Employer Policies
By acting in accordance with the following policies and procedures, individuals and organizations can help the Georgia Tech Career Center maintain a professional, fair, and successful recruiting environment for all parties concerned. Your use of both our services and the Career Buzz platform constitutes your binding agreement to the policies that follow:
The Career Center at Georgia Tech maximizes full-time employment, co-op, and internship opportunities for its students by offering a range of services to facilitate recruitment of prospective candidates. The Career Center requires that any recruiting organization or individual utilizing services must abide by all applicable federal, state, and local employment laws, including Equal Employment Opportunity laws, Georgia Tech rules and regulations, and the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) Principles for Ethical Professional Practice. You may refer to a detailed list of resources outlining these laws, rules, regulations, and standards at the conclusion of this document.
CareerBuzz is the web-based portal for publicizing all bona fide full-time, part-time, co-op and internship positions as well as other recruiting activities for small and large businesses, government agencies, nonprofit organizations, on-campus employers. All recruiting organizations or individuals are expected to accurately describe their organizations, positions and position requirements when posting their information on CareerBuzz, or when representing their firms and opportunities at any campus recruiting events. The Career Center does not offer recruitment services to companies and/or job postings requiring donations, application and/or background check fees, fundraising, investments, payment for training, or payment to participate, and/or offering items or services for sale.
We reserve the right to refuse service to employers at the discretion of the Georgia Tech Career Center staff due to any objectionable activities, including, but not limited to:
requiring personal information at the time of application, such as bank and social security numbers
misrepresentation, whether defined by dishonest information or absence of information
fraud
harassment of students, alumni, or staff
breach of confidentiality as required by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)
failure to adhere to Career Center employer policies
any violation of Georgia Tech rules and regulations
any violation of local, state, or federal laws
Recruiting Co-op and Intern Students
Employers recruiting interns must abide by all policies including the criteria set forth by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE). To ensure that an experience (whether it is a traditional internship or one conducted remotely or virtually) is educational, and thus eligible to be considered a legitimate internship by the NACE definition, all the following criteria must be met:
- The experience must be an extension of the classroom: a learning experience that provides for applying the knowledge gained in the classroom. It must not be simply to advance the operations of the employer or be the work that a regular employee would routinely perform.
- The skills or knowledge learned must be transferable to other employment settings.
- The experience has a defined beginning and end, and a job description with desired qualifications.
- There are clearly defined learning objectives/goals related to the professional goals of the student’s academic coursework.
- There is supervision by a professional with expertise and educational and/or professional background in the field of the experience.
- There is routine feedback by the experienced supervisor.
- There are resources, equipment, and facilities provided by the host employer that support learning objectives/goals.
Co-op experiences are full-time and always paid. Internships with for-profit companies should be paid at least minimum wage.
For-profit companies offering unpaid, stipend, and/or internships that require credit must uphold the Department of Labor’s Fair Labor Standards Act Internship Fact Sheet #71 (link is external/in resources) 7-factor “primary beneficiary test”.
Unpaid Internships
We expect all employers to abide by the standards set forth under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), a federal law that establishes minimum wages for work performed. In accordance with this law, the U.S. Department of Labor has developed seven criteria for differentiating between an employee and/or intern entitled to minimum wage or more, and an employee and/or intern who may be legally unpaid. We cannot approve unpaid positions posted in CareerBuzz if they are not in accordance with the FLSA.
In addition, Georgia Tech supports the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) position on unpaid internships.
Recruiting Volunteers
Organizations recruiting volunteers must be classified as either non-profit or governmental agencies and will be permitted to post on CareerBuzz and provided additional services on a case-by-case basis. Private, for-profit companies will not be permitted to post volunteer opportunities. Volunteer positions must support public service, religious, or humanitarian objectives and the activity must benefit the community at large. There must be no expectation of compensation or entitlement to a paid position at the conclusion of the experience. Volunteer positions are typically short-term, lasting fewer than 6 months, and require only a few hours per week of commitment. Volunteer positions must also be in-person; remote positions will not be approved.
