Recruitment Policies

Please provide as much information as possible to help students research and learn about your organization. Contact information in a Handshake account must include:   

• Full name of contact and company or organization name 
• Industry and organization type 
• A professional website URL and matching email address; domain must be tied to the organization and not be a personal address (e.g., @gmail.com, @yahoo.com, @verizon.net)
  • Accounts without a valid website, use a non-company email, like those above, or residential addresses will not be approved
  • Websites allow students an additional resource in researching a potential employer 
• Organization logo 
• Phone number must be tied to a company contact and not a generic toll-free number 
• Physical address must be present and verifiable, and not a P.O. Box or residential address; the address should be a recognized business location. Remote businesses or those using co-working spaces will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.  

Third-party agencies, such as recruiting agencies, staffing agencies, and executive search firms, will be allowed to post positions on Handshake if they adhere to one of the policies below:   

• Both the name of the third-party agency and the client/employer name must be clearly stated in the position title or description, OR 
• The posting is for an internal position within the third-party agency. 

Our office does not accept postings of the following nature:   

• Commission only opportunities 
• Buy-ins or Fee-for-service (FFS): No posting will be accepted if applicants must pay to purchase access for opportunities or if the position requires a potential employee to provide funds to a supervisor or other company representative for services. The only exceptions will be made on a case-by-case basis for legitimate organizations that facilitate the opportunity for college students and graduates to work abroad outside of their home country. 
• Alcohol Consumption / Adult Entertainment: No adult entertainment industry positions, escort services, presentation modeling, or similar activity associated with the use of illegal alcohol or drugs, as noted by the Commonwealth of Virginia, will be accepted. 
• Resume Referral Forms and Job/Internship Board Websites: All postings in Handshake must be tied directly to an individual employer. Postings from resume referral firms or independent job/internship board websites designed for the collection of resumes on behalf of more employers will not be approved. 
• Jobs for personal services (ie. Nannies, babysitters, personal care, etc.) will not be listed unless the company is an employer who provides these services.  
• Employers cannot impose any fees or costs upon Roanoke College or its students (i.e., training fees, presentation supplies, sales kits, rental fees, work experiences, front-loaded financial investments, etc.). Fees charged by third parties for required and bona fide occupational qualifiers, such as background check for educators, are permitted. 
• Network Marketing Organizations are not considered employers for the purposes of recruiting at Roanoke College and are not eligible for employer services and may not recruit on campus. Roanoke College classifies Network Marketing Organizations as 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 others to set up their own business. 
  • Requiring an initial investment from individuals (e.g. required fees, payment for orientation or training session, and/or purchase of a starter kit). 
  • Compensation in the form of straight commission, fees from others under their sponsorship and/or a percentage of sales generated by others. 
  • Requirement of employee to collect and deposit gross amount from which the organization holds back money for expenses before the remainder is released as a net paycheck. 
  • Examples include: Amway, Avon, Jamberry, Mary Kay, Pampered Chef, Premiere Jewelry, Stella & Dot, Vector Marketing, Vivint, etc. 

Employers involved in hemp production and research may be eligible to utilize PLACE employer services if they can provide the following: 

• Evidence that they are registered with the State of Virginia Department of Agriculture; 
• Information regarding the THC levels of the products they are selling; AND 
• Attestation that they do not receive money from or have ties to the Marijuana Industry as defined under VA law.

Legal counsel will be sought as needed to ensure compliance with college policy as well as state and federal law. 
Positions related to the study, cultivation, use, or distribution of recreational cannabis or medical marijuana containing more than 0.3% THC will not be approved for posting in Handshake. Although cannabis is legal under certain conditions in select states, it is not legal under federal law. In order to remain compliant with federal law, Roanoke College will not permit companies that may possess or come into contact with marijuana products over 0.3% THC to recruit through or post positions on RC’s Handshake platform. Additionally, Roanoke College will not support internships for credit or non-credit where a student may come into contact with marijuana products with greater than 0.3% THC (including work with a company’s clients, attendance at marijuana conventions, etc.). 

We welcome job postings for independent contract and base + commission positions; however, this detail of the position must be stated clearly in the job description. Part-time or commission-oriented positions are not eligible for on-campus interview reservations.  

