Handshake has set messaging limits to encourage more meaningful and intentional interactions with students. There are three types of message limits for employers messaging students in Handshake: time-based limit, "per send", and daily limits.
Limitations set apply to all messages sent by employers, although limits do vary, as detailed below. Employers can send messages to students in Handshake individually, in bulk, and via campaigns, if they are a Premium partner.
For Premium partners, limitations are further based on the partnership your company has with Handshake.
Important update
These changes vary significantly by both your package and role type. Please review your specific account package below.
If at any point, you would like to upgrade to get greater access to messaging, please reach out to your account team or submit your information to our Sales team here.
In January 2024, messaging limits will be as follows:
Core (free)
- Monthly message limits: Each month, Core employers will be able to send 25 messages to candidates per month. These 25 messages will be shared across all users within an account.
- Monthly refresh: Once your account hits its monthly limit, users from your account will be limited from sending more messages until the next month.
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Removal of daily message limit: Use all your messages at once, or throughout the month.
Talent Essentials
Premium (paid) roles: Owner, Admin, Recruiter-Sourcer, Recruiter-Advanced, Advocate
- Access to 200 messages per month per premium user: Available for direct and bulk messages.
- 1x campaign per month: Campaigns are refreshed monthly.
- Expanded campaign access: Campaigns can now reach a maximum audience of 5000 candidates.
- Removal of daily message limit: Use all your messages at once, or throughout the month.
Core (unpaid) roles: Representative, Recruiter-Standard
- Monthly message limits: All Core users within Talent Essentials accounts will be able to send 25 messages to candidates per month. These 25 messages will be shared across all users within an account.
- Monthly refresh: Once your account hits its monthly limit, users from your account will be limited from sending more messages until the next month.
- Removal of daily message limit: Use all your messages at once, or throughout the month.
If you would like to discuss upgrading your Core (unpaid) users to gain full access to messaging, please reach out directly to your account team.
Talent Engagement Suite
Premium (paid) roles: Owner, Admin, Recruiter-Sourcer, Recruiter-Advanced, Advocate
- Premium seats continue to have unlimited access to messaging.
- Removal of daily message limit: Use all your messages at once, or throughout the month.
Core (unpaid) roles: Representative, Recruiter-Standard
- Monthly message limits: All Core users within TES accounts will be able to send 25 messages to candidates per month. These 25 messages will be shared across all users within an account.
- Monthly refresh: Once an account hits their monthly limit, Core users cannot send further messages until the next month.
- Removal of daily message limit: Use all your messages at once, or throughout the month.
If you would like to discuss upgrading your Core (unpaid) users to gain full access to messaging, please reach out directly to your account team.
Messaging limits (2023)
Time-based limits
Time-based limits refer to the message limit allocated within a single time period, which can be used collectively by all teammates connected to your company profile.
This limit is either applied semesterly or monthly depending on your company's partnership with Handshake, and applies to all types of messages (individual/bulk messages and campaigns).
Semesterly Limit:
Note: the semesterly limit is reset every six months, coinciding with Handshake's 'recruiting seasons' which run from January 1st to June 30th and then from July 1st to December 31st. All teammates connected to your company profile will receive a new allocation of messages at these times.
- Core: 100
- Essentials: 5000
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TES: Unlimited
- Note: if your employer has a premium Handshake account, but you are allocated a core user role, you have unlimited messaging at this time.
Monthly Limit:
- Plus: 200 (resets every calendar month)
Messages only count towards the semesterly and monthly limits if each of the following are true:
- Employer started sending messages to students, where the student has never replied or engaged.
- The student has not yet applied for a job.
- The student has not yet RSVP'd for an event/fair.
Messages don't count towards the limit if the student:
- Began the conversation.
- Replies to your message.
- Applies for a job at your company.
- Attend an event that your company is a part of.
- RSVPs to a career fair that your company is attending.
Daily limits
Daily limits apply to the number of bulk messages sent per day. Daily limits are tracked per employer user, and the day is defined by day boundaries in the user’s timezone.
- Core: 100
- Plus: 200
- Essentials: 500
- TES: 1000
Note: Core employers and Essentials partners are subject to recruiting season and daily limits in addition to this message-type limitation.
Per send
Per Send refers to the number of recipients selected for:
- Bulk messages: sent via Jobs (Applicants, Matches), Event and Fair (RSVPs), On-Campus Interviews (Applicants), Campaigns, Employer-Hosted Schedules (Candidates), Talent.
- All employers: 500 recipients per send
- Note: Core employers have a daily limit of 100 bulk messages, so while our system supports 500 recipients per bulk message, the daily limit for Core employers will override the per-send limit."
- All employers: 500 recipients per send
- Campaigns:
- Essentials: 500 recipients per Campaign
- TES: 5,000 recipients per Campaign