Third-Party Recruiters
The Career Center defines third-party recruiters as agencies, organizations, or individuals recruiting candidates for temporary, part-time, or full-time employment opportunities for other organizations rather than for internal positions. Third-party recruiters may utilize Careerbuzz, participate in on-campus recruiting and attend select career fairs. They will be required to verify in advance whether they are recruiting for their own organizations or for their clients. Third-party firms who are recruiting for positions within their own organizations must clearly differentiate those opportunities from their client engagements. The Career Center will not provide services to organizations wishing to promote their job board or website. Positions posted in CareerBuzz by third-party employers must be individual, specific, and for an active opportunity.
Third-party recruiters representing client organizations must:
- Verify that they charge no fees of any kind to student or alumni applicants
- Identify themselves as a third-party recruiter in their employer profile and all client job announcements
- Provide to the Career Center in advance a list of the employer clients for whom they are recruiting, and, if requested after review, provide a copy of the retainer(s) signed by their employer client(s) authorizing them to act as their sole campus representatives
- Provide accurate position descriptions and include specific client names in all jobs posted on Symplicity (CareerBuzz)
- Only release candidate information provided to the identified employer in accordance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). Re-disclosure of candidate information to any other parties is not permitted
Commission-Based Jobs
Positions that include commission-based compensation must fully disclose the compensation structure in any job posting or at any on-campus recruiting event. These positions will be service-eligible on a case-by-case basis.
Multi-Level or Network Marketing Organizations and Franchise/Business Opportunities are not eligible to participate in employer services. Such organizations are those that engage in one or more of the following practices:
- Sponsors an individual in setting up his/her own business for the purpose of selling products or services and/or recruiting other individuals to set up their own business (Direct Sales Organizations).
- Requires an initial investment from individuals with the organization itself serving as an umbrella or parent corporation. The initial investment may be, but is not limited to, direct payment of a fixed fee, payment to attend an orientation or training session, and/or purchase of a starter kit.
- Compensates in the form of straight commission, fees from others under their sponsorship in the organization, and/or a percentage of sales generated by others, but not limited to, the candidate’s name, employer, and salary).
Start-up Businesses
The Career Center has established these criteria for identifying appropriate entrepreneurial employment opportunities for promotion through its services. With few exceptions, start-ups must have progressed sufficiently in their business development process so that they can:
- Provide a company name, business address, website and email address, and identify a principal as the key contact
- Verify that they are not seeking potential partners or investors
- Confirm that they have obtained the necessary business licenses and Tax ID’s as well as sufficient funding, including identifying their funding model and investors, if requested
- Offer positions for pay, not just for equity; see Compensation and Fees
- Provide clearly defined organization and position descriptions in Symplicity(CareerBuzz.
Those ventures which cannot meet each of these guidelines may contact the Career Center to discuss access to services.
Home-Based Businesses
We do not post babysitting jobs or other positions where an employee will work out of someone else’s dwelling (house, apartment, condo, etc). These organizations are ineligible to participate in Career Center employer services.
Marijuana/Cannabis Industries
The Georgia Tech Career Center will not accept positions related to the use or distribution of recreational or medical marijuana. As the use of marijuana is illegal at the federal level and Georgia Tech receives federal funds, we must comply with federal law.
Alcoholic Beverage Policy
In compliance with Georgia Tech policy and NACE’s Principles for Ethical Professional Practice prohibiting the use of alcoholic beverages, employers should not serve alcoholic beverages at any employer-related functions held on or off campus.
Exceptions to Policies and Guidelines
The Georgia Tech Career Center reserves the right to make exceptions to these policies and guidelines as warranted by special circumstances, i.e., in certain situations deemed to be acceptable and beneficial to our students, the Career Center, the Institute, or recruiters using our services. Such exceptions will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Any exception made does not constitute a change in policy, nor is there a guarantee that this same decision will apply in the future.
Grievances
The Georgia Tech Career Center’s staff will investigate all allegations by users of our services about job postings, employers, or work assignments. During an investigation, we may revoke an employer’s use of our services. If the Career Center determines that a complaint is justified, we may choose not to offer recruiting activities to the employer. The Career Center will notify the employer in writing of the decision. Such grievances may be grounds for a report to the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), and subsequent removal from Symplicity(CareerBuzz) system.
