Recruiting at NAU
The first step to recruiting at NAU is to set up a Handshake profile. All NAU students and alumni have access to Handshake, our online job platform, and it is the first place we direct students when they inquire about jobs or internships. It is also an easy way to coordinate multiple jobs under one employer and extend your outreach for qualified applicants.
Once you have been approved as an employer, you can follow these instructions to post a job. A bit of advice, don’t create a job posting until your employer account has been approved (we work on approving employers every business day) as it will save you time and duplication.
If you are NAU alumni yourself, please check out our Alumni Engagement team’s website to find other ways to get involved as a Career Mentor, Volunteer, Externship Partner, and more!
General Guidelines
We strive to balance our students’ access to a variety of jobs and internships with mitigating risk to our students and university.
All internships posted must comply with the criteria set forth by the Department of Labor Fair Labor Standards Act (Fact Sheet #71) and the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) position statement on U.S. Internships.
Employer are required to maintain a Handshake Trust score of 71% or higher.
At this time, we cannot approve the following: Accordion Closed
- The job or internship involves any individual or family hiring for in-home health care, in-home child-care, or other in-home services.
- Housing is the sole form of compensation offered in exchange for work.
- The organization requires an initial payment or investment, or other upfront cost required to obtain work.
- Opportunities where an individual could be found to be in debt to the organization for training expenses or to “draw against commission” in lieu of salary in cases where it is alleged that commissions earned failed to cover the amount of the draw.
- Opportunities requiring personal information (e.g. bank and/or social security numbers) when not part of the hiring process.
- Any organization with a current Handshake Trust Score below 71%, or with concerning employer flags.
- Any organization or individual looking to hire day laborers or pay employees cash not in compliance with federal and state taxation guidelines.
- Additional practices included, but not limited to: fraud, misrepresentation, bait and switch tactics, breach of confidentiality, substantiated complaints by or harassment of Northern Arizona University students, alumni or staff.
Network Marketing Policy Accordion Closed
Network marketing organizations and franchises (multi-level marketing companies) are not considered “employers” by NAU Career Development and are not eligible to participate in any employer services.
Such organizations are those that engage in one or more of the following practices:
- Sponsorship of an individual in setting up his/her own business for the purpose of selling products or services and/or recruiting other individuals to set up their own business.
- Requirement of an initial investment from individuals, with the organization itself serving as an umbrella or parent corporation. The initial investment may be a direct payment of a fixed fee, payment to attend an orientation or training session, and/or purchase of a starter kit.
- Compensation is often in the form of straight commission, fees from others under their sponsorship in the organization, and/or a percentage of sales generated by others.
- Requirement of “employee” to collect and deposit their gross paycheck amount from the organization, then holding back money for advertising, promotion, administrative or other back-office costs before the remainder is released as a net paycheck.
Cannabis Policy Accordion Closed
- Although marijuana (cannabis) is legal under certain conditions in the state of Arizona, it is not legal under federal law. To ensure compliance with federal law, Northern Arizona University will not post internship or work opportunities at companies that may possess or come into contact with marijuana products. Additionally, Northern Arizona University will not support internships for credit or non-credit where a student may come into contact with marijuana products (including work with a company’s clients, attendance at marijuana conventions, etc.)
- 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 Schedule 1 federally illicit drug. However, many businesses fall into a gray area including ancillary (e.g. a grow-light manufacturer) businesses, real estate leasing businesses, consumption device and consulting businesses among others. Requests that may involve ancillary businesses connected to the marijuana industry will be reviewed to ensure compliance with state and federal law. NAU is committed to the ongoing protection of student access and eligibility for federal financial aid.
- Medical research projects involving marijuana must comply with A.R.S. § 15-108(A)
Additional Review Accordion Closed
The following opportunities will receive an additional layer of review. NAU reserves the right to decline these opportunities if a concern exists:
- Door-to-door sales.
- Any job or internship involving in-home health care or other in-home services.
- Marketing goods and services directly to university students, including Brand Ambassador programs.
- International opportunities.
- Third Party Staffing Agencies
- Third Party Employers and Staffing Agencies must identify themselves as such in their Handshake profile and in each job posting. Career Development defines third party recruiters as agencies, organizations, or individuals recruiting candidates for temporary, part-time, or full-time employment opportunities for other organizations rather than for internal positions.
Employers must be approved in Handshake to be sponsored by a Career Development office to recruit on campus. Scheduling through the University Unions is an alternate option. We request that any classroom visit be scheduled through a Career Development office, or directly through faculty. Unregistered organizations or individuals that appear in classrooms unannounced may be asked to leave campus.