In this week’s community threads, one member asks: Should students post their pictures in the career services management (CSM) system?
“We wanted to get feedback from other institutions in having student photos appear on profiles within their career services management system. What are the ethical considerations? How is it received by employers? What are the expectations of students?”
One member replied, saying “I had concerns about bias but also about general employer discomfort with the feature. I lobbied them a bit to consider the negatives associated with having images present. I was made more comfortable when they told me that students could choose to suppress the photo for employers, but also that employers would be able to globally turn off the ability to see student pictures. While that doesn't rule out the potential for bias to still occur, I do appreciate the level of control.”
Another agreed: “I felt much better after understanding and seeing that students easily had control of photo visibility and employers had the option to block all photos from their own view. Handshake has also done some work to make it such that student profiles without photos aren't penalized on the platform—they won't look obviously less complete when compared to students who do have visible photos.”
Others noted that the career services management software gives students and employers control over posting or viewing photos through the application. One member noted that he encourages students to add their pictures to their LinkedIn profiles. Another noted: “In the age of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, and LinkedIn, students expect profile pictures. Although bias is a concern, it is important to remember that bias will occur outside our CSM platforms, with or without a profile picture.”
What’s your opinion? There’s a new article in Grab & Go based on a recent community discussion about
how a student can politely avoid shaking hands. Career services members suggested several ideas, including the student placing her hand over her heart, maintaining eye contact, saying “pleased to meet you,” and explaining that her culture prohibits her shaking hands with a man who is not a relative.
Two conference calls about internships are planned. A brainstorming session for NACE career services members will discuss internships for nontraditional students, resources for helping students gain experience through part-time work and volunteering, and early-career opportunities for nontraditional students. If you’re interested in joining the session, take part in the Doodle poll at
https://beta.doodle.com/poll/pvx844eze8s5hq7k . The poll closes on Sunday, October 15. (Note: Please provide your first and last name so that we can contact you with date and dial-in information.)
NACE employers will be discussing best practices around university recruiting and internships in an early November call. If you’re an employer interested in taking part, contact Claudia Allen at
callen@naceweb.org.