Hiring Best Practices and Recruiting Guidelines
These guidelines, which are adapted from the National Association for Colleges and Employers (NACE) Principles for Professional Conduct for Career Services & Employment Professionals, outline recommended practices for recruiting Penn State engineering students.
Employment Guidelines & Policies
Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO)
Employers must follow EEO and affirmative action principles in recruiting, hiring, and accommodations. Students should be considered for employment opportunities without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, age, gender, sexual orientation, or disability.
Penn State may:
- Flag selection practices that appear discriminatory
- Help employers reach a broader, more inclusive student audience
- Respond to complaints of EEO noncompliance, working with you to resolve such complaints and, if necessary, referring such complaints to the appropriate campus department or agency
Testing Policies
If you use assessments or tests in hiring:
- Ensure they are administered and interpreted by qualified individuals
- Inform Penn State if testing will occur on campus
- Tell students in advance the purpose of the test and who will see the results
Extending Offers
Employers should:
- Provide accurate information about positions, compensation, and benefits
- Communicate hiring timelines clearly
- Give students at least two weeks to consider offers when possible
- Avoid pressuring students or using exploding offers
- If a job offer must be rescinded, handle rescinded offers fairly and equitably, including offering support for affected candidates (including financial assistance for costs already incurred)
Third-Party Recruiters
Third-party recruiters must:
- Disclose the employer and specific positions they represent
- Provide enough information for Penn State to verify that opportunities are legitimate
- Protect student information and share it only with student consent
Third-party recruiters who charge fees to students will not be permitted access to Nittany Lion Careers.
Restrictions on Recruiting Activities
To maintain access to engineering recruiting opportunities, employers must:
- Avoid pressuring students to accept employment offers or encouraging them to renege on other offers
- Provide accurate and transparent information about jobs and compensation
- Clearly identify their organization during recruiting activities
- Not use recruiting to sell products or services to students unless working through approved student organizations
- Not serve alcohol as part of recruiting
- Maintain EEO compliance and confidentiality of student information
- Inform Penn State about any hiring assessments or testing tools used, to ensure that they do not violate campus policies
Hiring Internship & Co-op Participants
Before the Work Experience
Employers should:
- Tell students early on if academic credit is required for employment
- Provide first-day details, such as schedule, expected attire, required documentation, and access information
- Offer housing guidance or assistance for in-person roles when possible
During the Work Experience
Employers should:
- Provide orientation, introductions, and an overview of policies and expectations
- Give students meaningful, field-related work tied to learning objectives
- Meet regularly to discuss performance
- Offer consistent supervision and support
- Contact the office prior to terminating a student, should such action be necessary
Student Evaluations and Reports
For credit-bearing internships and co-ops, supervisors are expected to:
- Complete Penn State's online Mid-Semester and End-of-Semester Evaluations
- Meet with students before submitting evaluations
- Electronically approve online End-of-Semester Reports to confirm that they contain no proprietary information
We will communicate with supervisors via email about how to complete evaluations and approvals and will provide necessary links to do so.
Entry-Level Full-Time Hiring
For graduating students and recent graduates, employers should:
- Clearly describe job duties, qualifications, hours, and expectations
- Provide written offers and allow at least two weeks for decisions
- Share onboarding details such as start date, expected attire, required documents, and access information
- Offer relocation or housing support when possible
- Provide orientation and introductions during the first week
- Assign a mentor, if possible, to help with adjustment and questions
