Employer Resources and Policies - Career Connections Center

• Business/Organization Name
• Business/Organization physical address
• Business/Organization email address
  • A verifiable business email address. If a personal email address is used; e.g., Gmail, Yahoo, etc., employers will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis
• Business/Organization phone number 
  • Verifiable number, not a mobile phone number

• The organization fails to provide essential information. This includes, but is not limited to the information listed above
• The position is shared by a private individual (rather than a verifiable organization)
  • For example, in-home/private/independent childcare, nanny, tutoring, catering, and/or healthcare positions will not be accepted
• The primary location of the employer is a residence or P.O. Box.
• The opportunity involves unauthorized solicitation, posting of materials, or sale of products and services 
• The organization is sponsoring an individual to establish their own business for the purpose of selling products or services, and/or recruiting other individuals to establish their own business 
• The organization requires payment or an investment fee
  • This includes fees or investments for orientation, training sessions, starter kits, sales kits, samples, or presentation supplies
• The employer is unable or unwilling to provide their business license, permit, or similar documentation, if requested

All marketing of and recruiting for job and internship opportunities to Westmoreland students happens through Handshake, Westmoreland’s career management system, and recruiting portal. All positions posted in Handshake will be reviewed by the Career Connections Center for content and appropriateness. 

• Opportunities targeting programs or majors not offered by Westmoreland. For a full list of our majors and programs, click here.
• Positions with incomplete or unclear job descriptions.
• Opportunities that require a bachelor’s degree or above.
  • Exceptions may be made for positions that allow for the substitution of related experience for a bachelor’s degree.
• Internships that do not provide a learning environment and regular supervision.
• Positions targeting alumni that require more than 3 years of work experience. 
• Job or internships taking place in a private residence or paid for by an individual (nanny, tutoring).
• Job or internships involving the use, production, testing, distribution, or promotion of recreational or medical marijuana. 
• Opportunities charging for placement or that require any other upfront costs.
• Positions that are not within a reasonable distance from Westmoreland County Community College, including our Education Centers.
• Opportunities that do not pay at least minimum wage.
• Other opportunities that conflict with the mission, vision, values, and policies of Westmoreland.

The Career Connections Center reserves the right to remove any job postings and descriptions without notice or explanation to the employer.  Additionally, the Career Connections Center reserves the right to decline or disable an employer account at any time and for any reason.

By posting an unpaid internship in Handshake, you agree to the following:

 “I understand there are Federal and State guidelines and standards which determine whether interns should be paid at least the minimum wage and overtime under the Fair Labor Standards Act for the services that they provide to “for-profit," private-sector employers.  For more information, please visit the Federal Department of Labor’s Fact Sheet, and also identify and review the requirements for the applicable Department of Labor for the State.  By posting an unpaid internship you attest that you have reviewed the Federal and State guidelines and your organization’s unpaid internship meets the required standard.”

The Career Connections Center will not approve babysitting jobs, personal tutors, or positions where a student is required to work out of a private residence (house, apartment, etc.) or is paid by an individual without a formal business license.

The Career Connections Center works with select third-party employers to provide students access to employment opportunities.  The Career Connections Center expects all third-party recruiters to follow the policies for all employers requesting the opportunity to recruit students or alumni either through online resources or in-person events or activities including: the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE); local, state and federal ordinances and laws regarding employment; as well as all ethical and legal recruitment standards and principles. Any third-party employer permitted or invited to participate in recruiting Westmoreland students or alumni also agrees to adhere to the recruitment policy listed below. Any reported breach of these policies and/or agreement may result in ending all contact with the third-party employer, deactivation of all online job recruiting accounts, and termination of all access to recruitment services and activities.

