All employers must be deemed legitimate organizations with verifiable business name, physical address, email address, web address, phone number, and the name of a contact who can be reached at the listed address(es). Foreign-based businesses may be verified by the U.S. Department of State.
Employers must abide by the National Association of Colleges and Employer (NACE) Principles for Ethical Professional Practice. Along with these Principles, employers must also meet the following criteria:
- 1099 independent contractor positions are eligible for posting on Handshake and must include the following disclaimer in the posting: “This is a 1099 position. Persons paid on a 1099 basis are independent contractors and are self-employed. Independent contractors must pay all self-employment taxes (Social Security & Medicare) and income tax. Independent contractors generally do not receive any employment benefits from the client. Please refer to irs.gov or talk with a tax professional.”
- Employers must comply with laws associated with local, state, and federal entities, including but not limited to equal employment opportunity compliance, WVU non-discrimination statement and career services employer expectations, immigration, and affirmative action.
Commission, Sales, and Financial Industry Positions
Career Services strives to provide WVU students with information that will connect them to job opportunities offering training, support, and structure in internships or entry-level positions appropriate for current students, recent graduates, and alumni. Career Services looks for positions that offer work experience related to a student’s major or career goals, which will permit the student or alumni to continue building relevant skills on the job. Due to varying employment, business, and compensation models used by employers, Career Services will exercise discretion in working with those employers that comply with our established policies and practices, including those regarding commission positions as applicable. Commission-based sales, full-time opportunities, and paid summer or internship opportunities must comply with the following criteria:
- Hire for W-2 paid positions only.
- For-profit companies with door-to-door sales models are not eligible to utilize WVU Career Services. Exceptions to this policy will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.
- Employers must provide training, and ongoing mentoring to student or alumni hires.
- The employee is not responsible for the cost of marketing and advertising the product.
- With the possible exception of obtaining industry licenses, no up-front investment, out-of-pocket, non-refundable fees, purchase of goods, inventories, and sales leads will be required.
- Compensation may not be dependent on recruiting others.
- Employers may not require repayment of or reimbursement for training costs or draw on commission or cash advances on salary if the WVU student or alumni decide to leave the position for any reason.
Network Marketing Organizations
Network Marketing Organizations are not eligible to participate in Career Services activities, including but not limited to On-Campus Interviews, job postings on Handshake, employer presentations, and/or sponsorships for on-campus activities.
Career Services considers organizations that engage in the following conduct to be Network Marketing Organizations:
- Sponsoring an individual to set up their own business to sell products or services and/or recruiting other individuals to set up their own business.
- Requiring initial cash or capital investment, account balance, or similar fiscal requirements from this individual, with the organization itself serving as an umbrella or parent corporation. The initial investment may include, but is not limited to, such things as direct payment of a fixed fee, payment to attend an orientation or training session, and/or purchase of a starter kit.
- Compensation is in the form of straight commission, fees from others under the business owner's sponsorship in the organization, and/or a percentage of sales generated by others.
Third-Party Recruiting Agencies
WVU Career Services uses the National Association of Colleges and Employers’ definition of third-party recruiters as “…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 recruitment and employment purposes.”
We provide direct assistance to third-party recruiters that meet the following criteria:
- Third-party recruiters can post job listings if they provide a full job/internship description for a valid, current opening and disclose the relationship between the agency and the employer to Career Services staff. Although not required to be included in the posting itself, it is required that the name of the employer for which the third party is providing recruiting services be provided to Career Services. WVU will not solicit business away from third-party recruiters by attempting to deal directly with the employer. If WVU is already working with the named employer on recruiting efforts, this creates a conflict of interest, and further exploration may be warranted.
- Per the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), any student or alumni information provided by WVU will be for the exclusive use of the third-party recruiter and the identified employer. Re-disclosure of student or alumni information obtained through Career Services is not permitted.
- Third-party recruiters must comply with all federal and state equal employment opportunity laws, including but not limited to Title VI and IX, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and the WVU non-discrimination statement.
Third-party recruiters are prohibited from charging any fees to students or alumni in exchange for services.