Hiatt Career Center: Employers

The Hiatt Career Center provides programming on evaluating and negotiating job offers so students can feel more comfortable and confident when responding to potential employers.

It is required that offers made to students are honored and that no conditions/ pressures are placed as it can result in reneging on the offer.

See NACE’s Reasonable Offer Deadline Guidelines for best practices.

Third-party recruiters, and internship and job placement organizations that charge fees to students will not be permitted access to the services of the Hiatt Career Center. Positions will be approved if the organization they are recruited for is provided. Hiatt follows the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) policies on third-party recruiters:

NACE defines "third-party recruiters" 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. The term “third-party recruiters” refers to but is not limited to employment agencies, staffing services, temporary agencies, online job boards, recruiters, and contractors. Representatives from these companies may post under the following conditions:

• They must fully disclose to the Center the name of the client that the third-party recruiter is representing and to whom the students’ credentials will be disclosed.

• They must keep all student information obtained confidential unless receiving additional written student consent. This standard complies with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).

• They must not retain any student resumes for future placement unless given additional student written consent.

They must not charge a fee to the applicant.

For Brandeis sponsored programs, including career fairs, treks, interviews, information sessions, and other employer sessions, the Hiatt Career Center does not promote or authorize companies that are 100% commission-based to participate. Employers are authorized to post general job opportunities in Handshake.

Brandeis University's career centers will not accept companies or positions involved with the use, production, testing, or distribution of recreational or medical marijuana. As the use of marijuana is illegal at the federal level and Brandeis receives federal funds, we must comply with federal law. In addition, the use of marijuana violates the Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act and continues to be banned on campus.

Babysitting, caretaking, or similar roles will no longer be posted unless the person is a current Brandeis affiliate or can get a current Brandeis affiliate to vouch for them.

To assist in the mentoring and reflection process, we recommend the student and employer have a formalized letter of offer and/or learning agreement in place before the internship commences. This greatly enhances the quality of the student’s work and overall experience. In addition, we recommend these guidelines:

• A minimum of 100 hours of substantive, on-site work

• A minimum of 6 weeks during the summer or 10 weeks during the fall/spring semesters

• Clear learning goals based upon mutually agreed upon learning outcomes

• Clear expectations for supervision

• Opportunities for the student to reflect on their learning and experience

Internships at Brandeis can be paid or unpaid, however, Brandeis strongly encourages employers to compensate interns to cultivate a more competitive applicant pool. Solely offering unpaid internships often excludes highly qualified students, as they may only be considering paid opportunities. Under the Federal Labor Standards Act, employees may not volunteer services to for-profit, private sector employers. For more information about the Department of Labor's criteria for unpaid internships, review NACE’s position statement, the DOL's primary beneficiary test for internships, and Internship Programs Under The Fair Labor Standards Act Fact Sheet.

Brandeis acknowledges that some organizations require unpaid interns to earn credit for their internship. Brandeis strongly encourages its students to connect their internships to their liberal arts courses, but please note: academic credit is awarded for the completion of an internship course that is associated with an internship, not the internship experience itself. 

Internship courses are optional and not available in all academic areas.