On-Campus Recruiting & Job Posting Guidelines
All bona fide full-time, part-time, co-op/internships and other types of recruiting opportunities for organizations that abide by the Employer Policies noted above, may be posted on CareerBuzz. However, on-campus recruiting (info sessions, career fairs, interviews, tabling) is intended for use by organizations recruiting for paid full-time, part-time and co-op/internship positions. On-Campus Recruiting is not intended for use by organizations recruiting volunteers. Graduate Programs are also permitted to post on CareerBuzz and partake in select on-campus recruiting activities.
Postings in CareerBuzz
Preselection Screening Criteria: Major, school year, and GPA, are the screening criteria used for positions in CareerBuzz. Any student who meets these job requirements (as determined by the employer) and submits a resume will be deemed a “fully qualified” applicant. Therefore, enter your screening specifications carefully, but without being too restrictive, to ensure the best possible “fully qualified” applicant pool. Note: Postings that request donations, fundraising, application fees, or investments cannot be listed on CareerBuzz.
On-Campus Interviews
Employers are asked to respect the neutrality of the On-Campus Interviewing reception area. Students may feel uncomfortable talking to other employers while waiting to be called by their scheduled interviewers. Greeters are permitted as long as their presence does not create an unpleasant environment for students and other recruiters and does not interfere with other Career Center staff.
- Employers are welcome to utilize interview and presentation facilities to speak with currently enrolled students on the Georgia Tech campus.
- Employers are asked to cancel an interview room reservation at least 1 week prior to the scheduled interview date. Cancellations or rescheduled dates made within 1 week of the original reservation date will be subject to a fee of $100 per interview room. New reservations may not be made until all penalty fees have been remitted. Policy exceptions are:
- This fee will be waived if your candidate pool includes fewer than 10 per standard interview schedule who meet the outlined position requirements.
- In the event of inclement weather preventing travel to the interview facility, penalties will be waived.
- To cancel a visit please phone the Career Center at 404-894-3320 or email us at Employer Connection Team.
- “ROOM ONLY” Interview Schedules: The Career Center will continue to offer this option to those not wishing to collect applicants via CareerBuzz. If you do not use our web-based system to schedule interviews, we require a finalized list of candidates and appointment times to be submitted to the hosting office, 24 hours or 1 business day in advance of your campus visit. In addition, an email message confirming the interview must be sent to each student 2 days prior to the interview date.
Confidentiality of Student Information
By completing the CareerBuzz registration form and submitting resumes and other application materials for opportunities posted on CareerBuzz students provide the Career Center authorization to release employment materials to selected prospective employers. Employment professionals must maintain the confidentiality of all student information released to them, regardless of the source, including personal documents, written records/reports, and computer databases. This means that there should be no disclosure of student information to another organization without the prior written consent of the student, unless necessitated by health and/or safety considerations, in accordance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)
Employment Eligibility
In compliance with the Department of Justice’s rulings regarding citizenship discrimination and best practices for online job postings, the Georgia Tech Career Center does not screen candidates in CareerBuzz based upon employment eligibility. Employers may include employment eligibility information in their CareerBuzz job descriptions under “work authorization” as a point of information for potential candidates so that the candidates may be screened.
Employers are encouraged to consult with their legal counsel and establish legally permissible internal screening procedures before posting jobs or recruiting on campus. Georgia Tech Career Center reserve the right to modify or remove any statements or job postings that include any potentially illegal or discriminatory language.
More information regarding the DOJ’s decisions can be found at DOJ – Best Practices
Compensation and Fees
- Employers offering paid positions must pay at least the applicable local minimum wage (calculated over any time scale such as hourly, weekly, semi-monthly, monthly or annually).
- Cryptocurrency, bitcoin, tokens, fiat or equity are not acceptable forms of payment.
- Commission Sales Positions: If no initial base salary is provided, the form of remuneration should be clearly stated in the employer’s job descriptions and at the time of the initial interviews.
