Recruiting Policies

Policy Name: University of South Florida Tampa Campus Jobs Board and Recruitment Guidelines for Employers
Contact Information:
813-974-2171  |  FL Relay 711  |  careers.usf.edu

The following guidelines apply to all employers offering full-time, part-time, and internship opportunities for University of South Florida Tampa (USF) campus students and alumni.

To recruit students for employment, employers must abide by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) Principles for Professional Practice and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) guidelines: Employer/Prohibited Practices and Overview.

We recommend that employers be familiar with NACE and EEOC standards prior to registering to recruit at the USF.

Requirements to recruit at USF through the jobs board, Handshake, and/or participate in USF Center for Career & Professional Development recruitment activities are as follows:

General Recruitment Requirements

• USFCenter for Career & Professional Development staff will approve employers and job postings on Handshake based on USF degrees and certifications.
  • Positions must be with established companies.
  • Business licenses may be requested as part of the review process.
  • Companies based outside the United States that do not have operational offices in the United States will not be approved to recruit at USF.
  • All Positions must comply with federal and state affirmative action and equal employment opportunity regulations (outlined by EEOC).
• Employers must provide the following information to post a job vacancy:
  • organization name, contact information, organization description (products or services provided), organization website
  • job description, compensation, qualifications
• Full disclosure to USF Center for Career & Professional Development and students is required.
  • Organizations unable to provide adequate information about their services and/or specifics about their job opportunity will not be approved to recruit at USF.
  • Positions with organizations unable to provide adequate information about their services and/or specifics about their job opportunity will not be posted.
• Experiential learning opportunities (i.e. internships and Co-ops) may be required for students in many of our programs. We encourage employers to post opportunities that offer career goal alignment with our degree programs. If you are posting an internship/Co-op position, please identify if it is paid or unpaid.
  • All unpaid internships, Co-ops, or other experiential learning opportunities will be reviewed and approved on an individual/case-by-case basis. Please note: employers or job postings that fall under any of the “Restrictions” section below will not be approved.
  • All internships and Co-ops are subject to additional approval by our Internship and Co-op staff.
• Employers must provide information on students hired through Handshake and/or recruitment activities: including names, rates of pay, hours worked per week, and beginning dates (as requested).
  • Reporting procedures will be explained by USF Center for Career & Professional Development staff after Handshake registration is completed and approved.
• USF Center for Career & Professional Development reserves the right to deny job posting privileges uncontested and at any time.

Student Pay Requirements

• Full-time, part-time, and internship openings must pay at least a minimum hourly wage as mandated by law.
• Hourly and/or salary wages must be clearly stated and the commission-base structure, if applicable, must be fully explained in the posting.
  • Base salary plus commission positions will be reviewed and considered on an individual/case-by-case basis.
  • Commission-only positions will be denied for posting.
• The following is strictly prohibited:
  • Requirement to pay a fee to participate in a work experience or for training.
  • Direct marketing opportunities that require the purchase of or reimbursement of payment for equipment.
  • Requirement to purchase or rent any type of sales kit or presentation supplies (example: multilevel marketing supplies, presentation sample kit, etc).
  • The initial start-up/out-of-pocket expense (commission only) incurred and not reimbursed.

Restrictions

The following employers and/or employment opportunities are strictly prohibited, unless noted, from posting on Handshake and/or participation in USF Center for Career & Professional Development recruitment activities:

Healthcare or Child-care Positions

• In-home opportunities are strictly prohibited
  • Child-care
  • Personal caregiving
  • Healthcare
• Child-care providers must post their state approved license number on their Handshake profile and on their job posting. The accreditation process required by the NAEYC (National Association for the Education of Young Children) is a benchmark of quality.

Remote-based positions

• Remote-based positions allow students to perform the expected work duties from within their own home, at a co-working space, in a coffee shop, etc. The student cannot work from within their prospective employer’s home at any point.
• We require transparency in order to protect the health and safety of our students in the recruitment of remote-based positions. Employers must disclose to USF and the students that the working location is remote on their Handshake profile and/or on their job posting.

