Recruitment Policies

Loyola University Chicago reserves the right to terminate or refuse the participation of any organization in our recruiting activities, Handshake system, or website links. Reasons may include misrepresentation by providing dishonest information or absence of information, or complaints by students/alumni. In addition, the career center staff and Loyola administration reserve the right to remove organizations or job postings that are not a good fit with the Jesuit mission and/or provide any risk to a student's personal or financial well-being.

Employers may not post job or internship opportunities that require students to purchase or rent any type of presentation or sales material/supplies, or pay a fee for training or placement.

We will not accept any positions that would require fines or fees for early termination of an employment contract.

A multi-level plan type organization must ensure than any representations about compensation are clearly stated, including different levels of earnings or compensation received by participants, amount earned by a typical entry-level participant, and time/effort required to reach specific levels of income.

Private sector for-profit employers comply with the United States Department of Labor guidelines regarding compensation. See the DOL’s Fair Labor Standards Act for details. 

Compensation details must clearly state if position is 100 percent commission; base salary if it is partially commission-based, or be clear how the participant will be compensated.

In addition, the following note will be added to commission-based positions posted in the Handshake system:

Note: As with all employment situations, candidates should thoroughly research an employment opportunity prior to signing a legally binding contract. All contracts should be reviewed very carefully. If you have any questions about a contract, do not sign it until you have discussed it with another knowledgeable party.

Employers must use valid contact information, including an organizational e-mail account when registering for a Handshake account.  Use of a personal e-mail (Yahoo, Hotmail, Gmail, etc.) may cause a delay or rejection. Please call 773.508.7716 with any questions.

Internships are "real world" work experience that offer guidance and supervision by a trained professional to students or recent graduates seeking to apply classroom learning and skills. Interns can provide enthusiastic, willing assistance to your business or non-profit, fresh ideas, and the latest trends in technology. They can also increase your visibility and reputation on the Loyola campus. Sponsoring an intern is a great way to give back to your community, evaluate a potential employee, and gain assistance with special projects. Employers may not post job or internship opportunities that require students to purchase or rent any type of presentation or sales material/supplies, or pay a fee for training or placement.

Paid Internships

It is strongly preferred that organizations pay interns for work performed.

Private sector employers need to be familiar with the United States Department of Labor guidelines for legally offering unpaid internships, as most opportunities are actually employment that requires payment. This fact sheet produced by the United States Department of Labor provides general information to help determine whether interns must be paid the minimum wage and overtime under the Fair Labor Standards Act.

Unpaid Internships

If an internship is unpaid, the position description must include clearly stated learning objectives or outcomes that a participant may reasonably expect to achieve from the experience.

To ensure that an experience—whether it is a traditional internship or one conducted remotely or virtually—is educational, and thus eligible to be considered a legitimate internship by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) definition, all the following criteria must be met:

• The experience must be an extension of the classroom: a learning experiece 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.
• The skills or knowledge learned must be transferable to other employment settings.
• The experience has a defined beginning and end, and a job description with desired qualifications.
• There are clearly defined learning objectives/goals related to the professional goals of the student’s academic coursework.
• There is supervision by a professional with expertise and educational and/or professional background in the field of the experience.
• There is routine feedback by the experienced supervisor.
• There are resources, equipment, and facilities provided by the host employer that support learning objectives/goals.

Academic Internships

In order for a Loyola University Chicago student to receive academic credit for an internship, the internship site and internship position description must be approved by a university faculty/instructor, prior to the student being granted “academic credit” for an internship experience. Note: Each academic department’s internship program has specific guidelines and requirements which the student must review with the faculty/instructor. Examples of experiences that do NOT qualify as internships:

• Positions that displace a regular employee.
• Positions that are 100 percent commission-based.
• Positions that require door-to-door canvassing, cold-calling, telemarketing, or petition gathering as the primary activity.
• “Independent contractor” relationships that require the intern to set up his/her own business to sell products, services and/or recruiting other individuals to set up their own business.
• Positions in which the student is required to pay the employer for any part of the experience (e.g., fees for training).

Loyola University Chicago is an equal opportunity employer and educator. Each candidate shall be considered on the basis of qualifications, without regard to race, color, sex, religion, national origin, age, disabilities, sexual orientation, or veteran status. All recruiters must comply with the nondiscrimination requirements of the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) standards, and State of Illinois employment laws.

Loyola University Chicago facilities and resources may not be used by or on behalf of an outside organization or individual whose purpose is to further the cause of a particular candidate or political party. For example, a meeting on campus with an organizer for a particular candidate that is focused upon recruiting students as campaign workers for that candidate would be prohibited. Such organizations:

• May attend career fairs recruiting interns, employees or volunteers, but no campaign activity may be conducted and no campaign literature may be included on their table.
• May post positions in Handshake recruiting interns, employees or volunteers, but no campaign activity may be included in the posting.
• May not staff information tables in campus buildings.
• May not host on-campus “information sessions.”

Loyola career centers will not reserve information tables or arrange information sessions or other events for political campaign organizations.

Any pre-employment tests administered on campus must meet our Non-Discrimination Policies (above).

The Loyola University Chicago career centers require that recruiting organizations adhere to and refer to the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) Principles for Professional Conduct for Career Services & Employment Professionals.