Skip to main content

Handshake Help Center

What can we help you find?

Create an Employer User Account, Join a Company, and Connect with Schools

Jennifer
  • Updated

Are you ready to join Handshake and streamline your hiring process? Review our best practices, then follow the steps below to create your account and get started. 

 

Best practices 

Employers (non on-campus employers) 

On-campus employers

  • Determine if you are an on-campus employer by referring to Identifying On-Campus Employers.
  • Verify if your institution uses the Company model or the Divisions model for employer accounts. This information will guide you through the connection process with your institution’s profile on Handshake.

 

 

Sign up 

1. Visit https://app.joinhandshake.com/employer_registrations/new and enter the following information: 

  • First name
  • Last name
  • Work email
    • If you enter a personal email, a yellow banner will display the message: "It looks like you're using a personal email (@gmail, @yahoo, @hotmail, etc). Please use your work email so we can connect you with your company" displays in a yellow banner.
    • If you don’t have a work email, you can proceed with your personal email.
  • Password (create new password)
    • Passwords on Handshake must:
      • Contain eight characters, or more
      • Contain characters from two of the following three character classes:
        • Alphabetic (e.g., a-z, A-Z)
        • Numeric (i.e. 0–9)
        • Punctuation and other characters (e.g.,!@#$%^&*()_+|~-=\`{}[]:";'<>?,./)
    • Note: Passwords are not encrypted.
    • Tip: Click the show password icon (👁) to confirm that you have entered your password correctly.

 

2.  Review Terms and Privacy Policy. By clicking Create account, you agree to Handshake's Terms of Service and confirm that you have read the Privacy Policy.

Note: There is no checkbox for agreement; your consent is implied when you click Create account.

 

3. When finished, click the black button Create account in the lower-right corner. 

Sign up for free.png

 

4. Verify your email address on Handshake by clicking the link in the email we sent you.

Note: Email verification links remain active for 12 hours after they are sent.

If you don't receive a confirmation email, check out Troubleshooting a Missing Confirmation Email. 

Verify your email.png

 

5. Complete your profile by providing the following information:

  • User profile photo (optional)
  • Types of candidates you're looking for
  • Phone number
  • Education history (optional)
    • School Name
    • Graduation Year
    • If your school is not listed, check the box for School not listed.
    • To add another school, click Add another school.
  • Third-Party Recruiter Status
    • Are you a third-party recruiter working on behalf of another company? (select Yes or No)
      • According to Handshake, a third-party recruiter is:
        • An employer who is hiring or posting jobs for a company other than the one they work for.
        • An employer who is hiring or posting jobs, but another company provides the pay/salary.
        • An employer who is hiring or posting jobs for both the company they work for and another company.
          • If yes, job postings created by third parties must represent a single company. The job description must clearly state the company's name and indicate that you are a third-party firm recruiting on its behalf. Additionally, you may not disclose any student information to another party without the student's written consent.
          • Review our Third Party Recruiting Policies, then check the box to agree.
      • Note: If you need to update your third-party recruiter status after completing your profile during onboarding, contact our Support team.

 

6. When finished, click the black button Continue in the lower-right corner. 

  • If you are unable to complete the registration: Click your name in the upper-right corner and select Log out. Your information will not be saved, but you will return to the same page when you log back in.
  • To edit fields from a previous page (e.g., job title, phone number): Complete your profile first. Once you gain access to the platform, you can edit your information in your Employer Account User Settings.
Complete your profile.png

 

 

 

Connect with your company

Upon completing your profile, you will be prompted to create or join your company profile on Handshake.

Company is listed 

  • If your email domain is recognized and your company already has a profile, click the button Request to join.
    • If your company is listed and you belong to a division, request to join. Once connected, contact the profile owner to add your division.
    • If the incorrect company appears, click the button Choose Another Company to search for your company.
    • If your company is listed but you need to create a profile for a different location (franchise), click the button Choose Another Company to create a new company profile.
Request to join.png

 

Once you request to join your company profile, the profile owner will review and approve your request. Handshake will notify you via email once your request is approved.

Note: If the company profile owner has enabled auto-approval, you may gain immediate access to your account. 

request under review.png

 

 

Company is not listed 

  • If your company’s email domain isn’t recognized, or if you're using a generic email address (e.g., @gmail.com), start by entering your company name in the search bar to search for an existing company profile.
    • As you type, a dropdown may display company profiles associated with your email domain.
      • If your company appears, select it and click the black button Request to join.
    • If your company is not listed, enter its name in the search bar, click the option + Create a new company [COMPANY NAME], then click the black button Create company. Learn more about How to Create a New Company Profile. 
Create new profile.png

 

 

 

Validate your account 

If you created a new company profile for your organization, your account will go through two types of verification powered by Persona:

  • Identity verification to confirm who you are
  • Company verification to confirm your business details

In addition to these automated checks, your account will also be reviewed by our Trust and Safety team to ensure your company meets our platform's standards.

Learn more about our Employer Validation.

 

 

Create your first job 

If you created a new company profile for your organization, you will be prompted to create your first job after submitting your verification information.

  • If you do not have a job to post yet, click Skip to move forward.
  • If you’re ready to post, enter your job title and job description, then click Continue.
  • As you complete these fields, the Skip button will change to Save as Draft. Click this button if you’re not ready to complete the posting.
  • Complete the job form. Some fields may be pre-filled. Check out How to Post a Job.

Note: Even if you complete the job form, your job will not be posted, and you will not have access to the platform until all verification steps are completed successfully.

Create your first job.png

 

 

Connect with schools

Once your employer account is verified, or you’ve connected with an existing approved company profile, you can access your account and begin building relationships with schools by:

  • Posting jobs for their students
    • If you're ready to post a job, refer to How to Post a Job.
    • Note: If you created a job posting or saved it as a draft during onboarding, a "Post job" prompt will appear on your homepage once your account is approved.
  • Requesting to join their network if you're not already connected

 

 

Email notifications

Once your account is verified and approved, you’ll receive:

  • An email confirmation that your account is active
  • A separate email with an onboarding checklist to help you get started

The email will read: 

From: Handshake <employers@g.joinhandshake.com>

Subject: "Welcome to Handshake [NAME]

Body: 

"Welcome to Handshake. Here's your onboarding checklist:

Congrats on joining Handshake, the #1 early talent network with 15M+ active candidates. Ready to find and recruit your perfect match, here's a few things you can do to get started: 

[CHECKLIST]"

 

Welcome to Handshake.png

 

Additional resources