As the next installment of our “Countdown to March 24th Effective Date: Are you Ready to Flip the Switch?” let’s take a look at what employers need to be telling Job Seekers after March 24th . . .

A number of the new veteran and disability obligations effective March 24, 2014 involve notifying job seekers that your company is an EEO employer:

  • The “EEO is the Law” poster must still be conspicuously posted in physical locations for walk-in applicants (if applicable), and must be provided in a form accessible and understandable to those with a disability.
  • If you use an online application system, you must now also provide access to the “EEO is the Law” poster as part of the online system.  OFCCP has stated you may provide a hyperlink to the poster with a brief explanation of the link, such as:

[Company] is an equal opportunity employer and gives consideration for employment to qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability or protected veteran status.  If you’d like more information about your EEO rights as an applicant under the law, please click here [hyperlink to poster].

  • The foregoing notice also fulfills another requirement –  updating your EEO tagline to include veteran and disability status. Although abbreviations such as “disability” and “vet” are allowed, OFCCP says “v” and “d” are not.  The EEO tagline must still be present in all job solicitations and ads.
  • Similarly, because the online hyperlink to the poster must be accessible to individuals with disabilities, contractors must continue to provide accessibility information as part of the online application system.  If you provide a 1-800 number or general e-mail address make sure they are being monitored continuously and inquiries are responded to within 24 hours.

Providing the accessibility notice in combination with the foregoing notice on the landing page of your Careers Web page should efficiently and effectively provide all the required applicant notices.

Check back tomorrow when we address state posting requirements.