Getting Started with Handshake

If your school has partnered with Handshake, there should be a link from the email sent by your Career Services Center. Click this link to login to Handshake and claim your account.

If you don't have an invitation email from your school, go to the Handshake login page. Then search for your school from the dropdown menu to proceed.

Tip: schools are listed in alphabetical order, and only the first 25 are displayed. If your school isn't included in the dropdown, click in the search box and type in your school name to locate.

• Can't find your school? If your school isn't displayed in the list when searching by name, it's possible they are in the process of implementing Handshake and are hidden at the moment. For more information on this, refer to School Not Found on Handshake.

Once you've selected your school, you can login via two ways:

1. Your school's provided login option

2. Your .edu email address

Tip: try using the same User ID and password you use to log on to your school’s website — the one you use to check your account or access the library, for example.

• If you have an account, and you're unable to login successfully with your school User ID and password, or if you're an alum, try resetting your password on Handshake (using your school email address as your User ID). For more information on resting your password, refer to Reset the Password for a Student Account in Handshake or Log In as an Alum: Set your Handshake Password.
• If you don't have an account, you'll be prompted to set up an account. Select I'm a Student or Alumni to proceed with account creation. For more information on creating an account in Handshake, refer to The Student On-boarding Experience.

After creating a new account, you'll be required to connect with a school instance on Handshake. Connecting with your school will provide you with access to more features like job postings and messages.

Important: after requesting to connect with your school, you'll either be automatically approved based on your email domain, or need to wait for a manual approval by your Career Services center.

If you have any questions about your pending connection, you can either reach out to your school's Career Services center or submit a ticket to our Support Team.

Additional Resources

To learn more about student accounts on Handshake, check out An Overview of Student and Alumni Accounts in Handshake.

If you're not receiving the confirmation email, refer to Troubleshooting Missing Confirmation Email.

By uploading resumes, cover letters, transcripts, and other relevant documents, you can apply for jobs directly through Handshake. This streamlines the application process and ensures that all necessary documents are readily available to potential employers you apply to!

To learn more about how to upload a document, refer to How to Upload a New Document.

Filling out your profile includes many benefits! For example, you'll receive personalized job recommendations, proactive employer outreach, and the opportunity to showcase your skills and experience. 

Note: you are in control over who has access to your profile. To learn more about your privacy options, refer to Profile Privacy Options in Handshake.

For more information on filling out your profile, refer to Completing your Profile in Handshake. 

If there are already details in your profile, this means your school partners with Handshake and has pre-loaded your information, usually based on data from the school registrar. Check to be sure all pre-loaded information is correct, especially your major and GPA (if included); if you find any errors, contact your school's Career Services Center to correct it, as Handshake is unable to change any of your profile data.

Use your home page, and other tools available on Handshake to look for companies, events, and jobs you're interested in learning more about or applying to!

To learn more about your home page, check out Navigating the Student Homepage.

To find jobs of interest, refer to Searching for Jobs and Internships.

To find events and fairs to sign up for, check out Discover Events & Fairs in Handshake.

Tip: you can always save your searches in Handshake by clicking the bookmark icon. This makes finding relevant employers and jobs easy to access later. To do this, refer to Saved Job Searches and Alerts.

When you follow an employer or a job, you'll receive alerts when a job application window is closing or when an employer is attending an event or fair at your school. 

Learn more about following employers in Following an Employer in Handshake.