Third-Party Recruiters

Marymount University’s Center for Career Development follows professional standards for working with third-party recruiters as set by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE). Before posting a position with the Center for Career Development, third-party recruiters must sign an agreement stating they will comply with our third-party recruiter policies. Below is a detailed explanation of third-party recruiters provided by NACE.

Definition of Third-Party Recruiter:

Third-party recruiters are agencies, organizations, or individuals recruiting candidates for temporary, part-time, or full-time employment opportunities other than for their own needs. This includes entities that refer or recruit for profit or not for profit, and it includes agencies that collect student information to be disclosed to employers for purposes of recruitment and employment;

Third-party recruiting organizations charge for services using one of the following fee structures:

Applicant paid fee

The applicant pays the third-party recruiter a flat fee for services rendered or a fee based upon the applicant’s starting salary once the applicant is placed with an employer.

Employer paid fee

  • Retainer—The employer pays a flat fee to the third-party recruiter for services performed in the recruiting of individuals to work for the employer.
  • Contingency fee—The employer pays to the third-party recruiter a percentage of the applicant’s starting salary once the applicant is hired by the employer.
  • Fee for service—The employer pays a fee for specific services, e.g. job postings, access to resumes, booth space at a job fair, and so forth.

The above definition includes, but is not limited to, the following entities regardless of the fee structure used by the entity to charge for services:

Employment agencies

Organizations that list positions for a number of client organizations (employers) and receive payment when a referred candidate is hired. The fee for listing a position is paid either by the firm listing the opening (fee paid) or by the candidate who is hired.

Search firms

Organizations that contract with clients (employers) to find and screen qualified persons to fill specific positions. The fees for this service are paid by the clients (employers).

Contract recruiter

Organizations that contract with an employer to act as the employer’s agent in the recruiting and employment function.

Online job posting or resume referral services

For-profit or commercial organizations that collect data on job seekers and display job opportunities to which job seekers may apply. The data collected on job seekers are sent to prospective employers. Fees for using the services may exist for the employer, school, or job seeker.

Temporary agencies or staffing services
Temporary agencies or staffing services are employers, not third-party recruiters, and will be expected to comply with the professional practice principles set forth for employment professionals. These organizations contract to provide individuals qualified to perform specific tasks or complete specific projects for a client organization. Individuals perform work at the client organization, but are employed and paid by the agency.

Outsourcing contractors or leasing agencies

Outsourcing contractors or leasing agencies are employers, not third-party recruiters, and will be expected to comply with the professional practice principles set forth for employment professionals. These organizations contract with client organizations to provide a specific functional area that the organization no longer desires to perform, such as accounting, technology services, human resources, cafeteria services, and so forth. Individuals hired by the outsourcing or leasing firm are paid and supervised by the firm, even though they work on the client organization’s premises.

In most cases temporary agencies, staffing services, outsourcing contractors, or leasing firms will be treated as employers. However, should these firms actually recruit individuals to be employees of another organization, then the third-party professional practice principles shall apply.” (National Association of Colleges and Employers, June 2009, p. 6)

Marymount University’s Center for Career Development requires third-party recruiters to disclose the information listed below:

  • “Third-party recruiters will disclose to students the name(s) of the client, or clients, that the third-party recruiter is representing and to whom the students’ credentials will be disclosed.
  • When deemed necessary, third-party recruiters will disclose information upon request to Career Development that would enable Career Development to verify that it is recruiting for a bona fide job opportunity. Information should include contact information for the organization for which the third party is providing recruiting services. Career Development must respect the confidentiality of this information and may not publish it in any manner.
  • Third-party recruiters will not disclose to any employer, including the client-employer, any student information without obtaining prior written consent from the student. Under no circumstances can student information be disclosed other than for the original recruiting purposes nor can it be sold or provided to other entities. Online job-posting and resume-referral services must prominently display their privacy policies on their web sites, specifying who will have access to student information.
  • Third-party recruiters attending career fairs will represent employers who have authorized them and will disclose the names of the represented employers to Career Development upon request.”

(Source: National Association of Colleges and Employers, June 2009, p. 7)