Policies & Resources

• Employers must abide by the University of Maryland’s Nondiscrimination Policy Statement at time of application.

• Do treat equally U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents, temporary residents, asylees, and refugees in recruitment or hiring.
• Do embrace equal employment practices, including: refraining from discriminating on the basis of national origin; and/or immigration and citizenship status.
• Do avoid making the assumption that only U.S. citizens are authorized to work in the United States.
• Do avoid the following language in job postings:
  • "Only U.S. Citizens"
  • "Citizenship requirement"*
  • "Only U.S. Citizens or Green Card Holders"
  • "H-1Bs Only"
  • "Must have a U.S. Passport"
  • "Must have a green card"

*UNLESS U.S. citizenship is required by law, regulation, executive order, or government contract.

• Do allow all employees (including non-U.S. citizens) to provide any permissible documents to establish their identity or work authorization during the employment verification process.
• Do recognize that refugees and those newly granted asylum who have not yet received a Social Security number may not be fully able to complete on-line applications, even though they are authorized to work in the U.S. indefinitely, and avoid creating unnecessary hurdles for them.

We are pleased that so many employers are interested in our talented students at the University of Maryland. As such, students often find themselves under pressure to make an early decision about where to start their careers. Although we would never condone it, we have seen a rise in students reneging on offers because they are forced to decide too quickly. 

Employers are asked to provide candidates with a reasonable amount of time to make employment-related decisions. It is the Center’s policy that “a reasonable amount of time” to make a decision equates to at least three weeks from the date of a written offer or until the end of October, whichever is later. Employers are reminded that the campus recruitment process is as much about building a trusted brand identity as it is about recruiting new talent. 

Placing undue pressure on students to make decisions or engaging in questionable recruiting practices not only jeopardizes an employer’s ability to recruit our students, it may adversely affect recruitment efforts and an organization's corporate image for an extended period of time. If a UMD student or alumni reneges on an offer, please reach out to the Center Employer Relations Team immediately. 

The School of Engineering and the Department of Computer Science each have their own offer deadline policies. Please click here to view the School of Engineering's policy, and click here to view the Department of Computer Science's policy.

Resources:

• National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) Advisory Opinion: Setting Reasonable Deadlines for Job Offers, 2022
• Indeed for Employers, Why Candidates Renege on Offers and How to Prevent it, 2023

Employers who find it necessary to rescind or defer employment should thoroughly consult the guidelines and adhere to the NACE (National Association of Colleges and Employers) recommendations outlined in the Position Statement on Rescinded and Deferred Employment Offers. NACE advises a dual approach when considering the cancellation of employment offers.

The first part underscores the importance of maintaining high ethical standards in recruitment processes. The second part provides a methodical strategy for managing rescinded or postponed offers.

NACE advises that employers needing to withdraw a job offer explore alternative solutions that avoid outright cancellation. These alternatives might include modifying job roles, reducing salaries or hours, relocating positions, pushing back start dates, and other feasible adjustments.

For applicants facing rescinded or deferred start dates the employer will:

• Offer support services to help them find alternative employment
• Provide financial aid if the postponement extends beyond three months
• Notify applicants about any changes at the earliest opportunity
• Engage with the Center early and often about rescinded or deferred offers
• Maintain communication with the applicants concerning revised start dates

The Center insists that all employers engage with job candidates ethically. We reserve the right to restrict access to employers who fail to meet these ethical standards in their recruitment practices.

The following guidelines apply specifically to employer accounts and position postings within the Handshake career management platform.

Organizations recruiting employees are required to abide by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) Principles for Ethical Professional Practice.

Employer Handshake accounts should include the following:

• Organization name and full name of organizational contact.
• Corporate email address clearly associated with the organization website domain (e.g. jsmith@company.com, not Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail, etc.) Individual contact names and email addresses should match whenever possible.
• Corporate website address that clearly relates to your organization and contains helpful information about your organization for the potential candidate; website should not be in pre-launch/beta phase and should not contain “coming soon” language. Social media sites should not take the place of an organization's website.
• Corporate address is preferred (no personal residences or P.O. Box). In cases where there is no corporate address (outside of a home office / P.O. Box), all meetings with students should be conducted in a public setting (coffee shop, library, rented workspace) or virtually.

Employer accounts in Handshake should have recruitment and hiring as the focus of activity. Organizations using Handshake employer accounts to access UMD student & alumni contact information for their own uses will not be approved.

