Eligible jobs for which you may recruit through the Career Center consist of professional duties and salaries or hourly wages. The Career Center does not support full commission-based positions, opportunities that require candidates to pay fees for application processes, training, equipment, or other job-related expenses, positions that are based in home offices or private residences, pyramid schemes or brand ambassadors, or personal service positions. Additionally, all businesses posting jobs and internships must operate lawfully under federal, state, and local laws and regulations. 

Acceptable internships provide students with structured learning experiences, regular supervision, and exposure to professional aspects of chosen fields. 

The career center does not support recruitment for personal services or household jobs. For these types of positions, we recommend using TaskRabbit.com for everyday home help, including yard work and moving services, or Care.com to connect with local caregivers. Thank you for your understanding. 

To utilize Career Center services, you and your organization must comply with American University regulations and applicable federal, state, and local laws, including: 

• Nondiscrimination and Equal Opportunity in Employment and Education - American University prohibits discrimination and discriminatory harassment (including sexual harassment and sexual violence) against any AU community member on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex (including pregnancy), age, sexual orientation, disability, marital status, personal appearance, gender identity and expression, family responsibilities, political affiliation, source of income, veteran status, an individual's genetic information, or any other bases under federal or local laws (collectively Protected Bases). 

• Anti-discrimination provision of the Immigration and Nationality Act if screening applicants based on their work authorization. 

• Fair Labor Standards Act, particularly the guidance provided by the U.S. Department of Labor's fact sheet #71 about internship programs. 

If you seek candidates for eligible jobs and internships, you may formally recruit AU students and alumni through Handshake listings, semi-annual job and internship Fairs, on-campus interviews, virtual campus interviews, employer meet-up sessions, recruiter chats, employer pop-up sessions, industry events, and networking receptions. Some programs are available on a first-come, first-served basis and are subject to timing and availability.  

You may only use campus facilities, reserved by the Career Center on your behalf, for the purpose of recruiting AU students and alumni for eligible jobs and internships. You must declare your presence on campus to the AU Career Center and be sponsored by our office in order to meet with students and alumni.  

The Career Center reserves the right to deny you access to recruiting services at any time. 

Third-party recruiters must adhere to the AU Career Center's Third-Party Recruitment Policies and may recruit AU students and alumni at the discretion of the Career Center. 

Upon registering for a Handshake account, a third-party recruiter must either disclose a full or sample client list to the Career Center, and/or decide to disclose the name of the organization in each job listing they post. Third-party recruiters, may participate in select campus recruiting activities as long as they provide position descriptions for eligible jobs upon request and refrain from charging candidates for their services. Recruiting options available to third-party recruiters include Handshake listings and semi-annual job and internship fairs. If you would like to appeal for participation in other recruiting activities, please reach out to Julie Jones, Director of Employer Relations, at juliej@american.edu. 

Organizations and employers looking to hire students as independent contractors (1099) must include a disclosure in their Handshake postings to inform them of the role's 1099 status and their tax responsibilities. Recommended disclosure language: 

This is a 1099 position. Individuals paid on a 1099 basis are considered independent contractors and are self-employed. As independent contractors, they are responsible for paying all self-employment taxes (Social Security and Medicare) and income tax. Typically, independent contractors do not receive any employment benefits. 

All organizations that wish to hire independent contractors are encouraged to review the U.S. Department of Labor Fact Sheet #13 to ensure full compliance with the law. Recruiting options available to employers that want to hire students as independent contractors (1099) include Handshake listings and semi-annual job and internship fairs. 

The AU Career Center is committed to cultivating meaningful relationships with employers who share our commitment to fostering a diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplace. In alignment with this commitment, we invite employer partners to actively promote inclusive recruiting practices, foster equitable retention strategies, support diverse promotional opportunities within their organizations, and ascribe to the Principles for Ethical Professional Practice, set forth by the National Association of Colleges and Employers.  

Any violation of our employer recruiting policies or online career services Terms of Service may result in a sanction against the organization. Examples of recruiting violations may include but are not limited to: disclosure of student information, unprofessional or inappropriate conduct with students, or mass-emailing to faculty, staff, students or alumni. 

An organization that commits a violation of American University Recruiting Policies will receive notice of the violation. In addition to issuing the notice, American University may also impose a sanction against the organization for the violation. Sanctions imposed may result in the following: 

1. issuance of a warning letter, 

2. suspension of recruiting privileges at American University for a designated period, or 

3. termination of recruiting privileges. 

In the event of a suspension, the sanctioned organization may request reinstatement of recruiting privileges shortly before expiration of the designated sanction period. The request for reinstatement shall include information on how the organization will avoid any future occurrences of the violation sanctioned and detail what, if any, procedures the organization will employ to avoid any future violation of American University Recruiting Policies. Upon review of the request for reinstatement, American University will send a written notification of reinstatement and the effective date of the reinstated recruiting privileges. Any sanction may be appealed to the Executive Director of the AU Career Center. The Executive Director will review the appeal and determine whether the sanction will be affirmed, modified, or reversed. Upon such determination, the Executive Director will send written notification of the decision to the organization.

In cases of inclement weather, on-campus recruiting activities proceed as planned weather, on-campus recruiting activities proceed as planned when the university is open and are cancelled or rescheduled when the university is closed. Please call 202-885-1100 for daily updates about the university’s operating status.