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Employer Policies

UNC Charlotte Career Center Employer Policies

UNC Charlotte’s Career Center aligns its services with the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) Principles for Ethical Professional Practice. Employers utilizing UNC Charlotte's Career Center services must adhere to these principles, which emphasize fairness, transparency, and compliance with legal standards.

Key Employer Requirements

  • Contact Information: Provide a valid organizational email address. Personal email addresses (e.g., Gmail, Yahoo) are not accepted unless the company name is included and publicly listed on the company website.
  • Business Location: Employers must have a verifiable physical business address. Residential or P.O. Box addresses are not accepted unless the position is a virtual internship.
  • Marketing Materials: All marketing materials must be approved by the Career Center.
  • Recruiting Policies: Employers must comply with all Career Center policies and applicable laws.
  • Non-Discrimination: Adhere to UNC Charlotte's non-discrimination policy, which prohibits discrimination based on race, color, religion, age, national origin, disability, political affiliation, veteran status, genetic information, sex, sexual orientation, gender expression, or gender identity.

Prohibited Job Postings

  • Unpaid Internships.
  • Commission-based part-time jobs or internships.
  • Multi-level or pyramid marketing opportunities.
  • Positions requiring students to work from a private residence or a residential/P.O. Box address.=
  • In-home care or in-home employment with private individuals (e.g., babysitting, senior companions, housekeeping).
  • Positions requiring students to pay money upfront or fees to be employed.
  • Positions that violate copyright or intellectual property guidelines.
  • Positions soliciting organ donations, blood donations, or clinical drug trials/studies.
  • Positions soliciting illegal or fraudulent activities.
  • Third-party organizations recruiting for international positions or international third-party organizations.

Failure to adhere to these policies may result in the loss of recruiting privileges, including restricted access to student and event resources, and cancellation of on-campus events.

For a comprehensive understanding, pleaser refer to the NACE Principles for Ethical Professional Practice. 

The Career Center allows employers interested in posting positions to recruit UNC Charlotte students and alumni to post the following types of opportunities: 

  • Full-time Jobs (both those requiring a degree and those not requiring a degree);
  • Part-time Jobs;
  • Temporary and Seasonal; and
  • Internships (PAID only); and
  • Co-ops. 

Commission-based positions may be posted only if they are full-time, post-graduate career opportunities. Comission-based part-time or internship opportunities will not be posted. 

Employers must clearly disclose in both the "Salary Level" section and the job description that compensation is partially or fully commission-based, specifying the percentage if applicable. If no base salary is provided, the form of compensation must be clearly stated. Positions requiring compensation for recruiting others are prohibited. 

The Career Center reserves the right to deny a posting, discontinue access, and terminate an employer account at any time. See Employer Policies for more information. 

The Career Center invites employer organizations to register for career fairs and recruiting events provided they meet the following basic criteria:
 

  • The organization has or expects to have one or more  internship, co-op, part-time, temporary/seasonal, or full-time opportunities of a professional nature.
  • The organization must meet all of the Career Center’s employer requirements and must have an approved employer account in Hire-A-Niner.
  • The Career Center reserves the right to deny access and participation in career fairs and recruiting events to any organization.
  • All decisions concerning registration of companies and organizations are made at the Career Center’s sole discretion.

Remote Job Guidelines

To post a remote/virtual job through the Career Center, employers must include the following: 

  • Job Title: Include the word “remote or virtual” (e.g., “Remote Tutor”);
  • Work Location: Students must not work from the employer's home;
  • Position Description: Provide detailed job requirements, including virtual communication methods and frequency.
  • Employer Status: Be an established, licensed business or nonprofit. Provide evidence such as a physical location, website, organizational email, history of offering paid employment, listed telephone number, and Tax ID number.
  • Work Management Tools: Offer a virtual platform like Zoom or Teams for managing projects and saving work. Students should not store work material on personal computers.
  • Cost to Students: There should be no costs to students to perform or complete the virtual job.
  • Reporting: Require a weekly email report detailing progress, hours worked, issues encountered, and any questions for the supervisor.
  • Meetings: Conduct weekly virtual meetings on Zoom or Teams. If not possible, a phone call should be scheduled.
  • Meeting Locations: Employer/student meetings cannot occur in a private residence or secluded space. If your organization has the ability to meet at a co-working facility, you can meet with a student in that business environment (e.g., Hygge, We Work, Packard Place, Advent Co-Working).
  • Compensation: All undergraduate job opportunities must be paid positions. Commission positions are not approved unless it is a base pay, plus commission.
  • Compliance: Employers must comply with all other employer policies found at career.charlotte.edu/employers/policies.

By adhering to these guidelines, employers can provide valuable virtual job opportunities that enhance students' learning experiences and professional development.

Through the Hire-A-Niner recruiting platform, the Career Center serves as a hub for collecting and distributing postings of all experiential learning opportunities like internships + co-ops for the entire University, in order to provide a fair and equitable way for all students to access opportunities.

