To conduct recruiting activities on Handshake, such as engaging with students, hosting events, or scheduling interviews, employers must first receive approval from each school they intend to recruit from.
A Pending status indicates that the school has not yet approved your request. During this time, access to certain features will be restricted until a decision is made.
Learn more about the school approval process in How Can I Get Approved By Schools?.
Pending job and connection requests
- When you post a job to one or more schools, your request is automatically sent to each selected school. The job will remain in Pending status until the school approves or declines it.
- If you've submitted a request to join a school's network on Handshake, your connection status will remain Pending until the school approves or declines it.
While your status is pending, you will not be able to:
- Interact with students at the school
- Post events
- Request interview schedules
Note: You can still search for and register for career fairs without posting a job or connecting with a school.
View school status
1. Click Schools from the left navigation bar, then click the More Schools on Handshake tab.
2. To refine your search results, click the white button All filters, then check the box for Pending.
3. The table will display all schools that have a Pending status, which indicates that the school has not yet approved your job.
Timeframe
It typically takes 1–5 business days for a school to approve an employer and job postings. If you do not receive a response within this time, consider reaching out to the school’s Career Services department.
Once your request is approved or declined, you will receive a notification via email, in-app, or both—depending on your notification settings. To adjust your preferences, refer to Default Notification Preferences (Employers).
Note: Only the school can change your approval status; Handshake cannot modify it on your behalf.
Contact career services
To find a school's contact information in Handshake, refer to How to Contact a School.