Ethical Issues:
What to Say to a Firm Offering
Third-Party Alumni Career Services
The director of career services at a NACE-member school asked the NACE Principles for Professional Conduct Committee to consider the practical and ethical concerns of an alumni office partnering with a job-search firm to provide career assistance to alumni. The committee discussed the matter and issued the following advisory:
The Principles for Professional Conduct document says students/clients should not be charged for career services by a third party. Fees should be paid by the employing organization. Third-party career counseling/job-search arrangements are not unethical or inappropriate for alumni. In this case, the job-search firm approached the alumni office. Any college/university office, including the career services office, may be approached by a vendor wishing to offer products or services to students or alumni.
A number of questions arise with this situation:
- Are there consequences for career centers that currently provide free career services to alumni?
- Is there an implied endorsement, even though the alumni office (or any university office) may not back the third-party service? Will alumni assume the service is reputable because of its association with the university or college?
- How does the alumni office staff gauge the firm's reputation?
- Is an exclusive arrangement appropriate between the college and any third-party firm? Is it acceptable when there are no alternative alumni career services?
The Principles Committee recommends a discussion between college/university career center staff and the staff considering such a partnership based on the following points:
Is there a rebate to the alumni office?
A potential conflict of interest exists when a college or university department takes a rebate for referring graduates or students to a third-party organization. Even if the department does not endorse the third-party service, alumni/students may question whether the vendor was chosen for its quality or for the rebate it offers. Although some campus offices need to raise money or increase revenues, the Principles Committee recommends that departments avoid accepting rebates for referred clients.
Is the alumni office expected to endorse the vendor's services? Is this agreement between vendor and office intended to be an exclusive arrangement? Will similar firms be allowed to offer the same services?
Many colleges have exclusive arrangements with vendors that provide services and products, such as beverages and snack foods, so such an arrangement is not a foreign concept. However, it is important to remember that the Principles for Professional Conduct document says that a system of open, free selection of candidates is an important fundamental in career services. The Principles Committee recommends that departments refrain from endorsing any one vendor and make it clear in writing to all concerned-the third-party firm as well as alumni.
If the alumni office chooses to endorse the third-party firm, the department implies that it has reviewed the vendor's services and judged them to be competent and ethical. In most cases, professionals in the career services center are better qualified to examine and judge a third party's offer of career development and job-search services. Minimally, the alumni office should consult with the career center staff before offering an endorsement.
Does the service include collecting resumes?
If your answer is "yes," then it is advisable that you find out how resumes will be handled. The alumni office has an obligation to find out how resumes will be used by the service provider. The vendor should be asked if resumes will be forwarded to help locate jobs or if they will be sold. If the service were working directly with the career center and current students, the redistribution of resumes without a student's consent would be considered an unacceptable practice.
The vendor's intentions should be clearly spelled out in the contract with the college or university office. It must be clear that the firm needs written consent from each participating graduate or alumni before a resume can be passed to a potential employer or a resume data base. The Principles Committee recognizes that the ultimate goal of career centers is to help students, and when possible, alumni, secure the most effective and professional career development services available. The Principles for Professional Conduct document provides the foundation for safeguarding the rights and well-being of students and graduates when any campus office engages in the career development process. When an outside service provider wishes to provide career services through the alumni office or another campus department, the career center staff can work collaboratively with that office to make sure that alumni are receiving the best services possible.
Copyright © 1999 National Association of Colleges and Employers
Reviewed May 2006.