We've outlined the typical implementation timeline for switching to Handshake here as well as who is responsible for each step of the process.
Handshake has launched over 950 universities, most of whom have switched from a legacy career management platform. In the summer of 2018 Handshake launched over 300+ universities in 3 months. To support this, we've invested heavily in a streamlined implementation experience.
Our 7 Week Implementation Timeline
We've broken down the Handshake implementation into seven weeks. We know that teams prefer to move at different speeds and these timelines can easily be compressed or expanded to meet the needs of your university.
| Weekly Focus | Key Action Items | IT Responsibilities |
|---|---|---|
| Week 1 Implementation Kickoff | Meet your Handshake project team Create Handshake accounts for key team leads * Start training |
Begin work on the IT responsibilities (data sync, and SSO). Whitelist Handshake emails |
| Week 2 Training and configuration of university settings | Configure university settings Configure kiosks * Download past system metrics using legacy reporting tool |
* Continue sync and SSO work |
| Week 3 Setting up employer preferences | Set-up in-app preferences for how employers will connect with you Import contacts using the importer tool Set-up career fairs and events that employers should be able to register for at launch Notify employers about the upcoming switch |
* Continue sync and SSO work |
| Week 4 Launching to employers | * Use Handshake to invite contacts to join the system | * Continue sync and SSO work |
| Week 5 Finalise university settings and workflows | Configure appointments Map courses to course groups * Configure First Destination Survey Tool |
* Continue sync and SSO work |
| Week 6 Testing and Final Set-up | Verify IT team has completed SSO and data sync tasks Create and schedule student launch emails from within Handshake Review and test student workflows Approve pending employers and jobs |
Single sign on and student data feed should be completed by this time. |
| Week 7 Student Launch | Send out student launch email You're done! |
Setup and Configuration
Handshake was designed to be configured by non-technical users within the university career centre. Where needed, Handshake provides consultative support as a part of the implementation experience (at no additional cost).
The University Partnership Manager assigned to your university will guide the careers team through best practices around the various configuration options. It is not expected that IT needs to be involved in this process.
Migrating and Importing Legacy Data
Launching Handshake does not require IT teams to manually export data from legacy systems. All major legacy career management systems on the market include a reporting tool that university career centres are accustomed to using. This reporting tool can be used to export the necessary data. From there, the Handshake team provides support in importing the data into the Handshake platform.
The Importer Tool
Handshake has developed an importer tool to make it easy for career teams to bulk upload data into the Handshake application. This means that non-technical users can handle the import of legacy data into the Handshake platform.
More information on the importer can be found here.
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