Handshake is a specialized career services platform designed to connect college students with employers seeking early-career talent. While its primary audience is current students, the platform’s scope extends to include alumni of partner institutions and employers actively recruiting from the university network. Handshake maintains a gated, closed-network environment, which separates it from open job search websites.
Handshake’s Core Function and Mission
Handshake’s existence is rooted in a mission to democratize opportunity for students across the country. The platform aims to ensure that students from any background have equitable access to meaningful career paths. Handshake accomplishes this by serving as a centralized technology hub that integrates career services, students, and employers into a single ecosystem.
This system is the official career services platform for a high percentage of top educational institutions in the United States. Its function is to facilitate the entire early-career journey, from exploration to securing a position. The relationship-based model it employs ensures only affiliated parties can interact on the site.
Access Eligibility for Current Students
Access is granted to individuals currently enrolled at a partner college or university. Students are typically provided with login credentials tied to their official school email address, which is the initial gateway to the platform’s resources.
Student accounts are often automatically imported by the university’s career services office, granting immediate access. If an account is not pre-created, a student can manually register using their school email, which may require approval from an administrator. This institutional oversight ensures that only active and verified students gain entry to exclusive job and event postings.
Access Eligibility for Alumni and Recent Graduates
Handshake’s utility is often extended beyond commencement, as many institutions maintain access for their alumni base. Alumni are generally provided with a “Student account,” though their access may be subject to different rules than current attendees. An alumnus can continue using the account created during enrollment or manually request a new connection to their former school.
The duration of post-graduation access is highly variable and determined by the policies of the university’s career center. Some schools grant access for a limited time, such as six months to five years, while others provide lifelong access. Features tied to current student status or specific career center resources may be restricted or unavailable to alumni.
Handshake for Employers and Recruiters
The platform operates as a two-sided marketplace, making employers and recruiters the other major user group. Companies use Handshake to post positions, manage campus recruiting events, and source candidates from a targeted pool of students and recent graduates. To ensure a high-quality environment, the platform implements a rigorous vetting process for all incoming employers.
New companies must provide specific identifying details, including their legal company name, website, industry, and sometimes a government identification number like an Employer Identification Number (EIN). Handshake utilizes security tools and third-party verification services to validate this data and minimize the risk of fraudulent postings. Each university retains the authority to manually approve or decline new employers and individual job postings, curating the network according to institutional guidelines.
Barriers for Non-Affiliated Individuals
The fundamental requirement for platform access is an established affiliation with a registered entity, creating a clear barrier for the general public. Individuals who are not a current student, an alumnus of a partner school, or a verified employer cannot create a profile to browse job listings. This exclusivity is central to the platform’s security and value proposition.
Handshake’s design is fundamentally different from an open-access website, as it is built around the institutional connection. Without a tie to a specific school, a non-affiliated user cannot access the full range of opportunities, including appointments, personalized job feeds, and direct interactions with university-approved employers. The system is intentionally closed to maintain the integrity of the network.
Key Differences from General Job Boards
Handshake maintains its exclusive access model because its purpose differs significantly from open-access platforms like LinkedIn or Indeed. General job boards cater to a broad demographic across all industries and experience levels. Handshake, conversely, is a niche platform focused solely on connecting early-career talent with internships and entry-level jobs.
This restricted environment benefits students by filtering out noise and presenting a curated pool of relevant opportunities. Applications submitted through Handshake are often viewed with a higher priority than those sent through a company’s general career website. The platform also serves as a comprehensive career tool, allowing students to schedule appointments with career counselors, register for on-campus events, and network with recruiters, making it more than just a job board.