Summer is not a break from issues

There have been several questions lately regarding withdrawn job offers. As unfortunate as those are, typically employers offer some compensation for lost wages and inconvenience to the student. The student is rightfully disappointed, but if there is no job available, the employer is not bound to provide one. Employers should extend offers in good faith with full intention to hire and withdraw offers only as a last resort.

There is a great resource on the NACE website, A Position Statement on Rescinded and Deferred Employment Offers,", that offers some help in dealing with these difficult situations. As always, the key is communication – students and employers need to stay in contact through the employment process. Career services can help facilitate that communication and offer advice to students struggling with delayed or withdrawn job offers. I wish this was an issue we never had to address – whether it be the employer pulling back the offer or the student accepting and then rejecting the job offer.

Chris Timm, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Principles for Professional Practice Committee Chair

NACE conference

I’m getting excited for the NACE Conference next week. Members of the Principles committee will have a session on Wednesday, June 10th at 3 pm. This is a chance to learn about the Principles, explore some issues we have seen this year, and also to bring up your own issues. Committee members have presented in other conferences this year: SoACE, TennesseeACE, GeorgiaACE, and Houston Drive-In. We’ll be at the MidwestACE conference in August.

Although there are some common or recurring issues, there are always new issues that come up. If someone else is seeing it, it likely won’t be long until others start seeing the same issue. Thank you to everyone who helps us all keep up to date on ethical issues.

If you come to the conference, we hope to see you at our session. If you aren’t able to come to the session (or aren’t able to attend the conference), many of the resources are available at the NACE website. I’m just glad to have all of these resources to help me (and you!).

Chris Timm, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Principles for Professional Practice Committee Chair

Suspicious Job Postings

Don’t know what all you are seeing, but we are seeing more suspicious type job postings. Unfortunately in a tight economy, some prey on others with these great opportunities to “make lots of money” while actually putting in very little time or training. I can understand the appeal, who wouldn’t want to earn six figures for just an hour or two a week? Unfortunately, our cash-strapped students and even working adults are needing the extra income.

Obviously some of these opportunities are fake, there is no real employer and no real job. But in some of the others, there probably is great potential to earn, if you last long enough or work hard enough. The May 13,2009 NACE Spotlight highlighted the article - Considering an Opportunity to Work as an Independent Contractor? Top 10 Frequently Asked Questions which is a great resource for students (and also staff).

How far do we go in “protecting” our students? Our students also learn about opportunities outside of our offices. Even for those that come directly to our offices, we have the staff to thoroughly check out every single opportunity. Even if we did, sometimes great opportunities aren't so great and some poor opportunities turn out to be great. The Principles for Career Services Professionals says we will assist individuals in developing a career plan without imposing personal values or biases and that we will provide students with information on a range of career opportunities and types of organizations. So I guess I do my best to help others interpret the facts as they are presented but encourage caution. And maybe someday, a long lost relative really will seek me out to handle a transaction for thirteen million dollars and I’ll be ready.

Chris Timm, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Principles for Professional Practice Committee Chair

Company visits

Last year at the NACE conference, members talked about “company visits” and whether they were like controversial financial aid “kickbacks.” Some were on campuses where they were told they could not go on a company visit. Employers logically want to show their organization in its “natural habitat.” When I’ve had the opportunity to visit an employer, I obviously learn about that specific organization. But I also think it helps me be more effective with students – “this is what it looks to be an industrial engineer or account representative.” I also think it helps me better understand the industry – “so these are issues that face the trucking industry.” Then I understand more about competitors and all of those industries that are affected by changes in one industry. Our employer visits have included gracious hosts and maybe lunch. But we were not getting huge dollars or expensive gifts with implied promises to deliver students.

I truly wish I had more opportunities to get out into the “real-world.” We try and get staff out to do some on-site visits. But it becomes a chicken-egg thing; if some campuses prohibit company visits then companies won’t allow campuses to visit. And I would hate to have those opportunities gone. I’m intrigued by those organizations that allow you to “try out” a different career for a few days. I love my job, but am glad I had the chance to be in the 18-wheeler simulator, to see the technology center of a railroad, and to tour a facility that makes onion rings, mozzarella sticks, and jalapeño poppers.

Chris Timm, University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Principles for Professional Practice Committee Chair

Internship Programs for a Fee

Last week was Spring break in Nebraska, can't get any better than this! Well, actually our students try and head out to warmer or more exotic places. They just don’t realize how exotic Nebraska can be! It made me think about our students who are interested in interning abroad or even in a different geographic location. There have been more of those “internship for a fee” type programs contacting our office.

A few months ago the committee talked about the rise of internship programs that have a fee associated with student participation. In fact, the January 28, 2009 Wall Street Journal talked about these types of programs (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123310699999022549.html). Some campuses have formal relationships that promote these types of fee based internship programs while other campuses do not endorse such programs and do not allow them to post opportunities.

I’ve heard both sides – some students have a wonderful experience and find it worth every dime. Others paid a fee that was not refundable or wondered if they could have gotten the internship without paying a program fee. But students hear in their academic departments how important it is to make connections, to have global experiences, etc. So parents might see these programs as the best way to make that happen.

I know there is no way that my office could have all of those global connections so I’m glad there are options. Our role, I guess, is back to the education – helping students (and their families) learn about options. Maybe I just wish I was a world traveler who could talk about these possible experiences with some level of confidence. So, if there is a world tour, with no cost to me, sign me up! (Or maybe I should be watching the Travel Channel more often…)

Chris Timm, University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Principles for Professional Practice Committee Chair

Choosing our online “friends”

I, as several of our staff, have a Facebook account. I mostly did it so I understood what students were talking about, but now I find that I enjoy catching up with friends and family (and keeping up with my daughters). As an office, we’ve been increasingly using LinkedIn and I have an account there. I also have a Ning account through an academic connection. So now with me blogging and social networking, hopefully I’m a really cool mom.

A colleague at another institution posed a great question a few weeks ago, “Is it okay to “link in” with recruiters? What about linking up with students? Only some students? If students can access your links to recruiters and you don’t link up with all students are they being denied access to an employment network (NACE principle #6)? How much information should we share via our own profiles? Anything we want? How should we respond to requests for ‘recommendations’? “

I have thought about that, I’ve had students who I briefly met ask to be my friend” and recruiters asking me to “link” with them. What does that friendship mean? Do I want them to know my favorite movie or that I’m fighting a cold? Do I care that they are short of sleep or just bought a new coat? It seems rude to “ignore” a request – I don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings. Does that person who is asking to be my friend really want me, for me, to be their friend or are they hoping for an inside track to opportunities? I think this is an area that we may need to be developing internal policies – just as some of our K-12 people are doing telling teachers to not have students as Facebook friends.

Chris Timm, University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Principles for Professional Practice Committee Chair

Unpaid internships

This last year my office started posting volunteer and service learning opportunities through collaboration with our student involvement office. We’ve been excited to reach a whole new group of employers and to have more opportunities to present to students. But lately I’ve been seeing volunteer positions that almost seem to be replacing regular staff. For example, a government office asking for volunteer receptionists and office help. In my mind I can justify us listing the position if it helps expose that student to particular fields and to develop networking contacts. But some of these just don’t seem like that would happen.

In this tighter economy, we have parents wanting their child to get good paying part-time jobs. But when those parents contact us as employers, they want a lot of assistance for free. I know there are considerations related to the Fair Labor Standards Act and many NACE resources related to unpaid interns. All of the legal issues aside, I just don’t want students to be taken advantage of nor workers to be displaced by free labor.

Chris Timm, University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Principles for Professional Practice Committee Chair