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Career Services  /  Employers  /  Recruiting Guidelines and Resources

Recruiting Guidelines and Resources

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Employers recruiting at Caltech are expected to follow the Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) guidelines, the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) Principles of Professional Conduct for Employment Professionals, and Caltech's guidelines. The National Center for Women in Information Technology (NCWIT) is a model for addressing underrepresentation in technology professions. NCWIT offers resources and best practices for equitable engagement, recruitment, and retention.

Non-Discrimination Policy

CAEL requires all employers to comply with all applicable federal and state laws prohibiting discrimination in recruiting, hiring and the workplace, which includes discrimination based on race, color, ethincity, gender identity and gender expression, sexual orientation, age, marital status, religion, disability, national origin, ethnic origin, or prior military service.

Confidentiality Policy

CAEL is committed to maintaining the privacy of personal information provided by students, postdocs, alumni, and employers. Any materials (resume, cover letter, research, CV, transcripts) received from our students should be shared only with those persons at your company/organization involved in the recruiting and hiring process.

Any intentional violation of these guidelines may result in deferred recruitment or employer being denied access to recruiting for the following season.

Job Postings

All jobs and internships should be posted on Symplicity prior to being circulated to clubs and organizations. Jobs and internships must meet the following criteria for approval:

  • Complete profile, including point of contact for organization
  • W-2 Position (no 1099s)
  • Position responsibilities and requirements must be clearly defined
  • Salary range must be comparable to similar positions within an industry
  • Position should be relevant to our degree options in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).

For tips on writing balanced job descriptions, including examples of STEM positions, please see the NCWIT link: https://ncwit.org/resource/jobdescriptionanalysis/

Checklists for reducing unconscious bias in job descriptions are also included on NCWIT's website: https://ncwit.org/resource/jobdescriptionchecklist/

Job Offer and Decision Timeline

We encourage employers to allow students to participate in OCR opportunities during recruiting season. In the spirit of being respectful of employers' timelines and hiring needs while providing students with sufficient time and a reasonable process for making decisions, employers should follow the offer decision timelines below.

Full-time Job Offers: Please provide students 3 weeks after a full-time job offer is extended or October 28th (whichever is later) to respond with a decision, including internship conversion offers.

Internship Offers: Please provide students 3 weeks after an internship offer is extended or October 28th (whichever is later) to respond with a decision on internship offers.

It is a violation of policy to impose undue pressure on students regarding acceptance of job offers, including pressure on the student to revoke their acceptance of a job offer from another employer.

Exploding Offers:

CAEL defines an exploding offer as any offer that does not conform to the timeframes above. Employers should not make offers or pressure students to accept "early" offers including those requiring a quick response time, nor should they attach incentives involving diminishing bonuses, reduced options for location preferences, etc. Asking a student if he or she is ready to make a decision on the spot or providing the student with a hypothetical situation involving a potential offer is considered inappropriate.

Second Round Interviews:

CAEL does not permit students to cancel first-round interviews to attend second-round interviews. Moreover, employers should not ask or expect students to cancel a first round interview with a different company to take their second round interview. This is unfair to the student and causes problems for the companies. Ideally, second round interviews should be spaced a few days apart (minimum), as students have classes, exams and prior obligations that can't be changed. We ask that students not be immediately eliminated from the pool if they can't make their second round interviews due to a prior commitment, but that alternative options are provided.

Recruiting/Hiring Tracking and Data:

CAEL sends out an annual survey during the summer requesting data from the previous year. We ask you to please complete this survey by September 15 in order to track the success of our students who complete internships and those who accept full-time offers.

Start Dates:

All offer letters must include a start date. Candidates who interview with employers on campus expect to start work after graduation or by mid-September at the latest. Employers who anticipate start dates later than September 15, must disclose this information in the job description and must also inform CAEL. Internships must not start prior to the last day of finals. Refer to our academic calendar for dates (https://www.caltech.edu/academics/resources/academic-calendar).

Basis of Compensation:

Employers who wish to participate in OCR or post jobs must offer bona fide positions that do not require new hires to pay a fee for training or other job-related expenses. Employers who compensate employees based solely on commission are ineligible to participate in on-campus interviews.

On Campus Events:

Events on campus can be targeted at specific groups within the Caltech Community but must be open to all students and postdocs.

Catering/Refreshments

Employers may provide refreshments. A list of caters is included here for your convenience. When choosing a caterer, please keep in mind that external caterers should pick up serving trays within 15 minutes of an event ending so that the room can be used for other purposes after the event.

Serving alcohol should not be part of the recruitment process. Our concern is for your liability and the safety and welfare of our students. Under-aged drinking is strictly forbidden.