We've created this guide to help walk you through the process of getting started on Handshake, from signing up to posting jobs, with troubleshooting tips for each step of the way. Getting started should be a smooth process!
1. Create a user account
You will need a user account in order to log in and use Handshake. If you've received an invite from a school or a colleague, you can follow the link to take you to the account creation process. If you're signing up without an invite, go to https://app.joinhandshake.com/employer_registrations/new to create an employer account. You can view the details of this process, with screenshots, by checking out How to Create a User Account
Troubleshooting tips:
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If you're having difficulties receiving the confirmation email, try checking your spam and junk folders to ensure that emails are not being filtered out. Add handshake@m.joinhandshake.com to your email contacts or address book, and lastly, check with your IT department and ask them to whitelist Handshake or check for quarantined emails. Then, resend the confirmation email once you've taken these steps. You can resend the confirmation by logging into Handshake and using the link in Step 4 on the right side of your screen, as pictured here:
2. Join your existing company on Handshake, or create a new one
You will need to be connected to your company profile on Handshake prior to taking any actions with schools. Your company should pull up based on the domain of your email address, if it is already in Handshake. If it isn't, you should see the option to create a new company profile. You can learn more about the new company creation process here.
Troubleshooting tips:
- Use your corporate email address if you have one. This will ensure that your company profile is shown to you if it is in Handshake, and can expedite the process of connecting to your company. Schools also will tend to decline users with generic email addresses.
- The goal of this step is to connect you with your company, not schools you'd like to recruit from (that comes later). If you want to recruit from Stanford, do not list Stanford as your company. On-campus employers are obviously the exception to this rule.
3. Request to connect with schools
You must request and receive approval from a school prior to posting jobs there. You can choose schools during your sign-up process, and can always select more at any time afterwards. Check out this article: School Network Management to learn how to choose additional schools in Handshake after you've gotten set up.
Troubleshooting tips:
- Only request a select few schools initially. This will allow you to build positive relationships with schools while also growing your Trust Score. You can request additional schools as you become approved at your initial schools. More information can be found in the How Can I Increase My Trust Score?.
- It can take up to five business days for a school to approve your request. If you do not receive a response within that time frame, contact the Career Services department at the school. You can find the contact information for a school's Career Services by selecting Schools in the left hand menu, and then clicking on the name of the school you wish to reach.
4. Take action!
Once you've connected to one or more schools, you will be able to post jobs, request on-campus interview schedules, manage your applicants, and more. Here are some quick links to more detailed articles on these topics:
How to Post an Interview Schedule to a School
Managing Interview Schedule Applicants
