Employers can proactively message students on Handshake when certain recruiting requirements are met.
Messaging requirements
Partner Institutions
- Basic and Plus employers must have at least one approved or closed job posting at the institution where the student(s) attend. For more information, refer to Understanding Job Posting Approvals.
Handshake Open
- To connect with students and alumni in the Open Network, Basic and Plus employers must have at least one approved or closed job posting at any partner institution on Handshake. Learn How to Connect with Handshake Open Network.
Note: Essential and TES employers can message students without posting a job. Premium features are for Handshake Premium accounts only. For more information, please check out this resource!
Additional requirements
- The company must be proactively approved by the institution (if no job posting exists).
- The student(s) must have activated their profile, and their profile visibility must not be set to "Private."
- Messaging limits must not have been reached.
- Note: Handshake sets messaging limits to encourage intentional interactions with students.
Send message from the Talent page
1. Click Talent from the left navigation bar. Explore A Guide to Talent List.
Tip: To refine the selection of students you want to message, use the set of filters located at the top of the table.
2. To invite specific students, click the white button Message to the far right of the student(s) name.
- To select all students, check the box to the left of Candidate above the student table.
- Alternatively, click a student’s name to open their profile in a side sheet, then click the black Message button in the upper-right corner.
3. In the pop-up message window, draft your message. Check out How to write a recruiting message to students (plus 7 templates)
4. Review your message carefully. When ready, click the black button Send.
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