- Postings that request donations, fundraising, application fees, or investments cannot be listed on CareerBuzz .
Full Disclosure
All offer letters must include a start date, geographic location of position, and salary or compensation details.
Rescinding Employment Offers
We strongly encourage employers to consider every alternative before revoking an offer of employment. NACE recommends that employers who must revoke a commitment demonstrate they have done everything possible to avoid rescinding an offer, and to then consider alternatives. Before rescinding an offer, please notify our office to explore alternatives and share relevant circumstances. We also stress to every Georgia Tech student who participates in the On-Campus Interview program that rejecting an offer for any reason after having previously accepted it is a serious recruiting violation and is subject to significant repercussions such as losing career services including CareerBuzz privileges. Additionally, we require that students cease interview participation once a full-time offer has been accepted and that they notify any employers with whom they are still in discussion that they have accepted an offer and are formally withdrawing any open applications.
Offer Guidelines
Students need time to make informed decisions when comparing and responding to offers. In some cases, students may ask for extensions beyond this deadline; we encourage you to accommodate their requests whenever possible. To facilitate this process, please review the information below.
Employer Guidelines
- Provide all offers in writing and allow a minimum of 3 weeks (Summer/Fall) and 2 weeks in Spring for student decisions
- Include start date, geographic location of position and compensation details in all offer letters
- Exploding Offers/Under Pressure
- An exploding offer is any offer that does not conform to the timetable. Employers should not make offers or pressure students to accept “early” offers including those requiring a quick response time, nor should they attach incentives involving diminishing bonuses, reduced options for location preferences, etc. Further, asking a student to make an acceptance decision on the spot is also considered inappropriate.
- Exploding offers put undue pressure on students to make decisions before completing the interview process and does not give them ample time to weigh employment options and make informed decisions. We discourage students to make rushed decisions about offers, as such hasty decisions potentially create discord and distress for all parties involved.
- Employers are reminded that campus recruiting 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 but may adversely affect an organization’s corporate image for an extended period of time.
Student Guidelines
- Attendance is mandatory for all scheduled interviews
- If you have accepted an offer, you must withdraw all open applications and discontinue your job search; do not seek other employment opportunities
- Respond in a timely fashion to written offers, with an option to request an extension
- Students are held accountable to these guidelines with potential sanctions for violations
| Summer conversion offers* | Fall offers** | Spring offers*** | |
| Timing of student decision | October 16 | October 16 OR 3 weeks whichever is longer |
February 15 OR 2 weeks, whichever is longer |
* Summer conversion offers are full-time offers made to an intern or co-op student for an opportunity beginning after graduation.
** Fall offers refer to full-time, internship, or co-op offers made to students during the Fall recruiting season.
*** Spring offers refer to full-time, internship, or co-op offers made to students during the Fall recruiting season.
The Georgia Tech Career Center strives to support employers with their recruiting efforts and assist our students in making informed career decisions. Thus, we expect that all employers abide by the following offer policy which allows students sufficient time to carefully consider employment options and act in accordance with the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) Principles of Professional Conduct which states:
“Employment professionals will refrain from any practice that improperly influences and affects job acceptance. Such practices may include undue time pressure for acceptance of employment offers and encouragement of revocation of another employment offer.”
The Career Center understands that the landscape of recruitment is very competitive, especially when searching for the best talent. We have established these guidelines to provide students and employers a fair, transparent, and current framework for managing the offer phase of the recruitment process.
Consequences
Employers violating any of these policies may receive deferred interview dates or be denied access to the recruiting program for the following season. Each circumstance will be evaluated on a case by case basis.
