Recruiting Guidelines
Thank you for your interest in recruiting at the University of Northern Iowa. Our students will be interested in learning more about your organization and opportunities. UNI strives for open access and connections between students and employers. UNI reserves the right to accept or deny any position or recruiting organization based upon internal criteria. Additionally, UNI may deny or remove access rights for organizations that do not meet the below standards or do not match the mission of Career Services, the Division of Student Life or the University of Northern Iowa. In our effort to maintain the integrity of recruiting at the University of Northern Iowa, listed below we have developed standards by which all recruitment and job board (Handshake) postings are scrutinized.
Getting Started
Setting up a Handshake account is quick, easy, and free. Handshake has many help articles to assist you through the process. If you are brand new to Handshake and do not have a cooperate or employer account yet, we recommend starting with this Handshake help article.
Post a Job
Once you have created your employer and corporate account, you can connect with UNI and other Handshake schools by creating a job posting and sending it to the schools you want to recruit from. Your request may be automatically or manually processed so it may take a few business days. For step-by-step instructions or a refresher on how to post a job, please visit this Handshake help article.
Why was my account suspended?
If you find that your account has been suspended, please reach out to Handshake via help ticket. UNI Career Services does not suspend accounts or reverse a suspension.
On Campus Employers
Transitioning a Student Account to an Employer Account
If you were a UNI student and now need an employer account on Handshake to hire student employees, please reach out to Natalie Knowlton at natalie.knowlton@uni.edu. There are a few extra steps that need to be taken so you can switch from a student view to an employer view.
Work Study Job Posting
If you are trying to hire a student who is eligible for Federal Work Study, please put "Work Study Students Only" in your job title and description. Please do not use the "Work Study Only" tag while creating your job. If you keep seeing an error while trying to post your job, it is likely because the "Work Study Only" tag is turned on.
Troubleshooting Help
We are always available to help! If you are struggling with Handshake please send screenshots of your experience and an explanation to Natalie Knowlton at natalie.knowlton@uni.edu.
Guidelines for Posting Jobs at UNI
1. Contact Integrity
All job postings must include an organizational email address, phone number and location for Career Services to contact. Contact information for the posted position will be viewable by students. Additionally:
- Email: When posting for an organization, the email should be tied to the organization (example: Purple Company must come from the standard company email such as smith@purplecompany.com)
- Phone: Must be tied to a specific contact within the organization and not a generic 800 number
- Physical Address: Must be present and verifiable; no P.O. Box addresses accepted
2. No Buy-ins
Absolutely no postings will be accepted if applicants must pay or purchase access for opportunities.
3. Independent Contract (1099 Positions)
We welcome independent contract positions; however, this must be stated in the job description. Independent Contract positions are generally not eligible for internship/co-op credit through UNI Career Services.
4. Marketing & Advertising
The UNI Job Board and the Career Services social media feeds (LinkedIn, Twitter, etc) are designed to connect students to career readiness programming, internships and job opportunities. No advertising is allowed for products and services other than to draw interest to active job/internship posting(s).
5. Private Home Postings (babysitting, lawn care, housekeeping)
UNI Career Services does not post Private Home positions. To post a Private Home position, we encourage potential employers to use Care.com or similar system.
6. NACE Recruiting Standards
The University of Northern Iowa is a member of the National Associate of Colleges and Employers. It is expected the common and adhered practices stated in the NACE Principals for Ethical Professional Practice are followed.
Protect Your Data
Beware: Not All Job Postings are Legitimate
All jobs posted on the University of Northern Iowa Job Board (Handshake) are for the benefit of UNI students. The Office of Career Services at the University of Northern Iowa does not endorse or recommend any employer or position posted. Career Services receives job postings both directly and indirectly through a national job feed. There is no representation or guarantees about a job listing or the accuracy of information provided to Career Services by the employer. It is impossible to ensure that every job posting is legitimate, and impossible to keep track of every employer and position after submission.
The University of Northern Iowa is not responsible for safety, wages, working conditions, or any other aspect of non-university employment without limitation. It is the responsibility of the student/job seeker to perform due diligence in researching employers when applying or accepting non-university employment. Students should be prudent, use common sense and caution when applying for or accepting any position.
Common "Red Flags" of Job Posting Scams
Offered a Job Without Applying/Interviewing
Did you get an email to work as an administrative assistant? Did they say they received your resume from Career Services? This scam is conducted by finding/phishing your email from the campus directory. Career Services never shares your information with employers. All legitimate employers will have you apply and interview for a job.
Out of the Country/Wire Money
In this scenario, an employer will request to deposit money for you to buy supplies or make payments. This is always a scam and should be reported. Recently at UNI, students were contacted by people who said they ran local businesses on Cedar Falls Main Street. When the student contacted the representative, they indicated they were working abroad and needed someone to manage things locally.
Too Good to Be True
Work your own hours. Be a secret shopper. Work for an influencer. Make $10k for one week of work. These tactics are used to draw interest and then take advantage of you before you start working. There is no job posted that is perfect. Too good to be true should be investigated.
Poorly Written Job Postings
Typically, there will not be typos or poor grammar in a legitimate job posting. Be very suspicious if you see either in a job posting.
High Wages for No Experience
Earn $100,000 in your first job out of college. Again, the idea is that scammers want to make you believe you were highly sought after to complete jobs anyone could do. The truth is you will not make a lot of money without talent, experience, and specialized skills.
Remote Jobs & Work From Home
There are legitimate remote work experiences and they will typically be connected to an well established employer. Do significant research and ask tough questions. Even consider calling a different phone number to the organization than the one provided by the recruiter.
Send a Photo
Please don't.
Bad Website. No Phone Number.
You search for a company you have never heard of before. The first link is to a Facebook or free website creator site. It might look good, but the content does not appear correct. You click on the "contact us" and see no phone number. These are all red flags of potential scams.
Email Doesn't Align
Recruiter has a @gmail/@hotmail account and represents a large organization. If the recruiter is from a Fortune 500 or a community school, yet the email is from a free web-based service, use caution.
Think it's a Scam? Report it.
- Tell Career Services so we can review the position/employer.
- You may contact campus/local police if money has been transferred. If you did transfer bank information, contact your bank and lock your accounts.
- File an incident report with the U.S. Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission.