Recruiting Best Practices

Northeastern University has developed the following guidelines to promote an equitable and fair recruiting experience on behalf of our employers as well as our students. It is our expectation that employers who participate in on-campus recruiting become familiar with the following policies as well as reference these policies throughout the year. If any of the following expectations conflict with the internal Company hiring procedures, please do not hesitate to reach out to us at 617-373-3404.  

1. Adherence to National and State Guidelines

Participating companies are expected to read and adhere to the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) Principles for Professional Practice, the Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Recruitment and Employment Guidelines, and the laws established by the federal government and the state of Massachusetts. These guidelines are a reflection of these national standards.

2. Confidentiality

Participating companies are expected to maintain the confidentiality of all student and alumni information. Sharing information about a candidate with another organization is not acceptable unless the Company receives prior written consent from the candidate.

3. Testing and Assessment

All tests and/or assessments used as part of the hiring process must be a valid measure of employability and must be compliant with Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) standards, and testing procedures must comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Companies should provide testing information to students at least two full business days in advance.  The information should include but is not limited to

• The type of test.
• The purpose of the test.
• To whom the test results will be disclosed.

Information on testing practices should be shared with our office. We encourage all testing information to be added to the job descriptions as early as possible.

4. Scheduling of Tests, Interviews, and Events

We expect every employer to take into consideration a student’s class schedule. Students should not be expected to miss classes for tests, interviews, or employer-sponsored recruiting events. Please note that we require 72 hours notice to cancel a previously scheduled interview or an on-campus event. If, for some reason, an employer is unable to attend a scheduled on-campus interview session, we expect that they will contact students directly to reschedule, as well as letting our office know of the cancellation.

5. Reporting New Hire Data

When requested by Employer Engagement and Career Design staff, participating companies will supply information regarding students who have been hired to fill full-time, internship, or other related positions. The requested information may include but is not limited to the student’s name, her title and division or unit within the organization, the geographic location of the position, the employment start date, and the compensation.

6. Discrimination

Employer Engagement and Career Design will not tolerate illegal discrimination in any form. Any acts of such discrimination by representatives will be reported to the hiring company or organization.

7. Job and Internship Offers

Reasonable efforts should be made on the part of employers to allow students adequate time for evaluating internship and full-time job opportunities. Likewise, students are also coached by Employer Engagement and Career Design on the importance of evaluating their offers carefully and promptly, and declining additional recruiting opportunities in the form of interviews, applications, and offers once they have accepted an initial offer.

8. Exploding Offers

Participating companies should not pressure students into accepting so-called exploding offers. Employer Engagement and Career Design defines exploding offers as those that require a student to reply within an unusually short period of time (defined as one-two days), has a special incentive for early acceptance, or any practices that improperly influences and affects job offer acceptances. We encourage all employers to present students with a reasonable amount of time in which they are able to assess and accept offers. We also recommend that employers consider extending offer timelines when necessary as well as keep an open line of communication with students throughout the entire offer/acceptance process.

9. Best Practices for equitable and fair recruiting experience for employers and students

Objective: Provide students ample time to evaluate and decide on full-time return offers that result from Spring, Summer, and Fall internships or full spring/summer and Summer 1/Fall Co-ops. It serves both the interests of the students and employers and minimizes the potential for reneging on full-time offers when students have ample time to complete the interview processes and make an informed decision about their offers. Please reference the below best practices for offer deadlines resulting from specific semesters.

Full-Time Offers Resulting from Internships & Co-ops:

Note: Offers made a full calendar year in advance (12+ months) should follow the following year’s calendar best practices & guidelines (Spring, Summer, and Fall of 2024).

10. Special Guidelines For Third-Party Recruiters

Employment agencies and search firms may list openings on NUworks as long as they clearly identify themselves as third-party recruiters in their employer profile, as well as in their job descriptions. It must also be made clear that the organization does not charge students fees of any kind for utilizing their service. Please note, although third-party recruiters and search agencies/firms may post employment opportunities, they may not recruit on campus. When conducting on-campus interviews, only direct representatives or recruiters of an employer may interview Northeastern students.

All third-party employment agencies and search firms must:

• Provide information on the identity of the employer being represented and the nature of the relationship between the agency and the employer. The agency must permit Employer Engagement and Career Design to verify this information by contacting the Company being represented. If Employer Engagement and Career Design have an existing relationship with the client, we will inform the third-party agency and decline to post the position.
• Provide position descriptions for valid openings.
• Agree to release candidate information only with the written permission of the employment candidate, and only to the identified employer.
• Represent and follow all federal and state employment laws.

Please note that Employer Engagement and Career Design reserves the right to evaluate exceptions to this policy based on industry-specific trends, research, and expert consultation. Contact our office if you have questions about this policy.

11. Consequences for Recruiting Policy Violations

Employer Engagement and Career Design will evaluate recruiting policy violations by employers on a case by case basis. Consequences of a violation may include:

• Loss of access to Northeastern’s career management platform, NUworks.
• Loss of on-campus recruitment privileges, such as hosting events and conducting interviews
• Flagging and communication of severe violations on NUworks. This flag may impact the Company’s ability to recruit career development as well as for co-op opportunities.

Employer Engagement and Career Design reserves the right to refuse service to participating companies for violations of these policies, as well as reasons including but not limited to:

• Failure to comply with the national and state guidelines listed above.
• Misrepresentation of employer information.
• Complaints by students and alumni.
• Harassment of Northeastern students, alumni, staff, or faculty.