Resources
Contact Information
Career Center
Bill Moore Student Success Center
219 Uncle Heinie Way
Atlanta, Ga 30332
Employer Connection Team Information
Director of Employer Connections
Ebony Mobley
A through H employers
Kelshay Toomer
I through O employers; Career Center Corporate Partners
Nada Steighner
P – Z employers; Employers listed as numbers
Monica Jackson
Georgia Tech Nondiscrimination Policy
US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
- Federal Laws Preventing Discrimination Q&A
- Americans with Disabilities Act: A Primer for Small Business
US Department of Labor
- Fact Sheet #71: Internship Programs Under FLSA
- Disability Resources/Job Accommodations
- ODEP Diverse Perspectives: People with Disabilities Fulfilling Your Business Goals
US Department of Education
Other Federal Workplace Laws & Resources
Professional Organization
- National Association of Colleges & Employers (NACE) Principles for Ethical Professional Practice
- NACE Position Statement — Internships
- Principles for Professional Conduct for Employers
Drop Down Options
Types of Interview Schedules
Room Reservation Only (self-schedule)
- Employers reserve a room in CareerBuzz however, the system does not assist in inviting or scheduling candidates for interviews.
Preselect to Alternate
- Employers can utilize CareerBuzz to invite and schedule candidates automatically. Preselect refers to the employer’s “round 1” selections, after which an invitation will be sent to invite their alternate “round 2” selections. Employer Connection Team can adjust dates to match the employer’s desired selection and recruiting timeline.
Preselect to Alternate to Open
- Same as Preselect to Alternate except employers allow any applicant to sign-up for any remaining interview time slots
Virtual Options
- To request a Skype or other online/remote interview, indicate “Virtual Interview” in the “Location” drop down list. Don’t forget to include Skype or other login information in the Position Description and your Profile (for students) and in the Notes field. The Career Center allows students to reserve interview modules to conduct video or phone interviews.
Interviews
- Employers will register for and request their interview schedules through CareerBuzz for all formats of interviews (in-person, virtual)
- Employers are encouraged to use CareerBuzz to advertise the position and source candidates for interviews regardless of the location as the software can assist with advertising interviews and scheduling
- Interview rooms will be sanitized at the end of each day to be reset for the next days’ interviews
- Recruiters and candidates will interact as safely as possible with the recommended physical distance space implemented.
- Sanitization supplies will be provided for use in between interviews for open format interviews (e.g., door handles, arms of chairs, tables, etc.) to the appropriate level of comfort
- Room reservation requests will be honored in a first-come, first-served capacity
- Employers will be able to utilize all interviewing models: Room Reservation Only (self-schedule), and Pre-Select to Alternate.
Virtual Interviews
Employers will register for and request their interview schedules through CareerBuzz for all formats of interviews.
- Employers are encouraged to use CareerBuzz to advertise positions, even if they are using their own virtual interviewing platforms as the software can assist with advertising interviews and scheduling Employers are encouraged to use CareerBuzz to advertise the position and source candidates for interviews regardless of the location as the software can assist with advertising interviews and scheduling
- The Employer Connection Team will work collaboratively with employers interested in utilizing their external virtual interviewing platform to ensure meaningful connections are being made between GA Tech talent and employer
If employers do not have access to utilizing virtual interviewing software or platforms, the Employer Connection Team will assist employers with setting up the technology to host virtual interviews.
Employers who host their interviews virtually and do not use CareerBuzz provided resources will be asked to provide their interview candidate information to the Employer Connection Team to allow for accurate tracking of campus recruiting activities.
Employer On-Campus Interviews Policies
Pre-Select Policy:
Employers must provide their pre-select list to the Career Connections Center a minimum of 3 days (72 hrs) prior to the closing of the OCR schedule. Pre-Selects that are not submitted within that time frame, the employer must Self-Schedule their interviews for that OCR schedule
Adding Students to OCI Schedules:
Employers who wish to add students who do not meet the screening criteria for posted jobs to their applicant pools must submit the request in writing to the center.
Please send these requests to employerconnetions@career.gatech.edu. Please provide the job ID# and student name, GA Tech email.
For pre-select schedules, the Employer Connection Teamwill add the student as ‘pending’, and the employer may then choose whether to invite the student for an interview. The Career Connections Center will communicate this action to the student.
How to request an OCR schedule:
- Login to CareerBuzz
- Click on “OCR” and then “Schedules” on the left hand navigation column
- Click on “Request a Schedule”
- Fill out the form and press submit
For any questions regarding an on-campus interview schedule, please email employerconnetions@career.gatech.edu.