The U.S. Department of Justice requires employers, recruiters, and others who are posting opportunities to comply with all applicable equal employment opportunity laws, including the anti-discrimination provision of the Immigration and Naturalization Act. The U.S. Department of Justice prohibits:   

• Any posting that requires U.S. citizenship or lawful permanent residence in the U.S. as a condition of employment, unless otherwise required to comply with law, regulation, executive order, or government contract. 
• Any job requirement or criterion in connection with a job posting that discriminates based on citizenship status or natural origin. 
• More information can be found on the Department of Justice website.

Federal law requires payment of interns unless the internship satisfies the criteria outlined by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Fair Labor Standards Act. Roanoke College cannot determine whether any internship satisfies the Department of Labor criteria. But, to help ensure that Roanoke College students are provided with beneficial internships, PLACE requires all employers posting unpaid internships to certify that they have reviewed and will abide by the Department of Labor criteria established in the FLSA.   

Part-time job postings are allowed if they meet the following guidelines:   

• Paid positions (pay must be minimum wage or above) 
• Not a financial burden to the student (e.g., requirement to purchase products/supplies upfront) 
• Beneficial to student's career development 
• Clear reporting and supervision structure 
• Provides regular evaluation and feedback of the employee 
• Clear description of duties and expectations 

Volunteer opportunity postings are allowed if they meet the following criteria:   

• Must have a clear description of duties and expectations agreed upon by both parties
• Must be educationally or professionally relevant to the student 

Feel free to contact students directly who apply to your opportunities. However, when contacting students by email or phone, please be certain to clearly state the organization you represent and the position you are contacting them about. All email correspondence must come through your company/organization email account.     

The application procedure must be clearly stated. Applications can be accepted through Handshake or a link you supply on Handshake redirecting students to your application platform. No phone or in-person applications are accepted through Handshake or the PLACE office.  

PLACE at Roanoke College strives to promote open access and professional and direct connections between students and employing organizations. We reserve the right to accept, deny, and/or remove access rights for organizations that do not follow these recruiting policy guidelines.   

Alcohol Policy   
PLACE adheres to the NACE policy, which states that serving alcohol should not be a part of the recruitment process. Therefore, all recruiting activities, including all information sessions, receptions, dinners, company tours, etc., should be alcohol-free.   

Corporate Activities  
Roanoke College appreciates and welcomes the relationships that different college constituents have with corporations and governmental and nonprofit organizations. PLACE seeks to serve as a resource hub for the campus and external community by building upon existing relationships and working with new employers to facilitate their hiring of Roanoke College students. PLACE plans and executes many events throughout the year aimed at increasing student awareness of these organizations and giving employers access to the Roanoke College student population. Such events include the Fall and Spring Job & Internship Fairs, information sessions, classroom presentations, and workshops. It is imperative that organizations work with PLACE to plan such events to maximize the exposure they receive through appropriate advertising and avoidance of conflicting events.   

Organizations must be equal opportunity employers in accordance with all applicable state and federal laws.  

If you sign up for an event but are unable to attend a scheduled career event, such as the Job and Internship Fair or Networking event, we ask that you send a qualified colleague in your place. If this is not possible, and no representative from your company can attend, please give PLACE at least 48 hours’ notice so we may ask another prospective employer on our wait list to take your place. 

A last-minute cancellation may leave some students disappointed; having an employer communicate with student and alumni participants helps to maintain the organization’s goodwill at Roanoke College.  

• Send the right people to campus events. Dynamic, engaging, and approachable staff are ideal for students.  
• Leverage alumni on your staff.  
• Want to host on-campus interviews? Contact PLACE at to reserve an interview space.  
• Take advantage of PLACE partnership opportunities.  
• Invite students to visit you at a career fair, information session, etc. Use Handshake, networking opportunities, classroom presentations, etc. to identify those students.  
• Create an ambassador program using current interns to tell your organization’s story when they’re on campus.  
• Schedule an information or skill-based session while on campus.  
• Utilize Handshake:  
  • Post job opportunities for full-time, internship, co-op, and part-time employment.  
  • Use student search feature to review profiles.  
  • Register for the job and internship fair held each semester on campus.