University of South Carolina
School of Music
FACULTY GUIDE TO ETHICAL AND LEGAL STANDARDS IN STUDENT HIRING

Faculty play a direct role in the employment process for new graduates, as well as current students. You should be aware that helping students in their job searches can result in unanticipated illegal or unethical actions.

In order to stay within current legal and ethical boundaries, the following procedures are suggested:

If you receive a request for student referrals, you can, of course, notify individual students who have declared an interest in such positions and encourage them to apply.  However, You should also post the position on appropriate bulletin boards and, perhaps, announce it to your classes.

When you are asked to provide a written or oral reference for a student, obtain written permission from the student.  All reference information should be based on firsthand knowledge, and, if possible written documentation. When providing information, you should avoid personal matters (e.g., marital status, health, disabilities, race, religion, etc.) that by law should not be included in employment decisions, even if you believe that such information might enhance the student’s candidacy.