Definition of Third-Party Employer

According to NACE, the National Association of Colleges and Employers, third-party recruiters are 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 organizations, and it includes agencies that collect student information to be disclosed to employers for purposes of recruitment and employment.  Examples of third-party employers include:

• Temporary agencies
• Employment agencies
• Contract recruiters
• Search agencies or firms
• Management consultants
• Management consulting companies
• Venture capital firms acting on behalf of their portfolio companies
• Online job posting sites
• Resume referral services

Third-Party Employer Terms and Conditions

Any third-party employer seeking to utilize the recruiting programs or services of the Connections Center must agree to the following:

• No fees will be charged to student or alumni candidate(s) at any time throughout the recruitment or employment process.
• Third-party employers will use Handshake, Westmoreland’s online career management system and recruiting portal, to promote employment information to students and alumni.
• Agree to disclose the name of the client upon request of the Career Connections Center and/or interested students/alumni. Upon request, the Career Connections Center and student/alumni must be able to verify the identity of the client being represented.
• Third-party employers must clearly identify their organization as a third-party employer.  All employment opportunities in Handshake must clearly indicate that the students and/or alumni will be working through a third-party employer.
• As part of its ongoing due diligence review of employers and recruiters, the Career Connections Center may request a list of clients from a third-party employer, if the third-party employer is recruiting for more than one client.  Furthermore, the Career Connections Center will be granted permission to verify this information by contacting the third-party employer’s client institutions and their employees. 
• Third-party employers must only recruit employees for the specifically-stated client or clients they represent and no others.
• Third-party employers will not have access to Handshake to search resumes or identifiable student information except for the sole purpose of recruitment for their client.  Furthermore, any student information or resumes collected for recruitment that are not used or for students who are not hired by the client must be destroyed.
• Third-party employers attending any events hosted by the Career Connections Center will represent employers who have authorized them to recruit on their behalf and will disclose the names of their represented client employers.
• No student information – including resumes or identifiable information - may be collected, shared, sold, or disclosed to any parties by third-party employers except to their specifically stated clients and only and exclusively for the purposes of recruiting employees for said specifically-stated clients, according to the regulations and rights defined by The Family Education Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA).
• All third-party employers and the clients they represent agree to comply with the Principles for Ethical Professional Practice of the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE).
• Third-party employers and the clients they represent must adhere to the Fair Labor Standards Act of the U.S. Department of Labor.
• Westmoreland is an Equal Opportunity Employer.  All third-party employers and the clients they represent must adhere to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) Laws and Regulations. Third-party employers and their clients agree not to discriminate on the basis of race, gender, age, religion, national origin, creed, color, sexual preference or orientation, or ability.

Right of Refusal

The Career Connections Center reserves the right to deny access and participation to any third-party employer for any reason.

In order for commission-only or commission-based positions to be approved, the compensation arrangement must be clearly noted in the job posting. If the Career Connections Center identifies employers with commission-only or commission-based positions that are not clearly disclosing the compensation arrangement in the job description, the employer's job postings will be suspended, their Handshake account may be flagged, and the organization may be prohibited from participating in events.

The following are guidelines employers should follow when extending offers to students. 

• Employers should not put undue pressure on students when making employment decisions regarding employment and internship offers 
  • Allowing students the time to consider through their decisions is beneficial for both students and employers
• With this in mind, we recommend employers adhere to the following:
  • Allow any student a minimum of two weeks to decide on employment and internship offers  
  • When offering students internships/practicums, employers must adhere to the CCC’s Internship/Practicum process which includes completing the student’s Learning Contract and verifying liability insurance. While students typically start their experiences at the start of a semester (Spring, Summer, or Fall), students will not be approved to start their experience until all necessary documentation is complete

Any employers posting opportunities for Westmoreland students or attending Career Connections Center events are asked to report hiring statistics for Westmoreland students. Please contact us regarding all hiring of Westmoreland students and graduates, regardless of employment resource used.

By registering to participate in a Career Connections Center event, you are agreeing to the following:

• By registering, you acknowledge that attending is a commitment and agree to actively participate in the event.

• Westmoreland’s event cancellation policy is consistent across events. All event cancellations should be sent via email to careersFREEWESTMORELAND no later than 2 weeks prior to the event. 

• A "no-show" is defined as an employer who has registered for an event but fails to attend without providing adequate (two weeks) notice.
• In the event of a "no-show" without notice, the following consequences may apply:
  • Suspension from participating in future events hosted by the Career Connections Center for a specific period.
  • Loss of priority registration status for future events.
  • Review and potential removal of the employer's profile from the Career Connections Center Handshake Collections.