A primary objective of Walton Career Services (WCS) and the University of Arkansas Career Development Center (UACDC) is to support employers in their efforts to recruit and hire UA students. We consider this a partnership effort with a common goal of achieving the best match between the individual student and the employing organization.

The WCS and UACDC will act in accordance with the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) Principles of Professional Conduct for Career Services, and we expect that employers will abide by these principles in their interactions with us, the University, our students and alumni.

If our professional staff determine that additional information must be collected before approving an employer request and/or job posting, the employer will be placed into pending status and will receive a request for more information.

All employers requesting access to post jobs and internships at the University of Arkansas via our Handshake software must first go through a manual approval process facilitated by professional staff in WCS and the UACDC. Employers are typically approved within 48 hours (2 business days) or put into pending status (to gather additional information with a response requested in 7 business days). Click here for more information regarding creating a profile in Handshake.

 

The Walton Career Services and the UA Career Center retain the discretion to approve or deny employers' access. The following are some of the criteria considered for employer approval:

• Employers must operate in congruence with the University policy of Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action** and do not discriminate on the basis of age, race, color, religion, sex, handicap, national origin, or any other characteristic protected under applicable federal or state law. An employer or agency using the services of Career Services understands that compliance with all related federal and state statutes and regulations is required for initiation or continuance of Career Services.
• If there is a Handshake Trust Score associated with the employer, the score must be 80% or above. (If a company is new to Handshake, they will not have a Trust Score, so further investigation will be required.)
• Approvals and denials at other schools utilizing Handshake will also factor into the employer approval decision. (For example, a low number of approvals would require further investigation and potentially a decline.)
• Employers must have valid websites that communicate the function of their business.
• The company/organization must be a legitimate established business located in a commercial space - not a WeWork, shared space, or home address. Full address must be listed in the contact information.
• If an employer contact has a Gmail/Yahoo/Hotmail address, rather than a corporate address that matches the corporate domain, the employer will typically be declined unless connected with a regionally-based startup (AR, MO, OK, KS, TX, LA, TN).
• We do not approve any startup that is not based regionally. Startups working with the University of Arkansas Career Center, Directors of Employer Relations at the University of Arkansas, Career Specialists, the Sam M. Walton College of Business or have an existing relationship with Start-up Junkie or Grit Studios are typically approved.
• We do not approve personal 'employers' or 'Personal Ads,' seeking i.e. babysitters, nannies, home care, personal assistants, etc.
• We do not approve employers who require any type of payment or investment - with the organization itself serving as an umbrella or parent corporation. Investments of this type may include, but are not limited to: requirement to attend unpaid orientation or training sessions; direct payment of a fixed fee; direct payment to be placed into a job or internship, requirement to pay an application fee, payment to attend orientation or training sessions; and/or purchase or rental of a starter kit, sales kit, samples, or presentation supplies.
• We do not approve employers selling class notes/quizzes/tests/textbooks/ etc. - even with an acceptable Trust Score.

The Drug Free Schools and Communities Act 1989 (DFSCA) provides, "as a condition of receiving funds or any form of financial assistance under any Federal program, an institution of Higher Education must certify that it has adopted and implemented a program to prevent the unlawful possession, use, or distribution of illicit drugs or alcohol by students and employees." Further, under the DFSCA, institutions of Higher Education must employ "standards of conduct that clearly prohibit, at a minimum, the unlawful possession, use, or distribution of illicit drugs and alcohol by students and employees on its property or as part of its activities."

Dispensaries (i.e. retail shops), cultivators or manufacturers of THC infused edibles are examples of businesses that directly work with marijuana, a federally illicit drug. However, we realize many businesses are ancillary (e.g. a grow-light manufacturer) or work indirectly with marijuana. Businesses that are ancillary include real estate leasing businesses, consumption device and consulting businesses among others. Ancillary businesses that do not work directly with marijuana will most likely be able to recruit here, if the business meets other UA Career Services' standards of employer vetting.

In order to ensure compliance with federal law, Career Services will not promote internships or work opportunities at companies that may possess or come into contact directly or indirectly with marijuana products. Additionally, Career Services will not host internships for credit where a student may come into contact directly or indirectly with marijuana products (including work with a company's clients, attendance at marijuana conventions, ancillary businesses, etc.).

1. Third-party recruiters will provide information about their operations and services to WCS and the UACDC for candidate review.
2. It will be the responsibility of the candidate to contact the third-party recruiter. Candidate names and/or information concerning candidates will not be released to third-party recruiters unless candidates provide a written release, signed and dated by the candidate, for that specific agency. Federal law requires that confidential letters not be shared with candidates.
3. The WCS and the UACDC will promote the job and pertinent information through our usual job posting media. The third-party recruiters will be listed as the contact and identified as an employment agency.
4. If a third party-recruiter wishes to interview candidates on campus or attend career fairs, that recruiter will agree to abide by the above policies and to identify the represented employer(s) to WCS and the UACDC potential University interviewees. Third-party recruiters who elect to interview on campus should understand that the candidate information provided by WCS and the UACDC is to be used exclusively for the employer(s) so identified.

If approved, an employer may post a job or internship* that is targeted to U of A students for free. In order to post and have the position approved by the WCS or UACDC staff, it must meet the following standards:

1. The company/organization must first be approved by one of our Career Centers using the process listed above.
2. The job posting accurately describes the responsibilities and requirements of all posted positions.
3. The job posting provides essential information concerning the nature of the position and compensation, including, but not limited to: commission only, job responsibilities, salary, and applicant requirements.
4. The job posting lists in the position description if a position is "commission only" and clearly publicizes this in the "Salary Level" fields.
5. The posted job pays at least the State of Arkansas' minimum wage if the position is indicated as "paid" (calculated over any time scale such as hourly, weekly, semi-monthly, monthly or annually).
6. The job posting does not require information from candidates that could act as an unlawful screening criteria, such as a photo or access to social media, unless it can be proven that it is related to the job.
7. If the position is a paid or unpaid internship, it must meet the following U.S. Department of Labor's "Primary Beneficiary Test"

*An internship is a form of experiential learning that integrates knowledge and theory learned in the classroom with practical application and skills development in a professional setting. Internships give students the opportunity to gain valuable applied experience and make connections in professional fields they are considering for career paths; and give employers the opportunity to guide and evaluate talent (NACE, 2017).

**The University of Arkansas is an equal opportunity institution committed to the principle of equal opportunity in education and employment, in compliance with Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Title VI and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Age Discrimination Act of 1975, and other federal, state, and local laws. The University is committed to providing equal opportunity for all students and applicants for admission and for all employees and applicants for employment regardless of race, age, gender, sex (including pregnancy), religion, national origin, marital or parental status, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or any other characteristic protected under applicable federal or state law.

Consequently, we will not post any positions that include discriminatory qualifications. If you believe that your job posting meets the "bona fide occupational qualification" standard, please notify our office of this prior to posting the position.