Recruitment Practices

When engaging with students through experiential learning opportunities, we want to ensure you find students that are the right fit for your organization. Below are best practices for recruiting and onboarding students from the University of Guelph.

• If you are hiring students for paid employment (including co-op), visit the co-operative education and career services website for recruitment standards for employers. 
• For any experiential learning opportunity, ensure that you have a well-written description of what the student will be doing at your organization, whether it is a job description or project outline. Ensure this description is available in multiple accessible formats to prevent barriers and include clear instructions for application. Review our tips for writing a better experience description. 
• Connect with the appropriate staff members to identify the right pool of qualified students to recruit from.
• Advertise your opportunity to specific student groups based on your needs. Targeted advertising to international students, indigenous students, and students with disabilities can ensure you have a diverse applicant pool with wide-ranging experiences and unique perspectives. 
• Evaluate students based on their relevant achievements and abilities needed to succeed in the tasks assigned, to ensure fairness in the recruitment process and avoid discrimination. 
• If your recruitment requires the student to go through an interview process, let the applicants know that you can provide accommodations if needed. 
• Be familiar with the University of Guelph calendar to know when the semesters start and end, and ensure your recruitment time frame aligns with the University schedule. 
• Once you have decided on which students you want to work with, place an offer in a manner decided with the staff member and give the student a reasonable amount of time to respond.