when they are abroad. 
  • The organization must have a website which provides the following: 
    • Details of the program, including specific responsibilities of the applicant, how the organization works with applicants in securing teaching opportunities and arranging travel and housing, and support provided by the organization while the individual is abroad teaching. 
    • Application timeline and process 
    • Fees, if any, involved 
    • Certification requirements—indicate what teaching certifications are required, including: TEFL, TESOL 
    • Pay structure (which must also be included in the job posting) 
    • What health coverage, if any, is provided or how candidates would arrange for health coverage 
    • Safety and housing information 
    • Clear description of working and living conditions 
    • Support which the organization provides to teachers while they are abroad 

Marijuana and Cannabis Industries 

Due to the potential exposure of our students to federal prosecution by association, Kent State University will not approve postings by companies involved with the use, production, testing, or distribution of recreational or medical marijuana. 

Prohibited Employment Postings

  • All positions that would employ students for a private individual (i.e. babysitter, tutor, caretaker, etc.). 
  • Non-degreed student opportunities that are compensated only by commission, including independent contractor positions (i.e. that may require the individual to bear product expenses, be responsible for income taxes, and may not guarantee worker's compensation or unemployment insurance.) 
  • Kent State University has a stringent “no solicitation” policy for our campus. As such, Career Exploration and Development will not work to post positions for campus representatives or other positions where students are encouraged/required to market/sell items, programs or services to other campus entities. In the spirit of the Independent Contractor policy, we cannot work with companies who are hiring candidates to work as a secret shopper or mystery shopper, where candidates set their own schedules and operate independently. 
  • All positions that require a fee payment or investment prior to employment (i.e. entrepreneurial employers). Career Exploration and Development defines entrepreneurial employers as those organizations that require the employment seeker to make an initial financial investment or fee payment as a condition of employment. Entrepreneurial employers also include those organizations that provide financial incentives to staff who recruit new hires for the organization and for which the recruiting staff member receives a portion of the new hire's commission. Furthermore, entrepreneurial employers will not be provided access to either online or on-campus recruiting services through Kent State's Career Exploration and Development. 

General Policy

  • Career Exploration and Development adheres to the aforementioned policies and guidelines to ensure the quality of our services and reserves the right to modify these terms and conditions at any time. 
  • All decisions regarding recruiting services provided to companies or organizations are made at the sole discretion of Career Exploration and Development and Kent State University. We reserve the right to make exceptions to our policies for situations we deem to be acceptable and beneficial to our students, our department, or recruiters using our service. Such exceptions will be considered on a case by case basis, and do not constitute a change in policy, or a decision that this exception will be made again in the future. 
  • Career Exploration and Development reserves the right to remove postings or opportunities that do not comply with our policies or are otherwise determined to be misleading or fraudulently placed.