Employer Policies

To protect the educational nature of CU Boulder websites, and to preserve their primary role in support of the mission of the university, advertising and promotion of non-university goods, merchants and services are prohibited.  

CU Boulder does not allow employers to post internships or jobs that are based inside a personal residence. If you do not have an office space for your business, you can still post opportunities but must clarify that the role will be entirely remote or with meetings in public areas (co-working spaces, for example). Students and alumni on Handshake cannot be expected to conduct work at a private residence of the business or associates of the business. 

Students and alumni utilizing Handshake are not expected to engage in work activities at private residences belonging to the employer or their associates. This policy helps to ensure a professional and safe environment for all parties involved.

If you have a student job that's based inside a personal residence, the following websites are available but are not endorsed by CU Boulder:

• Sittercity 
• Care.com 
• eNannySource
• NannyNetwork.com
• Sitter.com
• Jovie Colorado Babysitting & Nanny Services
• SimplyHired
• SnagaJob
• ZipRecruiter

On-campus recruiting, attendance at career and internship fairs and/or postings to the Career Services website will be open to commission sales organizations only if they agree to the following conditions:

• Candidates will not be required to pay upfront costs in order to obtain work with the organization.
• Any candidate leaving the organization will not be found to be in debt to the organization for training expenses or for “draw against commission” in lieu of salary in cases where it is alleged that commissions earned failed to cover the amount of the draw.

Please note that starting January 1, 2021, the State of Colorado has implemented the Equal Pay for Equal Work Act. This act covers a number of requirements and prohibitions for employers in order to prevent pay disparities. Specifically, we want to draw employers’ attention to several critical components:  

• Employers are required to disclose in each job posting the hourly or salary compensation range along with the general description of benefits and other potential compensation.
• Employers are prohibited from requesting wage rate history of a prospective employee or requiring it as a condition of employment.
• Employers are required to maintain records of job descriptions and wage rate history for each employee while employed and for two years after employment ends.

Read further information on this act  and the regulations by which employers must abide. If you have additional questions, please connect with your organization’s human resources department or legal counsel.

Internship employers must agree to follow the university guidelines that include the following criteria:

• If the internship is unpaid, the employer confirms that their position the primary beneficiary test outlined by the Department of Labor. 
• Provide workers’ compensation insurance for all paid interns as required by state law.
• Give complete copies of any contracts and noncompetition, nondisclosure or other such forms to the internship development specialist that students are required to sign as a condition of their internship.
• Student interns should not be expected to go “out of pocket” for business-related expenses. This includes training, travel expenses while working (e.g., gas for site visits, client meetings), software and fees related to licensure. If the student does go “out of pocket” for these types of expenses, it is expected that the employer will reimburse them in a timely fashion.
• During the spring and fall semesters, we limit the number of hours students can work to 20 hours per week.
• 1099 contract employees are not considered “interns” by the university.
• Internship employers should be responsible for the ethical and legal conduct of their employees throughout the internship experience.
• Re-disclosure of candidate information is prohibited without the candidate’s written consent.

Network marketing organizations and franchises are not considered “employers” by Career Services and are not eligible to participate in any employer services. Such organizations are those that engage in one or more of the following practices:

• Sponsorship of an individual in setting up his/her own business for the purpose of selling products or services and/or recruiting other individuals to set up their own business.
• Requirement of an initial investment from individuals, with the organization itself serving as an umbrella or parent corporation. The initial investment may be a direct payment of a fixed fee, payment to attend an orientation or training session, and/or purchase of a starter kit.
• Compensation is often in the form of straight commission, fees from others under their sponsorship in the organization, and/or a percentage of sales generated by others.
• Requirement of “employee” to collect and deposit their gross paycheck amount from the organization, then holding back money for advertising, promotion, administrative or other back-office costs before the remainder is released as a net paycheck.

Third-party agencies (temporary agencies, temp-to-hire agencies, train to hire, search firms, etc.) are not eligible to post professional jobs and internships on Handshake.

We allow a limited number of third-party agencies to attend career and internship fairs only if they are hiring for full-time positions within their organization (e.g., recruiters, accounting, human resources) and not recruiting for client companies.

Third-party agencies are allowed to host on-campus interviews once per semester if the advertised positions are within their organization (not hiring for positions in client organizations).

Employers must prohibit all forms of sexual misconduct in employer workplaces and during the recruiting process, including sexual assault-non-consensual intercourse, sexual assault-non-consensual sexual contact, sexual exploitation, gender/sex-based stalking, sexual harassment and any related retaliation.

CU Boulder expects employers to provide an inclusive environment where all individuals can achieve their academic and professional aspirations free from discrimination, harassment, and/or related retaliation based on protected classes.

If a student of the university is involved in sexual misconduct or discrimination within an employer’s workplace, with colleagues, and/or during the recruiting process that employer is expected to report the situation back to the Career Services office.

In accordance with campus policy, all complaints will be forwarded to the Office of Institutional Equity and Compliance for further review. In addition, Career Services reserves the right to suspend campus recruiting privileges to individual recruiters or organizations depending on the severity of the complaint or a pattern of problematic behavior.   

The Drug Free Schools and Communities Act 1989 (DFSCA) provides, “as a condition of receiving funds or any form of financial assistance under any Federal program, an institution of Higher Education must certify that it has adopted and implemented a program to prevent the unlawful possession, use, or distribution of illicit drugs or alcohol by students and employees.”^[1] Further, under the DFSCA, institutions of Higher Education must employ “standards of conduct that clearly prohibit, at a minimum, the unlawful possession, use, or distribution of illicit drugs and alcohol by students and employees on its property or as part of its activities.”

Dispensaries (i.e. retail shops), cultivators or manufacturers of THC infused edibles are examples of businesses that directly work with marijuana, a federally illicit drug. However, many businesses fall into a gray area including ancillary (e.g. a grow-light manufacturer) businesses, real estate leasing businesses, consumption device and consulting businesses among others.

In order to ensure compliance with federal law, Career Services will not promote internship or work opportunities at companies that may possess or come into contact with marijuana products. Additionally, Career Services will not host internships for credit where a student may come into contact with marijuana products (including work with a company’s clients, attendance at marijuana conventions, etc.).

CU Boulder expects the highest level of professionalism from all students and alumni in every stage of the job or internship search. This includes being honest in all documents such as resumes, cover letters and job applications and operating with integrity in corresponding with potential employers. It also includes professionalism as it relates to interviewing and negotiating. It also includes reneging on a job acceptance. 

If a student or alum reneges a job or internship offer from your company, contact cori.shaff@colorado.edu with the contact information for the student. The consequence for a student is an immediate block from Handshake until they meet with Cori Shaff, associate director of embedded career.