Third Party Recruitment

• Third Party Recruiters must be representing specific employers who have contracted with them and must disclose to USF the names of the represented employers on their Handshake profile and/or on their job posting.
  • Third Party Recruiters may only disclose student information for the open and advertised position. Any other disclosure of student information must have the written consent of the student.
• Additional prohibited activities are outlined in the “General Recruitment Requirements” and “Student Pay Requirements” area above.

Sales Organizations

• Sales organizations and opportunities described below are strictly prohibited:
  • Multi-Level Marketing Sales and Marketing where the sales force is compensated for personal sales and also multiple levels of compensation that may be generated through other salespeople they recruited.
  • On-campus solicitation, sales, or posting of materials, products or services is strictly prohibited.
  • The sale of items that may be considered a health risk to the consumer (i.e. electronic cigarettes, tobacco items, firearms, etc.)
  • Inside and outside (door-to-door) direct marketing sales
  • Time-share sales
• Telemarketing Organizations/Companies are required to provide a complete description of the positions and the salary structure. Review regulations above about commission sales and other type of regulated salary structure. Positions not clearly stating job responsibilities/duties, salary and other responsibilities will be denied.
• Additional prohibited activities are outlined in the “General Recruitment Requirements” and “Student Pay Requirements” area above.

Educational Organizations

• Competitive educational institutions of higher learning whose programs, certificate and degrees are in direct competition with those offered by USF will not be permitted to post their competitive positions.
• Tutoring service providers are required to be registered with the Florida Department of Education as Supplemental Educational Services Providers and provide registration certification information on their Handshake profile.
  • To protect and safeguard our students, in-home tutoring organizations that require individuals to travel to independent households will be denied access to our college job board.
• Language Schools Services: To protect and safeguard our students, in-home language school services organizations that require individuals to travel to independent households will be denied access to our college job board.

Recruitment is also restricted for the following:

• independent contractor (1099)
• investment/security organizations
• franchise
• third-party debt collectors
• distribution opportunities
• sale of merchandise (on and off campus), services or products
• polling or surveying of students
• fundraising or petition drives
• recruitment of students for educational programs and/or training outside of USF

University of South Florida Center for Career & Professional Development offers On-Campus Interviews as a service to students/alumni to support them in their efforts to obtain employment. Any eligible student/alumni and employer may participate in the On-Campus Interview process. The Center for Career & Professional Development, using due diligence, ensures to the best of its ability that student/alumni resumes are actual accounts of the candidates’ qualifications and that employers adhere to ethical and legal recruitment standards and principles. 

Right to Refuse

The Center for Career & Professional Development reserves the right to refuse the on-campus interview service to any student/alumni, hiring organization and/or individual recruiter.

Policy

• Only direct hiring organizations, seeking candidates for internships, Cooperative Education, and full-time employment (requiring a degree) may conduct scheduled on-campus interviews.
• Career Services does not establish the hiring qualifications for the hiring organization.
• Employers must adhere to equal employment opportunity laws and principles for employment professionals as outlined in the National Association of College & Employers’ Principles for Professional Conduct for the Center for Career & Professional Development and Employment Professionals.
• Employers may choose a Center for Career & Professional Development Managed (Pre-select and/or Open) and/or an Employer Managed schedule.
• Center for Career & Professional Development, through Handshake, will allow only those candidates with matching qualifications to apply for and schedule an on-campus interview with the hiring organization.
• On-campus interviews are conducted in the Center for Career & Professional Development office, 8:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m., Monday – Friday, except for official University holidays or when otherwise noted on the Room Reservation Calendar in Handshake.
• Employers may schedule the interview time that best complements their interview process.
• The Center for Career & Professional Development reserves the right to refuse any direct hiring organization from participation in on-campus interviews.
• Employers having any “up front” fees, training or product purchases must disclose this in the job description prior to the interview.
• Employers must note if the position for which they are hiring is unpaid and optional for credit in the job description, prior to the interview. 
• Employers conducting virtual interviews must adhere to the same “On-Campus Interview Policy.”

The University of South Florida Center for Career & Professional Development works with selected Third-Party Employment Services (TPES), doing business as a direct employer or as a contractor with the direct hiring employer, to provide students access to their employment opportunities. Since the Center for Career & Professional Development can neither research nor endorse TPES agencies, guidelines have been established for the protection of students and alumni. The Center for Career & Professional Development, using due diligence, ensures to the best of its ability that third-party employers participating in recruitment are operating as an employer as well as adhering to NACE, state, and federal ethical and legal recruitment standards and principles.

