UW–Madison Employer Recruiting Policies & Guidelines

Organizations using UW-Madison programs and services must maintain equal employment opportunity (EEO) compliance including recruiting, interviewing, and hiring individuals without regard to race, color, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, marital status, age, national origin, political affiliation, physical or mental disability, religion, protected veteran status, genetic information, personal appearance or any other legally protected class, or on the basis of the exercise of rights secured by the First Amendment of the United States Constitution.

Employers must prohibit all forms of sexual harassment and sexual violence in employer workplaces and during the recruiting process. Prohibited conduct includes: 

• Sexual harassment
• Sexual assault 
• Dating violence
• Domestic violence
• Stalking 
• Sexual exploitation
• Retaliation

Employers are expected to report any sexual harassment and sexual violence involving a student to the appropriate UW-Madison career services unit (see contact information below).

As a best practice, Career Services at UW-Madison does not recommend including alcohol as part of the recruiting process. 

If the recruiting event is a “university event” (Any gathering, program, or activity: a) that takes place on university lands; or b) that takes place as part of a university-sponsored activity not located on university lands; or c) that the university, or a part of the university, is paying for including student segregated fee), then it is subject to the campus alcohol policy. In some cases, the student organization alcohol policy might apply if a registered student organization is involved/hosting.  

If the events don’t fall into either of the above policies, the minimum standard is that no student under 21 can legally consume alcohol, and recruiters/employer representatives should not facilitate this.  

Below is a list of the most relevant regulations and guidelines. Please note that this list may not be exhaustive, and employers are encouraged to stay informed about any additional and applicable laws or policies. 

• NACE Principles for Professional Practice for Career Services and Employment Professionals
• Title VII of the Civil Rights Act 
• Fair Labor Standards Act 
• Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)
• Wisconsin Fair Employment Practices
• UW–Madison Non-Discrimination Policy
• UW–Madison Sexual Harassment & Sexual Violence Policy
• UW-Madison Policy Library 
• Universities of Wisconsin Policies

Log in or create a Handshake account by clicking here. If you are new to Handshake and your organization does not yet have a company profile, you will need to designate your Account Owner who will be in charge of managing the company profile.

Employer Handshake accounts should include the following information:

• Organization name and full name of organizational contact
• An official email address clearly associated with the organization’s website domain
• A website address that clearly relates to your organization and contains helpful information about your organization for potential candidates – social media sites should not take the place of an organization’s website
• A corporate mailing address is strongly preferred – no personal residences or P.O. Box addresses

Positions posted should provide the following:

• Detailed position description with a thorough overview of candidate responsibilities and necessary qualifications
• Compensation information

Prohibited posting categories are defined in detail in the next section.  

We strongly recommend referencing the following resources as you utilize the Handshake platform.

• Handshake’s Employer Help Center
• How To Post A Job
• 5 Tips to Improve Your Job Description and Attract Early Talent
• 4 Strategies for Employer Success on Handshake
• Handshake’s Resource Blog for Employers

Provide students with a MINIMUM of two weeks from the date of the written offer, but preferably longer, to accept or decline. Employers operating on timelines with earlier acceptance deadlines should understand that this carries an increased risk of students reneging on offers. In some cases, students may ask for extensions beyond this deadline; we encourage you to accommodate their requests whenever possible. 

If employer organizations cannot offer at least two weeks from the date of the written offer, they must notify the appropriate career services unit(s) or email info@careers.wisc.edu. 

An exploding offer is an employment offer that pressures a student to accept within an unusually short timeframe or under conditions that discourage thoughtful decision-making. This might include:

• Requiring a response sooner than 2 weeks (as outlined above)
• Offering incentives that decrease over time
• Asking for a decision during or immediately after an interview 

These tactics are unethical and limit students’ ability to fully evaluate options and make informed decisions, often leading to stress, an increased risk of reneged offers, and poor outcomes for both students and employers. 

Of course, students may always accept offers prior to stated deadlines if they choose to do so. Please note, however, that our career services offices will not penalize or discipline students who renege on offers that do not follow the above guidelines.

Employers recruiting interns must abide by all policies, including criteria set forth by NACE (National Association of Colleges and Employers). To ensure that the experience–remote, virtual, or hybrid–is educational, and thus eligible to be considered a legitimate internship by the NACE definition, all of the following criteria must be met: 

1. The experience must be an extension of the classroom: a learning experience that provides for applying the knowledge gained in the classroom. It must not be simply to advance the operations of the employer or be the work that a regular employee would routinely perform.
2. The skills or knowledge learned must be transferable to other employment settings.
3. The experience has a defined beginning and end, and a job description with desired qualifications.
4. There are clearly defined learning objectives/goals related to the professional goals of the student’s academic coursework. 
5. There is supervision by a professional with expertise and educational and/or professional background in the field of the experience.
6. There is routine feedback by the experienced supervisor.  
7. There are resources, equipment, and facilities provided by the host employer that support learning objectives/goals. 

Academic credit helps enhance and document student learning during the internship experience. In some instances, students may be required to take an internship for credit as part of their graduation or Curricular Practical Training (CPT) requirements. 

It is the student’s responsibility to work with their career services office or academic department to get the internship (responsibilities/duties, learning outcomes, goals) approved for academic credit. 

Students are eligible to be compensated and receive academic credit for internships. Academic credit awarded by the university should not be used in lieu of compensation for interns.

Consistent with the NACE (National Association of Colleges and Employers) position statement and research, UW-Madison strongly encourages employers to offer paid internships, co-ops, or other workplace experiences, recognizing that compensation promotes equity, access, and meaningful student engagement. 

While unpaid internships may be permitted in limited cases, we do not approve unpaid internship postings on Handshake from for-profit organizations. This policy reflects our commitment to fair labor practices and inclusive career development. 

If employers are unable to offer monetary pay for internships, we encourage them to provide alternative forms of compensation. This may include parking and transportation costs, meals, housing, and/or paid training or industry certifications. Academic credit cannot be used as an alternative to payment.

Please refer to the U.S. Department of Labor’s guidelines for unpaid internships to ensure compliance with the Fair Labor Standards Act. 

Student interns are not expected to pay out-of-pocket for business-related expenses (e.g. training, travel expenses outside of commuting to the intern’s work location, equipment, software, exam, or fees involved in obtaining certification). If the student does pay an out-of-pocket expense for work-related activities, it is expected that the employer will reimburse them in a timely fashion.