Users Guide to the Principles for Professional Conduct
| Index to Ethics Guide |
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Principles for Employer Professionals
7. Disclosure of student information
"Employment professionals will maintain the confidentiality of student information, regardless of the source, including personal knowledge, written records/reports, and computer data bases. There will be no disclosure of student information to another organization without the prior written consent of the student, unless necessitated by health and/or safety considerations. (See Career Services Principle 7) (See Third Party Principle 6)
(Intent / Rationale / Resources)
Student privacy will be protected.
Privacy is an important right that must be guarded. By maintaining confidentiality we protect individuals from being harmed by information falling into the wrong hands. We also protect them from the embarrassment and sense of personal violation that often accompany having had confidentiality breached.
Employers are entitled to obtain personal information about employees and candidates for which there is a legitimate interest, i.e., a bona fide need for the information being requested. That is, without this information the employer cannot successfully run the business. If grade point average is determined to be a necessary and justifiable screening criterion, the employment professional must be certain that this information is used only for the screening process, and is not shared with others in the organization who do not have a need to know. Similarly, if a student mentions a disability that requires an accommodation, the employment professional’s organization must make certain that this information is shared only with individuals in the organization who have a legitimate need to know.
Letters of recommendation for candidates are occasionally requested by employment professionals. Whether they are provided by the career center, a third-party organization, or directly by the letter writers, these documents should be used for the express reason they were requested and none other. Once used, they should be destroyed. They should not be circulated to others in the organization unless there is a need for others (e.g., managers) to know and the student provides written consent. Similarly, they should never be forwarded to outside individuals or organizations unless the student provides written permission. This permission should never be coerced, and the student should have full understanding as to why this is being requested and how it will be effected.
NACE Principles for Professional Conduct Committee. "Playing Fair." Job Choices 2002.
Kaplan, Rochelle. "Sample Employer Letter of Reference."
