Hey there Jumbos!
Did you think Handshake was just a tool for scheduling an appointment to see a career advisor or looking for a job? Well, have I got some exciting news for you!
Handshake has myriad uses to not only find opportunities, but to also help you explore career interests, connect with peers at your own and other institutions, as well as getting to know more about and engaging with employers. Before we get into the good stuff, here is a friendly reminder to make sure your profile is up-to-date. This includes not only work and class experience, but also interests and future goals as well. This will help make sure the content you receive from Handshake is more aligned with what you are excited about. Navigate to the upper-right hand side of the screen and click on your photo to open the drop-down menu to edit all your career interests in one easy place! You can always come back and update as your interests and goals change. Lastly, make sure your profile privacy setting is set to Community to make the most of Handshake.
Here are the top 4 tools on Handshake that you are probably not using, but definitely should!
💼Career Paths
Handshake has created Career Paths, which has several “paths” that you can click on and explore! Select which ones are of interest to you to follow. Each path with give you a snapshot of what a career in that area may look like including, average salary for new grads, top cities for that role, similar role types, and a sampling of the current jobs and opportunities that are active in Handshake right now in that field. If you decide you like what you see, click “Interested” and you will get notified with any updates about the path!
⭐Following Employers
You can search for employers of interest and once on the company pages you can opt-in to “Follow” them. When following an employer you will be the first to know when they post new opportunities to apply for or are hosting an event for you to engage with them!
✍Reviews/Reviewing
You can learn about organizations’ early grad and intern experiences through peers! Not only are there general reviews, but there are also interview reviews as well, where you can gain insight to what the interview process is like for certain roles and even see sample interview questions that are actually used in the process.
You also have the opportunity to leave reviews as well! Be sure to write up your experience and leave the door open for conversations from your peers. This is a low-risk way to start building up not only your network, but your networking skills.
❓Q&A
Handshake has a Q&A forum where you can ask literally any (career based) question to get feedback and advice from peers! Recent question examples are: What should I know before an interview at NBCUniversal?; What does it take to do well at KPMG?; To what extent does Doctors Without order uphold their stated company values?; and What are some possible career paths for a Theatre/Acting major?, plus hundreds more. Take advantage of the huge university peer network that Handshake has to offer and leverage their knowledge to help position you for a future role!
If this seems a little overwhelming and you’re not quite sure where to start, that’s where we come in! You can drop-in to a Career Lab (M-F, 12-2PM EST & T/Th, 5-7PM EST) or schedule an appointment with an advisor to help get you started.
