BEST PRACTICE IN GRADUATE RECRUITMENT

The Association of Graduate Careers Advisory Services

The Association of Graduate Recruiters

National Union of Students

Students

Students will:

1. Endeavour to make full use of the facilities available through their institutional careers services in order to help them make and implement well informed career decisions.
2. When making applications ensure that they have properly researched opportunities and organisations and concentrate on those organisations in which they have a genuine interest.
3. Be prompt, courteous and honest in all dealings with employers and notify them immediately if they decide to withdraw their applications at any stage or they need to change any arrangements.
4. When attending interviews at employers' premises, seek only repayment of reasonable expenses incurred.
5. Once an offer has been accepted, decline all other offers and cancel other applications immediately. If candidates wish to qualify their acceptance in any way (and the possibility of further study represents such a qualification) this must be clearly stated at the time of acceptance. Such qualification may affect the terms of the offer. It would be helpful if students could inform their careers advisory service of the choice made.
6. Recognise that both the offer of a post and its acceptance form a contract unless conditions are attached to either.

Employers

Employers will:

1. Make available material to give students an objective picture of their organisations and the relevant jobs within them.
2. Offer equality of opportunity and avoid in their literature or in their application forms for employment in the UK any reference that might be construed as unfair discrimination.
3. As a matter of courtesy notify careers advisory services, in advance:-
   • If a direct approach is being made to any academic department for recruitment purposes.
   • If the employer proposes to use the services of a recruitment agency.
4. Be flexible and provide alternative times and dates for selection activities where these may clash with exams and other important academic or recruitment/selection activities, thus ensuring that the needs and requirements of students, academic departments and other employers are recognised.
5. Be flexible in the setting of deadlines for the acceptance of offers. Short deadlines may limit the ability of students to make informed decisions and prejudice the recruitment activities of other employers. This in turn may lead to students accepting offers and then reneging on them.
6. Pay reasonable expenses for off campus interviews, always making it clear before interview if such payment will not be offered.
7. Manage students' expectations by promptly communicating to them which stage of the recruitment process their applications have reached, including those that have been unsuccessful.
8. a) Agree referees with the candidate and not seek reference from a person not so designated without the candidate's agreement.
   b) Indicate clearly to the candidate and to the referee whether or not the offer is conditional on the reference.
9. Clearly explain the terms and conditions of service in offer letters, and state whether or not an offer is conditional on degree level, medical examination, etc.
10. a) Recognise that both the offer of a post and its acceptance form a contract unless conditions are attached to either.
    b) Offer compensation to a student if an offer is withdrawn after acceptance when conditions, if any, have been met.
11. Be objective and impartial in their relationships with careers advisory services and avoid entering into arrangements with careers services that might be construed as undermining their impartiality.
12. Ensure that the provisions of these best practices are also complied with by any agents that act on behalf of the employer.

Careers Advisory Services

Careers Advisory Services will:

1. Make their information resources available to all students and give proper publicity to all legally-recognised, named employers who ask for it.
2. Facilitate employers' recruitment programmes.
3. Strive to offer similar information to graduates/diplomats of other institutions under Mutual Aid arrangements.
4. Be objective and impartial in their relationships with employers and students, and avoid entering into any arrangements that might be construed as undermining the impartiality of careers services.
5. Deal with private agencies representing employers only if:-
   • The employers have commissioned the agency to act on their behalf and the agency states which employers it represents, provides information about, and interviews only for those employers.
   • The careers service is satisfied that such representation is clearly in the interests of students.
6. Not be required to guarantee the display/distribution of unsolicited literature sent to services in bulk, nor to advertise non-AGCAS ventures to students and/or former students.

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