Guidelines for Ethical Recruitment & Community Partnership
Co-op, Career & Experiential Education (CCEE) at Brock University is committed to delivering a comprehensive, inclusive and non-discriminatory suite of services in relation to student and new graduate employment, experiential learning opportunities including co-op hiring, and career preparation. We are a member of the Canadian Association of Career Educators and Employers (CACEE) and Co-op Education & Work Integrated Learning (CEWIL) Canada and adhere to guidelines set out by both organizations in delivering quality experiences for students and maintaining ethical recruitment practices related to student and new graduate employment. We hold ourselves and our employer/community partners accountable to these expectations through the following practices.
Employer/Community Partner Terms & Conditions
Employers and community partners that are working with CCEE must employ ethical recruitment practices that adhere to the Employment Standards Act 2000, Ontario Human Rights Code, Brock University Respectful Work & Learning Environment policy and the terms outlined here.
Refusal of Service
CCEE reserves the right to refuse any person or organization use of its services for reasons including, but not limited to:
- Non-compliance with the terms and conditions outlined in this document;
- Incorrect, incomplete or misleading information related to an organization and/or employment or experiential opportunity;
- Human rights, discrimination or safety concerns;
- Payment default or overdue accounts for event or service fees;
- Non–compliance with federal or provincial legislation;
- Promotion of inappropriate or fraudulent employment or experiential opportunities;
- Behaviour or conduct that is unethical or deemed contrary to CCEE’s values and/or equity, diversity & inclusion recruitment practices
On-Campus Recruitment
Employers who are visiting campus or hosting virtual sessions to engage with Brock students are expected to work with CCEE staff in the following ways:
- Table bookings in high-traffic campus hallways must be approved/arranged in advance by CCEE staff to ensure proper campus protocols are being followed and promotional efforts are being maximized with the intended audience.
- Employer showcases and information sessions (in-person or virtual) must be booked through CCEE staff with at least 3 weeks-notice between booking date and anticipated session date. Relevant session details and marketing materials must be provided to CCEE staff a minimum of 2 weeks prior to the confirmed session date. All promotional materials must adhere to CCEE’s equity, diversity & inclusion recruitment practices.
- Employers must have an active CareerZone account and must post their job on CareerZone if they are actively recruiting at the time of their on-campus (or virtual) engagement.
- Employers will respect and adhere to our cancellation protocol if they are no longer able to attend an on-campus or virtual event. CCEE provides employers/partners with a cancellation timeline and refund procedure when they register for an event. For individual bookings (including information sessions, employer showcases, CareerZone takeovers and table talks), employers will provide advance notice of any change to their planned booking and will work with CCEE to reschedule or determine an alternative option, if needed.
- If Brock University closes due to inclement weather or other circumstances beyond the university’s control and an employer event/session is subsequently cancelled, Brock will not issue refunds for any deposits and/or payments made towards the booking/registration of the on-campus engagement. Rescheduling of employer events/sessions that are impacted by an unexpected university closure will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
CCEE prohibits the following recruitment strategies on campus:
- Entering lecture/seminar rooms or labs prior to or during a scheduled class to promote employment opportunities and/or distribute employment materials. Exception for community partners who are invited by designated faculty or CCEE staff as part of an experiential course.
- Using unauthorized common spaces on campus such as eating areas, lobbies, the library/learning commons, or other open seating areas to conduct impromptu recruiting activities.
- Displaying employment advertisements/posters in unauthorized areas and/or in authorized areas without approval from CCEE.
Postings for Paid Employment & Unpaid Internships/Placements
Our online job board can be used by employers and community partners to promote opportunities that are suitable to students and recent graduates from a wide variety of disciplines. Community partners with unpaid internship and placement opportunities can promote these opportunities as part of approved experiential learning courses and/or co-curricular programming as outlined within our Unpaid Internship Guidelines.
Employers and community partners must have an active account on our job portal (CareerZone) and provide the following information in order to post an opportunity.
- Organization name, mailing address and phone number.
- Contact person name, phone number and email address.
- A complete posting which includes information about the organization, the job opportunity and the application process.
- An adequate/detailed description of the role and candidate qualifications.
Employers are expected to follow all relevant Canadian federal and provincial regulations when recruiting students for employment opportunities.
- Organizations that are recruiting from international and overseas destinations must also disclose information about eligibility criteria and work permit requirements.
Employers and community partners who are working with CCEE to offer employment, internship and placement opportunities as part of curricular and/or co-curricular programming may be asked to report on hiring outcomes and complete progress reports on student learning and development.
- A mid-point and final evaluation of the student may be required.
- Students will complete a minimum of 1 reflection on their experience and may share their reflections with you as part of their growth and development.
CCEE will not accept the following types of job postings:
- Work that is pyramid-type or multi-level marketing in nature or work for organizations that are pyramid-type or multi-level marketing in structure.
- Work which requires the purchase of a product/service or a monetary deposit (up-front fee) as a condition of employment.
- Work that is unpaid, unless approved by Brock as part of an experiential learning course or co-curricular program.
Interviews & Job Offers
Employers have many options for facilitating their interview and hiring processes with the support of the CCEE team. Interviews can be conducted on-site at Brock University’s main campus, on-site at the employer’s office location, or virtually via an approved online platform. Our expectations and processes ensure accountability of students, employers and the university.
- CCEE works with employers to support their hiring timelines and provides guidance to ensure alignment with peak on-campus recruitment activity. Employers who are engaged in a rank–and–match recruitment or a coordinated industry-specific practice are expected to follow the defined timelines and protocols for that process, as outlined by CCEE.
- Employers must provide a minimum of 3 business days-notice when requesting interview arrangements. CCEE staff will book an interview space (either physical or virtual), contact shortlisted candidates and create the interview schedule.
- Employers must provide candidates with a reasonable amount of notice for the interview.
- Offers of employment can be extended to students directly by the employer or by way of the CCEE team. Employers must provide a reasonable amount of time for students to consider the offer and either accept or decline.
- Employers will advise CCEE of their preferred candidate(s) and hiring outcome upon completion of the recruitment process.
Third Party Recruiters
In some circumstances CCEE will work with third party recruiters to promote opportunities under the following conditions.
- When posting an opportunity, third party recruiters must identify their employer client to CCEE staff. CCEE will treat this information as confidential and it will not be shared on the job posting.
- When posting a co-op opportunity on behalf of a client, third party recruiters will be asked to post the opportunity via the client organization’s account within our system in order to facilitate the application process and work-term record for co-op students, and issue a tax credit for the client organization.
- If it is determined that CCEE is already working directly with the identified employer for campus recruiting purposes, we reserve the right to decline the posting to avoid a conflict of interest and/or duplication of efforts.