The Career Development and Placement Center at Sacred Heart University is committed to maintaining good privacy practices regarding electronic personal information for all our users. The Career Development and Placement Center contracts with the NACElink Network to provide Sacred Heart University students and alumni with job listings, and on-campus recruiting and resume services.
All data collected for our job listing/resume database and on-campus recruiting services are stored on NACElink secure servers. Information collected is used to provide and tailor services to our users. It is also used to construct aggregate reports that assist us in program planning. Please refer to the NACElink Privacy Policy for technical details and a description of the NACElink.com site. Collection and access to student information is governed by campus and federal policy under the Federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).
Through NACELink, known at Sacred Heart University as PioneerLink, students and registered alumni can post resumes and view and apply for jobs. The information in a candidate's profile is used by the Career Development and Placement Center for job search advising, promoting programs and services, and notifying candidates of employment opportunities, and referring qualified candidates to employers. Only students and alumni who have given permission can have their resumes, or other documents such as cover letters or official transcripts, viewed by prospective employers. The only student documents available through the PioneerLink system are documents specifically uploaded to the system by the student. The Career Development and Placement Center will not upload any documents to the system on behalf of the student.
Employers do not have access to view information or documents directly from PioneerLink unless students or alumni apply to a specific position or give permission to be included in opt-in resume books for employers. Employment opportunities are added to the system locally through the Career Development and Placement Center, as well as, globally through the NACElink network. While the global entries through the NACELink network are not screened by NACE, the Career Development and Placement Center makes every effort to review the appropriateness of jobs before posting.
Site users are urged to validate job postings and use caution and common sense when applying for positions. The Career Development and Placement Center makes no representations or guarantees about full-time, part-time, internship, volunteer, or community service (domestic or international) positions listed on PioneerLink; and the Career Development and Placement Center is not responsible for safety, wages, working conditions or other aspects of employment. It is the student's/alumnus' responsibility for all necessary precautions when interviewing for or accepting any position and he/she is solely responsible for obtaining necessary information concerning the employer. It is strongly recommended that users do not disclose personal information such as Social Security numbers, credit card information, or bank account numbers to unknown employers.
The Career Development and Placement Center's website also contains links to other websites as a convenience for its users and is not responsible for the contents of any linked site. Anyone who discovers misuse or abuse of our website is encouraged to report the matter to the Office of Career Development.
The Career Development and Placement Center may conduct searches on resumes and candidate profiles to notify candidates of educational or employment opportunities through email communication. Students may access the PioneerLink system at: https://sacredheart-csm.symplicity.com/students/. Students and alumni can view, correct or change their information by logging into their account on PioneerLink. If you have any questions, concerns, or comments regarding the Privacy Policy or privacy issues relating to PioneerLink, please contact the Career Development and Placement Center at CareerDev@sacredheart.edu or (203) 371-7975.
The SHU Career Development and Placement Center abides by the Principles for Professional Conduct For Career Services & Employment Professionals set forth by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE).
Safety Tips for Your Online Job Search
PioneerLink and other online job systems have made it easier for you as job seekers to find positions posted by employers seeking candidates. Unfortunately, the same technology makes it easier for scammers to create fraudulent positions to take advantage of you. While we try to screen employers and the positions they post to PioneerLink, it is very important that you as a job seeker exercise common sense and caution. You need to read position descriptions carefully!
If a position or job offer seems to be too good to be true, if you feel uncomfortable with some of the information requested, or something just doesn't seem right – either back off or proceed with extreme caution. Even if the original position description seems valid, if you receive follow-up e-mails, phone calls or job offers that seem unusual, you need to proceed cautiously.
Here are some red flags:
- You are asked to give credit card, bank or PayPal account numbers
- You are asked to send a payment by wire service or courier.
- You are offered a large payment or reward in exchange for allowing the use of your bank account - often for depositing checks or transferring money.
- You receive an unexpectedly large check
- You are asked to transfer money, including via e-Bay, PayPal or Western Union money orders
- You are asked for personal information such as your Social Security Number
- You are requested to send a photo copy of your ID, i.e., driver's license to "verify identity"
- You are asked to complete a background check before you can be considered for a position.
- The posting appears to come from a legitimate company or organization, but the contact's e-mail address doesn't match the company's website domain (i.e., jdoe@gmail.com rather than jdoe@companyname.com)
- The job posting doesn't mention the responsibilities of the job; rather it focuses on the amount of money you will make.
In addition, you may receive a job offer in response to your application to a legitimate-appearing job description that is actually just a marketing e-mail to sell you job search "help." Some other tips:
- Be wary of postings for Mystery Shoppers, work at home, or virtual Administrative Assistants or Bookkeepers
- If you are an entry-level candidate with little experience, be wary of an offer with a salary that is way out of range.
- Are there multiple misspellings in the job notice?
- If the position listing is for an international opportunity, does it include travel expenses? Upfront program fees? Research the company and compare its program/benefits with other similar opportunities.
- If the ad mentions upfront fees, proceed cautiously.
- Verify that a URL listed in the ad goes to the internet domain of the company that listed it. For example, if the ad lists www.abcd.com/hr but when you click on it, goes to "www.abcd.com", it could sell be a scam.
- When using other job boards than RamberLink, read their privacy policies carefully. Also read how easy it is for employers to post jobs by going through the site's employer links.
- The position initially seems to be a traditional job, but upon further research or contact, is actually an independent contractor or franchise opportunity.
If you encounter suspicious postings in RamblerLink:
- Please report your experience to the Career Development and Placement Center at careerdev@sacredheart.edu or 203-371-7975
- End all communication with the employer, and if personal information was disclosed, monitor your accounts over the next few days, to be on the safe side.
- Contact the police and report the fraud or scam.
- If you have sent money to a fraud employer, contact your bank or credit card company immediately to close your account and dispute the charges.
- If the incident occurred entirely over the internet, file an incident report with the FCC at 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357) or at http://www.cybercrime.gov
More Resources for Safe Online Job Searching: