Adherence to National and State Guidelines

As a member of the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), Wellesley Career Education adheres to the NACE Principles for Career Services and Employment Professionals. All employers who wish to partner with us will be expected to review and follow all NACE Principles for Ethical Professional Practice, the Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Recruitment and Employment Guidelines, and the laws established by the federal government and the state of Massachusetts. These guidelines are a reflection of these national standards.

Non-Discrimination Policy

Wellesley College is committed to providing equal opportunity in employment and education to all employees, students, and applicants and to making its programs and campus accessible and compliant with all applicable nondiscrimination laws. No employee or student shall be discriminated against or harassed on the basis of race, religion, color, sex, age, ethnic or national origin or ancestry, veteran status, physical or mental disability, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, genetic information, veteran or military status, membership in Uniformed Services, or any category protected by applicable state and federal laws. See Commitment to Non-Discrimination.

Therefore, Wellesley Career Education will not tolerate illegal discrimination in any form. Any acts of such discrimination by representatives will be reported to the hiring company or organization.

Scheduling Interviews

Employer partners are welcome to request a virtual or an in-person interview schedule through Handshake for their first-round interview processes. If you are interested in conducting first-round interviews on campus, please contact us at recruiting@wellesley.edu. For second-round or other interview schedules administered outside of Handshake, employers are asked to make every effort to accommodate candidates’ class and first-round interviews schedules. Please demonstrate reasonable flexibility by providing student candidates with alternate dates for an interview when possible. Employers may not assign students an interview time slot without first offering options. 

Offer Policy and Decision Timeline

Reasonable efforts should be made on the part of employers to allow students adequate time for evaluating internship and full time job opportunities. Likewise, students are also coached by Career Education on the importance of evaluating their offers carefully and promptly, and declining additional recruiting opportunities in the form of interviews, applications, and offers once they have accepted an initial offer.

Below is our best practice recommendation regarding offer timelines; however, we encourage all employers to present students with a reasonable amount of time in which they are able to assess and accept offers. We also recommend that employers consider extending offer timelines when necessary as well as keep an open line of communication with students throughout the entire offer/acceptance process.

Former Interns: Students who are offered a full-time position (or another internship) after completing an internship should have until November 1 or two weeks after receiving the written offer, whichever is later, to accept or decline. This allows students time to participate in fall on-campus recruiting if they so choose.​

Fall Recruiting for Summer 2024 Opportunities: Students who are offered full-time or internship positions during the fall semester should have until November 1 or at least two weeks from receipt of the written offer, whichever is later, to accept/decline.

Spring Recruiting for Summer 2024 Opportunities: Students who are offered full-time or internship positions during the spring semester should have at least two weeks from receipt of the written offer to accept/decline.

For opportunities that begin in 2025 or for other offer circumstances that fall outside of these guidelines, please contact our office for consultation at recruiting@wellesley.edu. 

Exploding Offers: Participating companies should not pressure students into accepting so-called exploding offers. Career Education defines exploding offers as those that require a student to reply within an unusually short period of time (example: one day), has a special incentive for early acceptance, or any practices that improperly influences and affects job offer acceptances.

Confidentiality

Participating companies are expected to maintain the confidentiality of all student and alumnae information. All materials received from our students and alumnae (letters, resumes, transcripts, via email or hard copy), should be shared only with those persons at your firm involved in the hiring process. Sharing information about a candidate with another organization is not acceptable unless the company receives prior written consent from the candidate.

Reporting New Hire Data

When requested by Career Education staff, participating companies will supply information regarding students who have been hired to fill full-time, internship, or other related positions. Requested information may include but is not limited to the student’s name, title and division or unit within the organization, the geographic location of the position, the employment start date, and the compensation.

Employment Agencies, Staffing Agencies, and Third-Party Recruiters

Our policy prohibits employment agencies, staffing agencies, and third-party recruiters from recruiting through Wellesley College Career Education. In addition, job postings will not be approved on Handshake.

Alcohol Policy

Use of alcohol by candidates as part of the recruitment process, on- or off-campus, is strictly prohibited.

Inclement Weather and Institute Closings

Wellesley Career Education will follow Wellesley’s protocol about inclement weather and emergency closings. Up-to-date information on closing decisions can be found on the Severe Weather Update page at www.wellesley.edu/info/emergency.

Consequences for Recruiting Policy Violations

Career Education will evaluate recruiting policy violations by employers on a case by case basis. Consequences of a violation may include:

• Loss of access to Wellesley’s career management platform, Handshake.
• Loss of on campus recruitment privileges such as hosting events and conducting interviews.
• Flagging severe violations on Handshake. This flag may impact Employer Trust Scores, which are seen in the violating employer’s Handshake profile across all institutions.

Career Education reserves the right to refuse service to participating companies for violations of these policies, as well as reasons including but not limited to:

• Failure to comply with the national and state guidelines listed above.
• Misrepresentation of employer information.
• Complaints by students and alumnae.
• Harassment of Wellesley students, alumnae, staff or faculty.

Policy Changes & Updates

These policies will be reviewed annually and may be subject to change at Wellesley Career Education’s discretion. When reasonably practicable, prior to revising this document, employer feedback will be sought and considered. Employer partners will be notified of revisions and of when they will be applicable.

Changes and/or updates to these policies can be made without notice. 

Please note that Career Education reserves the right to evaluate exceptions to this policy based on industry-specific trends, research, and expert consultation. Contact our office if you have questions about this policy.