NACE provides a strong foundation for professionals focused on the career development and employment of college graduates. This foundation includes ethical principles, professional standards for operations, and professional competencies for individual practitioners.

The NACE Principles for Ethical Professional Practice

- A principle is “a fundamental truth that serves as the foundation for a system of belief or behavior or for a chain of reasoning.” – Oxford Dictionaries

The NACE Principles provide the ethical framework on which all those involved in the career development and employment of college graduates can base their operations and interactions.

The Principles are not policies in and of themselves, but can inform the development of policies to ensure ethical practice.

Refer to the NACE Principles when:

• You want to ascertain a “right way”—an ethical way—to handle a particular situation or interaction.
• You are developing policies for your operation or guiding others in doing so.

Professional Standards for University Relations and Recruiting

- A standard is a “level of quality or attainment.” - Oxford Dictionaries

The Professional Standards constitute the processes, policies, and procedures as they apply to the university relations and recruiting (URR) operation.

The Professional Standards identify the practices the organization should follow to ensure a sound operation. The Standards facilitate the creation, maintenance, and delivery of programs, resources, and services, and they foster improvement, innovation, and excellence in all of these.

The Standards themselves are divided into two categories: minimum and best practices. Minimum standards are essential for all organizations and are designated as “must” practices. Best practice standards are processes and so forth that organizations should consider to improve or enhance their operations. They are designated as “should” practices.

The Professional Standards address 11 areas, such as marketing and branding, applicant selection and assessment, onboarding programs, and experiential education programs.

Refer to the Professional Standards when:

• You are assessing your operation.
• You are seeking ways to improve your programs and services.
• You are making a case for enhancing your operation.

Competencies for University Relations and Recruiting Professionals

- A competency is “the ability to do something successfully or efficiently.” - Oxford Dictionaries

The Competencies address the individual practitioner and provide a roadmap to professional excellence. They identify critical skill sets at beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels for five URR roles: coordinator/assistant, campus recruiter, campus manager, program/function/ business manager, and enterprise manager.

Refer to the Competencies when:

• You are building professional development plans for staff at all levels and functions.
• You are developing meaningful job descriptions.
• You need to identify the skills needed for an effective team.