Welcome back to Tufts!
The Tufts Career Center would like to share some ways to best utilize Handshake for your job and internship search process. As a student, you have the ability to set-up your profile, update your preferences, and research employers and industry sectors of interest to you. Please find tips and advice below to make the most of Handshake for the 2025 – 2026 academic year ahead.
Handshake for Students & Alumni – Career Center | Tufts University
1. Set Up (and Complete) Your Profile
Students with a completed profile are five times more likely to be messaged by a recruiter, so make sure you take the time to fill everything in. A completed profile also helps ensure that you get connected with the most relevant opportunities. Handshake will send you targeted messages regarding job openings, upcoming events, and other opportunities that are personalized to your interests.
To get started, make sure you update Your Interests with:
1. Job Type: Share whether you’re looking for an internship, part-time job, or full-time job
2. Location: Select the cities where you’d like to work, and Handshake will show you jobs in that area
3. Job Role: Choose jobs you would like to explore (marketing associate, software engineer, etc.)
Pro Tip: Handshake uses your profile to recommend jobs and internships—so the more info you include, the better your matches will be!
2. Set Your Notification Preferences
Handshake can notify you when jobs that match your interests get posted, or when an employer views your profile. But to take advantage of this, you need to customize your notification settings.
Here’s what to do:
- Go to Settings > Notifications
- Turn on alerts for job deadlines, new events, message replies, and employer activity
- Choose your preferred method: email, push notification, or both
By setting-up these notification preferences, you will ensure that you see the opportunities you are interested in, stay updated on employers posting jobs & internships, and get notified in a way that works best for you!
3. Follow Employers You’re Interested In
When you follow an employer, you get updates when they post new jobs, are attending a career fair, host an info session, or are coming to campus for interviews/coffee chats.
To follow an employer:
- Search for the company in the Employers tab
- Click the Follow button on their profile
You can even follow entire industries if you’re exploring career paths. Handshake will use this info to tailor your job feed, so you will begin to see more opportunities within this industry sector.
Pro Tip: Download the Handshake app for your phone and view the employers that are viewing your profile, resume, and are interested in your background and experience. This is a great way to stay updated on your job and internship search process.
4. View and Follow Collections
Handshake curates Collections—groups of employers who have interacted with Tufts (ex. Co-op Employers) or that are from a particular industry (ex. Environmental Studies & Sustainability Opportunities).
Students can view and follow collections to stay current on upcoming events, new jobs and internships that have been posted, and to learn about employers that you might not have heard about previously. Students will be notified when new jobs, internships, or events are added to a collection.
How to use Collections:
- Go to the Jobs tab and click on Collections
- Browse and follow collections that match your interests
- Get job recommendations directly from those employers
5. Make Your Resume and Profile Public
When your profile and resume are public to employers, you allow recruiters to find you. Many opportunities come not from you applying to a job, but from an employer finding you on Handshake.
How to make your profile public:
- In your profile settings, toggle your visibility to “Employers”
- Upload your resume and make sure it’s visible to employers
- You are also able to choose to make your profile public for a certain duration or event (ex. Career Fair).
Only verified employers on Handshake can view your profile, so your information stays within the trusted network. Students can make their profile visible or private at any time based on the settings you select.
Weekly Checklist for Handshake Success
The best way to get results is to be active in Handshake. Make sure to check for opportunities regularly and follow the weekly checklist to make the most of Handshake.
Here’s a quick weekly to-do list:
- Check your job feed and apply to new roles
- Follow any new employers who post roles you like
- Register and attend virtual and on-campus events
- Keep your profile updated
