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How to Create an Event

Tawnya
  • Updated

On Handshake, all approved employers can create and post events to institutions that have proactively approved their company.

Not yet approved by an institution? Refer to How Can I Get Approved By Institutions?.

Events can be hosted on campus, off-site, or virtually, providing an excellent opportunity to connect with students and alumni, share career opportunities, and offer valuable resources to help them succeed.

Features available only to Premium partners are indicated by an asterisk (*). For more information, please check out this resource.

Note: The Interactive Event and Large Event features (highlighted in yellow) are in beta and only available to Premium partners with Event Manager. These features will remain in beta for a limited time as we gather feedback from successfully hosted events.

 

 

Create an event 

1. Click Events from the left navigation bar, then click the black button Create Event in the upper-right corner of the page.

 

Create event button .png

 

2. Complete the fields in the Create a new event form:

  • Event Name
    • 85 character limit 
  • Event Categories (select up to two)
    • Hiring and recruiting 
    • About your company 
    • Guidance
    • Networking
    • Career fairs
    • Conferences and more
  • Start & End Dates
    • Click on the calendar icon to select the desired start and end dates for your event.
      • Events cannot be set as recurring. However, events can last for more than 24 hours, *or occur during a 1-on-1 employer-hosted schedule. 
    • Time Zone 
  • Contact 
    • The contact person should be the primary point of contact for any event-related questions.
      • The contact must have an active Handshake user account and the role to manage events. 
    • Check the box for The contact person can accept messages from attendees to allow attendees to message the contact directly. 
    • Where is your event being held? 
      • On-campus: My company is hosting this event at an institution.
        • Which institution is hosting? (select an institution)
        • Virtual event available: Students can choose to attend virtually or in person. 
          • If yes, enter the Virtual Attendance Link 
        • Tip: add the specific location, e.g., building and room number, to the Description section of the event form.
      • Off-campus: My company is hosting this event (not at an institution) and booking space ourselves.
        • Where is the location for your event (optional)
        • Virtual event available: Students can choose to attend virtually or in person. 
          • If yes, enter the Virtual Attendance Link 
      • Virtually: My company is hosting this event virtually. 
        • Where will the virtual event happen?
          • *Interactive event: this feature is only available to Premium partners with Event Manager. There is a 100 registrant limit for session, including hosts.
            • Candidates can unmute independently. 
            • Cameras can be turned on independently. 
          • *Large event: this feature is only available to Premium partners with Event Manager. There is a 1000 registrant limit for session, including hosts.
            • Candidates cannot unmute or turn on cameras independently.
              • *Would you like to record this session? (select yes/no) 
              • *How many people from your team will host the event? (select or enter number). Maximum 20 hosts allowed.
              • *Attendee check-in: Request that attendees check in for this event via Handshake.
              • Add a registration limit (optional): Select or enter the number of participants who can register for the event.
          • I will use an external video platform 
            • For externally hosted virtual events, it is required to fill out at least one of the two following fields:
              • Web Host URL: This is where students will go to attend your event (e.g., a link to Zoom, YouTube, Bluejeans, or WebEx).
              • External registration link (optional): Link to Eventbrite, CRM, or another tool. Students will be redirected here when they register for the event.
                • *Note: Premium partners with the Handshake Events module enabled can include an external registration link for all event types (on-campus, off-campus, virtual). 
              • Add a registration limit (optional): Select or enter the number of participants who can register for the event.
  • Invite institutions to promote your event 
    • For Basic employers, only one institution per event created can be requested. 
      • *Premium partners have the flexibility to select multiple institutions or an institution list when hosting events for groups of institutions. Learn How to Use Institution Lists.
  • Write an effective description: A good description will help attract the right attendees. Write an effective description by providing details like agendas, who the event is for, and the value of attending (2500 character limit). 
  • Highlight guests (optional): Premium partners can add information (name, title, short bio, photo) about speakers, hosts, and panelists to the description. (Maximum 5 participants allowed). 
  • Update event thumbnail: 
    • The logo currently displayed on your company's Handshake profile will automatically be used as the thumbnail. To update the branding image, simply click the small pencil icon located in the top-right corner of the image. For size and ratio recommendations, refer to our Employer Logo & Banner Guide.

 

3. Click the blue button Save in the lower-right corner to create your event and submit it for approval. 

 

Create event form.png

 

Event overview

Once your event is created, you will be directed to the event Overview page, which features two main tabs. Premium partners will have two additional tabs, denoted by an asterisk (*).

  • Overview: shows general event information including date, time, location, description, activity, and comments. 
  • *Institutions invited: shows all the institutions invited to the event, along with their event approval status.
  • Candidates: shows a list of all candidates who have either RSVP'd to or checked in to your event. Read more about Accessing Event and Fair RSVPs.
  • Mobile app setup: Premium partners with Event Manager can invite recruiters to use Handshake's Event app on their mobile devices to access RSVPs and submit evaluations. Learn more about the Handshake Events Setup for Mobile App.
  • *Kiosk setup: Premium partners with Event Manager can set up a check-in kiosk for in-person and virtual events. Check out our Event Check-In Guide. 

overview page.png

 

Inviting students 

Events are available to students affiliated with institutions that have approved your employer on Handshake.

After your event is approved by the institution(s), it will become visible on Handshake. This will allow students affiliated with institutions that have approved your employer on Handshake to discover your event.

To further promote your event, you can invite students via messaging. Discover how to Invite Students to an Event or Fair.

*Premium partners can also invite students who don't have a Handshake account. Learn more about Sharing an Event with Students.

 

 

Event promotion 

If your company has active job postings and the requested event is less than 60 days away, it will be promoted on the job postings at institutions that approve the event.