Right to Refuse

The Center for Career & Professional Development reserves the right to deny access and participation to any third party employer.

Definition of Third-Party Employer

Third-party employers are agencies, organizations, or individuals recruiting candidates for temporary, part-time, or full-time employment opportunities other than for their own needs. This includes entities that refer or recruit for-profit or not-for-profit, and it includes agencies that collect student information to be disclosed to employers for purposes of recruitment and employment.

Third Party: As Referral Agents

• Employment Agencies – Organizations that list positions for a number of client organizations and receive payment when a referred candidate is hired. The fee for listing a position is paid either by the firm listing the opening (fee paid) or by the candidate who is hired.
  
• Search Firms – Organizations that contract with clients to find and screen qualified persons to fill specific positions. The fees for this service are paid by the clients.
  
• Contract Recruiter – Organizations that contract with an employer to act as the employer’s agent in the recruiting and employment function.
  
• Online Job Posting or Resume Referral Services – For-profit or commercial organizations that collect data on job seekers and display job opportunities to which job seekers may apply. The data collected on job seekers are sent to prospective employers. Fees for using the services may exist for the employer, school, or job seeker.

Third Party: As Employers

In most cases, temporary agencies, staffing services, outsourcing contractors, or leasing firms will be treated as employers. However, should these firms recruit individuals to be employees of another organization, then the third-party professional conduct principles shall apply.

Temporary Agencies or Staffing Services – Temporary agencies or staffing services are employers, not third-party recruiters, and will be expected to comply with the professional conduct principles set forth for employer professionals. These are organizations that contract to provide individuals qualified to perform specific tasks or complete specific projects for a client organization. Individuals perform work at the client organization, but are employed and paid by the agency.

Outsourcing Contractors or Leasing Agencies – Outsourcing contractors or leasing agencies are employers, not third-party recruiters, and will be expected to comply with the professional conduct principles set forth for employer professionals. These are organizations that contract with client organizations to provide a specific functional area that the organization no longer desires to perform, such as accounting, technology services, human resources, cafeteria services, etc. Individuals hired by the outsourcing or leasing firm are paid and supervised by the firm, even though they work on the client organization’s premises.

Policy 

Eligibility:

• Any TPES that is not defined as an employer (see definition above) is not eligible to use Center for Career & Professional Development recruitment services. 
• TPES that charge a fee to the candidate will make them ineligible to use any recruitment service
• Any TPES agency that is recruiting to fill their own agency position is considered a direct employer and will have the same access to recruitment services as any other direct hiring employer.
• Any TPES that is the direct hiring party (temporary or staffing service) or contracted to work as or provide a service to the direct hiring party (outsourcing contractors or leasing agents) is eligible to use all Center for Career & Professional Development recruitment services.
• Before any TPES may advertise a position for one of their clients they must identify the employer client to Center for Career & Professional Development. The name of the employer client must be listed in the job posting. The posting must also clearly indicate that the candidate will be working through a third party agency. If the TPES does not release this information or is unwilling to make the employer client name pubic, the position will not be advertised. Under no circumstances will positions be advertised for which a direct employer has interviewed or plans to interview candidates through Center for Career & Professional Development’s On-Campus Interview Program or has already posted the position with the Center for Career & Professional Development.

TPES must agree to the following before being allowed to use any recruitment service:

• NO fees will be charged to the candidate(s) at any time throughout the employment process.
• That they and the client organization they represent is an equal opportunity employer.
• Information about the candidate(s) will be distributed ONLY to the client organization of the position being advertised and will not be referred to other positions and/or client organizations.
• Will disclose to students the name(s) of the client, or clients, that the third-party recruiter is representing and to whom the students’ credentials will be disclosed.
• Third-party recruiters will not disclose to any employer, including the client-employer, any student information without obtaining prior written consent from the student. Under no circumstances can student information be disclosed for other than the original recruiting purposes nor can it be sold or provided to other entities.
• Third-party recruiters attending career fairs will represent employers who have authorized them to recruit on their behalf and will disclose to career services the names of the represented client employers.

Any reported breach of these policies and/or agreement will result in de-activation of the TPES on-line account and termination of access to all recruitment services.