Be in the Know: Employer Policies and Guidelines

Did you know that ECS has a list of policies and guidelines that we expect our employers to follow? The purpose for this is to promote a fair and equitable recruiting experience for our employers AND our students. It’s important for you, as a job seeker, to familiarize yourself with the ECS Recruiting Guidelines/Policies. Understanding the guidelines could possibly help you to negotiate an offer, and knowledge of our policies can help you identify unethical recruiting practices.

Some information worth knowing:

Co-op and Internship Program Policies:

ECS has developed a comprehensive list of policies with our expectations of employers who recruit and hire our engineering students for co-op and internship opportunities. This includes providing accurate job information, offering meaningful assignments, providing a written offer letter, and assigning a supervisor prior to the work term. During the first week, we expect companies to orient students to policies and procedures, give necessary safety training to students, and assign specific goals and objectives. By the end of the term, they should provide timely notification of eligibility for return assignments, opportune performance feedback, and the chance for the student to provide feedback about his/her experience. Our expectations remain the same for remote internships. If your experience is not meeting these expectations, we recommend you proactively discuss your concerns with your supervisor and/or human resources. 

Employer Account Policy and Job Postings Policies and Guidelines:

Please know that ECS does its best to vet the employers and jobs that are posted on Handshake. We have specific criteria for employers who want to recruit here as well as for the jobs that are posted. If you ever notice a job or company in Handshake that does not seem legitimate, please notify us immediately so that we can investigate.

Offer Guidelines:

Check out this page to understand the timeframes we encourage employers to give students when making a decision whether to accept or decline an offer. As a general rule, we recommend 3 weeks. This page also includes information regarding offer extension considerations and our stance on rescinded offers and student reneges.

Unpaid Position Guidelines:

On a whole, ECS does not encourage students to take unpaid internships.  We tell employers that it is their responsibility to review the United States Department of Labor Fair Labor Standard Act and determine if their position is in compliance with federal law. If you receive an offer for an unpaid position, we recommend that you come in to ECS to discuss and evaluate.

If you are ever in a situation in which you feel like an employer has violated one of our policies or you have questions about a guideline, please feel free to contact ECS. As always, we are here for you!

“Work smart, stay informed, never give up, and great things will happen.” – Ziad K. Abdelnour