Skip to content Skip to navigation
Vassar
Skip to global navigation Menu
Career Education

Vassar College

Policies

Vassar College is a member of the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) and adheres to the NACE Principles for Professional Practice. All employers who wish to recruit at Vassar College are expected to comply with NACE Guidelines.

In addition the the NACE Guidelines, the Center for Career Education (CCE) has established supplemental policies for its Recruiting Program to ensure a positive recruiting experience for both recruiters and students at Vassar College.

Definition of Recruiting Program Activities

The Recruiting Program at Vassar College includes (but is not limited to) the following list of activities: online job and internship postings (via Handshake), on-campus interviews, information sessions or workshops, panel discussions, classroom presentations, career fairs, networking events, virtual events, resume books, on-site employer workplace visits.

Non-Discrimination

Vassar College is committed to providing a campus environment free from all forms of unlawful discrimination because of race, color, gender, religion, age, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, veteran status or any other characteristic protected by law. This policy applies to all aspects of the Vassar College Recruiting Program. All recruiting activities by employers through the Recruiting Program must be in full compliance with laws pertaining to the Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Act.

Third-Party Agencies

Third-party recruiting agencies must disclose the hiring entity that they represent in job/intern postings in Handshake or other CCE-sponsored recruiting activity. Any exceptions to this policy must be pre-approved by the CCE.

Reasonable Offer Timeframes

Recruiters will refrain from “exploding job offers” which put undue pressure on students to make an employment decision in a short-time frame. The CCE is in full agreement with the NACE Principles for Professional Practice Guidelines which states, “that providing sufficient time for students to evaluate the employment opportunities offered to them allows them to make the wisest decisions for all concerned, creating a positive experience for candidates and employers and ultimately reducing renege and attrition rates.” Accordingly, we strongly suggest November 15 as a reasonable and appropriate date to ask employers to accept as a date for early fall recruiting offers or 2 weeks after the offer date, whichever is later.

Paid and Unpaid Internships

Employers posting internships to the Vassar online recruiting system, Handshake, should review the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division guidelines on compensation. The DOL Fact Sheet for Internship Programs provides information on whether workers are considered unpaid interns or paid employees under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). It is expected that employers who post internships are in compliance with these criteria.

Recruiter Outreach

Employers will coordinate any recruiting outreach, marketing, and activities targeted to Vassar College students with the CCE. This includes interviews conducted on the campus of Vassar College or outside of the CCE.

Teaching English Abroad Opportunities

Organizations that recruit Vassar students and graduates to teach English abroad meet the following criteria:

  • The organization must provide the CCE with at least two references from past participants in the program.
  • 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 involved, if any
    • 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

Commission-based Jobs

Recruiters for employment which includes commission-based compensation must fully disclose the compensation structure in any job posting or on-campus recruiting event. 

Excluded Recruiting Practices

The CCE will not sponsor the following recruiting activities if they include:

  • On-campus solicitation or on-campus sales of goods or services
  • Requiring fees or initial investments to be paid by student to gain employment unless pre-approved by the CCE

Student Information for Military Recruitment

The Solomon Amendment, a federal law, mandates that educational institutions receiving federal funding (research grants, etc.) must fulfill military recruitment requests for access to campus and for lists containing student recruiting information. This law allows personally identifiable student information to be released to recruiters that would have been denied them under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA—p1–16). The information available for release under this law is limited to name, address, telephone listing, date and place of birth, level of education, academic major, and degree received.

Disclaimers

At their sole discretion, the CCE reserves the right to exclude any employer from activities within the Vassar College Recruiting Program.

Postings on Handshake: The employer and job/intern information listed on Handshake is presented by the CCE at Vassar College as a service to our users. This information should not be construed as an endorsement of the organizations offering the opportunity. Applicants are strongly encouraged to research all employers in advance of applying.