Positions posted should provide the following:

• Detailed position description with a thorough overview of candidate responsibilities and necessary qualifications.
• Compensation information.
• Startups: The University Career Center & The President's Promise has established the below parameters for posting opportunities in our database. The startup organization must be sufficiently established to the point where it can:
  • Provide a company name, website and email address, and identify a point of contact. It is preferred that a corporate address is provided but in cases where that is not possible, all meetings with students should be conducted in a public setting or virtually.
  • Verify that they are seeking employees and not investors/company stakeholders.

Prohibited Postings include:

• Positions that do not meet the policies mentioned in this document;
• Positions or programs requiring a fee, program payment, upfront product or service purchase;
• Positions that support a pyramid or networking structure requiring recruitment of others;
• Positions whose payment structure is commission-only;
• Positions that are campus or brand ambassador roles;
• Postings encouraging students to sign up for jobs boards or recruitment platforms;
• Positions that relate to the use or distribution of recreational or medical marijuana.  

The Career Center reserves the right to deny or revoke services to any organization at any time. Common reasons for denying or revoking services include, but are not limited to:

• Misrepresentation or absence of information related to employment or internship positions, services or products offered, etc.
• Complaints by students, alumni, faculty, or staff.
• Employers and/or positions that the Career Center regards as unsuitable for students.

Third-party recruiters are agencies, organizations, or individuals recruiting candidates for temporary, part-time, or full-time employment opportunities other than for their 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.

The Center is interested in providing all possible employment opportunities to our students. We will work and provide services to selected employment agencies, who meet University of Maryland approval and agree to comply with the following policies and procedures established by the Career Center. 

All Third-Party agency contacts seeking to register and post positions within the Handshake platform must disclose their client(s) either directly through the job posting or privately to the Career Center in Handshake notes, in accordance with NACE Principles for Ethical Professional Practice. This client list applies even if the third-party employer is hiring for an internal position.

Agencies utilizing our Handshake platform, attending a career fair, or participating in the OCI program must provide the following:

• The name of the firm for whom you are recruiting. Names will be held confidently within the Career Center and will not be released to candidates.
• Third-party recruiters may only represent one client per attended event.
• Complete job descriptions that acknowledge third-party employment firm status and that any fees assessed by the agency will be paid by the employer you represent and not the UMD candidate. Positions will be posted for 90 days.
• Agreement that neither your organization nor your client may provide UMD students’ resumes to any other party without the candidate’s written consent. Failure to comply violates The Family Education Rights & Privacy Act of 1974.
• Third-party employer event registration may be limited and is at the discretion of the Employer Relations Team.

Third-party organizations will not have access to resume drops in Handshake.

Given the specific nature of our On-Campus Interview (OCI) program, all employers who participate are expected to adhere to the outlined policies.

Recruitment Events include, but are not limited to, Information Sessions, On-Campus Interviews, workings, tabling, and other University Career Center events.

• Requests for on-campus recruitment events must be submitted through Handshake.
• Employers engaging in recruitment activities require a campus career services host.
• Cancellations must be received a minimum of five business days before the event.
• Employers that cancel their visit must notify students/scheduled applicants of the cancellation immediately.
• Only UMD students, alumni, and those registered with the UMD University Career Center through the Handshake system are permitted to participate in these events.

Please note that there are separate career centers for business, engineering, and public policy majors. If a session is specific to those populations, it is best to connect directly with those career centers. 

Positions requiring interns or employees to market/promote products or services or create/develop programs or events, etc., and/or require the intern or employee to collect student, staff, or faculty information on-campus on behalf of an employer are ineligible. Examples include campus ambassadors,  brand ambassadors, and student referrals from other students

• The Center follows NACE guidance which states that serving alcohol should not be a part of the recruitment process. Therefore, all recruiting activity, regardless of its location, should be alcohol-free. 
• If a person, company, or organization chooses to provide or serve alcohol in violation of this policy, the person, company, or organization assumes complete liability and agrees to indemnify the Center and the University of Maryland at College Park, including its trustees, and employees, for any damage or injuries sustained to persons or property as a result of or arising out of a violation of this policy. 
• The Center reserves the right to revoke the recruiting privileges of any person, company, or organization who violates this policy.

The Center cannot post or advertise positions related to the use or distribution of recreational or medical marijuana. As marijuana use is illegal at the federal level, and the University of Maryland at College Park receives federal funds, we must comply with federal law. The University’s federal funding would be at significant risk were the Center to allow such employers to register and post jobs/internships on our jobs database.

Employer partners are encouraged to review NACE’s position statement and research on the negative impact of unpaid internships on a student’s future job opportunities and earning potential. NACE: Unpaid Internships Position Statement

Please refer to UMD’s Internship Guide for Employers for further internship guidance.

By completing your employer profile in Handshake and/or participating in recruitment events/services with the Center, you agree to the aforementioned terms.