Internship Criteria

  • All internships must be paid. We do not post or promote unpaid internships in accordance with the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE). Read NACE's Position Statement on Unpaid Internships;
  • Internships are an extension of the classroom, a learning experience that allows fstudents to apply knowledge;
  • Skills and knowledge learned in the internship should be transferrable to other employment settings;
  • Internships must have clearly defined beginnings, ends, and a job description with desired qualifications;
  • Internships require clearly-defined learning objectives /goals related to the goals of the student's academic course of study;
  • Internships should include mentorship/supervision by a professional with expertise and an educational background related to the work;
  • Routine feedback should be given to the intern; and
  • The employer must provide resources, equipment, and facilities that support student learning objectives/goals.

Cooperative Education (Co-op) 

Cooperative Education (Co-op) is a paid, primarily full-time, career-related opportunity allowing students to gain professional experience before graduation. Co-ops commit to multiple semesters and receive higher levels of responsibility and training than participation in internships.Co-op opportunities are available to Charlotte students in the College of Computing and Informatics, William States Lee College of Engineering, and the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences.  More Informaton about Co-ops

Curricular Practical Training refers to employment that is related to a student’s major field of study and is required as part of the student’s degree program, is necessary to fulfill a course requirement, or otherwise is an integral component of the student's curriculum for which academic credit is required. Curricular Practical Training (CPT) is only available to F-1 visa students who are enrolled as a full-time student for at least nine consecutive months. The only exception is for graduate students who must begin a required practicum or internship immediately upon entering their Program of Study.

CPT can be authorized for part-time employment (20 hours per week or less) or full-time employment (more than 20 hours per week). Students who accumulate one year or more of full-time CPT are not eligible for Optional Practical Training (a separate program), which is usually authorized after the completion of a degree program. Authorization for CPT must be renewed each semester a student wishes to continue employment. (Students are only allowed to work 20 hours/week when they are enrolled full-time.) Summer internships may be 40 hours/week. The physical location of employment may not exceed a radius of 1-1.5 hour(s) drive time from the University (except in summer).

The Career Center requires 5 business days to review work authorization requests from the date the student accurately completes their submission in Hire-A-Niner. The International Student and Scholar Office will require an additional 5 business days (for a total of 10 business days) to review and approve a student's opportunity and issue a new I-20 or DS-2019.

To apply for CPT, a student will require a written job offer letter (on company letterhead) containing the prospective CPT employer’s name, CPT job title, semester start and end dates of employment, number of hours, and physical location of employment.

The Career Center encourages employers to think of unique and exciting ways to engage students and build brand awareness on-campus. We are happy to work with you to maximize and customize your recruitment strategy. 

Recruiting events are defined as any activity where company-specific information is provided including, but not limited to, details about company culture and opportunities. Recruting Events are open to all employers registered in Hire-A-Niner interested in recruiting UNC Charlotte students and alumni. Events can include presentations, informational sessions, meetings, club events, networking events, and dinners. Events and programming to student clubs must be approved by the office. Presentations and events must be open to all students and alumni.

Third-Party Employers

According to the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), third-party employers are defined as:

“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, and it includes agencies that collect student information to be disclosed to employers for purposes of recruitment and employment.”

Third-Party Employer Policies at UNC Charlotte

  • Physical Business Address: Employers must have a verifiable physical business address.
  • Job Postings: Positions may be posted in Hire-A-Niner, provided all fees are employer-paid, and no costs are passed to students or alumni. Employers must disclose the name of the organization and position(s) being recruited for; this information will be viewable by Career Center staff only.
  • On-Campus Interviews: Participation is allowed if the schedule is submitted via Hire-A-Niner and linked to a job posting. The use of on-campus recruiting space for interviews is only open to UNC Charlotte students and alumni.
  • Co-Working Spaces: If operating from such spaces, employers must disclose this on the Hire-A-Niner registration form and update the Career Center on any location changes.
  • Compliance: Organizations must adhere to the Career Center's guidelines and the NACE Principles for Ethical Professional Practice.

Failure to comply with these policies may result in revocation of recruiting privileges.

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA) applies to any school that receives federal funding. Students who have consented to share their resumes through the Resume Books feature in Hire-A-Niner are doing so exclusively for the purpose of being considered for approved recruitment opportunities by employers
 

UNC Charlotte expects employers to follow the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) Principles for Ethical Professional Practice when extending internship offers. Providing students with a reasonable timeframe to evaluate offers, supports informed decision-making and fosters positive experiences for both students and employers. This approach aims to reduce instances of offer reneging and turnover.

The Career Center team coaches students and alumni to conduct their job search professionally which includes: 

  • Ending their job search once they have accepted an offer;
  • Informing their top-choice employer and requesting more time to make a decision if there are multiple offers; and 

  • Honoring an accepted offer and not reneging, as it damages not only the student's professional reputation but also that of UNC Charlotte. 

    International Students

    Once you accept an offer requiring work authorization (like CPT) and begin that process with the Career Center and ISSO, you will not be eligible for new authorizations if you renege. Your job search should end once authorization is secured.