Ethical Standards
Guide to Working with Employers: Legal and Ethical Standards
To help faculty understand the standards in student hiring as defined by employer law, the National Association of Colleges and Employers has prepared a Faculty Guide to Ethical and Legal Standards in Student Hiring. The information below is from this guide.
Candidate Referral
Employers may contact you to request the names of students who would be good candidates for job opportunities. Even though it may seem harmless to recommend students, there are potential legal and ethical guidelines to consider.
Suggested Action
If you receive a request for student referrals, you can, of course, notify students who have declared an interest in such positions and encourage them to apply. You may also consider announcing the opportunity to your classes or distributing the job description via a listserv. However, for your protection, as well as that of the university, the initial request from the employer should be sent to the Office of Career Development & Professional Engagement so that the position can be posted openly for all qualified candidates.
There are practical reasons for these actions:
- When you provide only a few names without also broadly publicizing the position through the Office of Career Development & Professional Engagement, you are not maintaining "a fair and equitable recruiting process" and are vulnerable to charges of discrimination.
- There is a difference between providing the names of students who excelled in a job-related class and restricting awareness of an opportunity to just a few. Every qualified candidate interested in the opportunity should be able to apply; it is the employer's responsibility to decide who would be the best fit for the qualifications of the opportunity.
- Students who receive regular announcements about job openings from faculty may think the announcements represent all of the current opportunities for their major. As a result, students may miss employers that conduct on-campus interviews, receive resume referrals, and post their positions to TribeCareers through the Office of Career Development & Professional Engagement.
Another key benefit of posting opportunities to TribeCareers is all postings undergo a rigorous vetting and approval process to help protect William & Mary students from fraudulent postings. We appreciate your assistance in assuring an employment process that is free from discrimination and providing equal opportunities for all qualified students.
