You can contact your applicants directly in Handshake or via external email to share job opportunities, provide information about your organization, or promote employer-hosted events.
Who can access and message applicants?
Basic employers
Owners and Recruiters can message applicants only for jobs they have personally created. Jobs posted by other teammates will appear on your list, but are view-only.
After a job you personally created closes, you can continue messaging applicants for 30 days. Messaging beyond this period requires an eligible paid plan.
To message applicants for jobs you did not create, you must upgrade to an eligible paid plan.
On-campus employers, Plus, Pro, Essentials and Enterprise (formerly TES) customers
All users, except Representatives, can access and message applicants for both their own jobs and those posted by teammates indefinitely, provided they have the appropriate permissions.
How do I access my job or on-campus interview?
Click Jobs or Interviews from the left navigation bar, select the job or interview where you want to message applicants, then click the Applicants tab.
How do I filter applicants?
You can use filters to narrow your list of applicants based on criteria such as application status, education, and engagement.
The filters available vary based on both the type of page you're viewing (job or on-campus interview) and your Handshake account type.
Jobs
All employers
Application status
Applied
Interviewing
Rejected
Hired
Matching qualifications
Latest graduation date
Minimum GPA
Majors
Work authorization
Note: When this filter is applied, candidates who meet your criteria or choose not to disclose their status will appear.
Application date range
Sourced through
Promotions
Messaging
Education
Skills
Majors
Schools
Profile attributes
Labels
Not labels
*Additional filters for Pro employers
- Recommended match
- Filter by 3-star, 2-star, or 1-star matches
*Additional filters for Essentials and Enterprise customers
Screening questions (Enterprise only)
Where candidate applied
Handshake
On-campus interviews
Filters for on-campus interviews differ slightly and do not vary by account type.
Available filters include:
- Scheduling
- Status
- Label / Not Labels
- Employer Division
- Job Applied For
- Job Type / Employment Type
- Skills
- Majors / Individual Majors
How do I message applicants in Handshake?
Jobs
Message a single applicant:
1. Open the applicant's profile.
2. Click Message in the upper-right corner of the profile panel.
3. The message composer will automatically generate a personalized outreach message based on your job. You can:
- Click Rewrite message to generate a new version.
- Delete the generated message and compose your own.
4. When you're ready, click Send in the lower-right corner of the window.
Message multiple applicants:
1. From the Applicants tab, check the box next to each applicant you want to message. To select all applicants, click Select all in the header.
2. Click Message in the action bar above the applicant list.
3. Compose your message in the message window. Use the formatting toolbar to add links, format text, or insert a saved template.
4. When you're ready, click Send in the lower-right corner of the window.
On-campus interview
1. From the Applicants tab, check the box next to each applicant you want to message.
2. Click the text Message Applicants above the applicant table.
3. Compose your message in the message window.
- Use the formatting toolbar at the top to add links and format text.
- To insert a saved message, click Insert Template. To save your message for future use, click Save to Template.
4. When you're ready, click Send in the lower-left corner.
5. In the pop-up modal, review your message, then click Confirm to send.
How do I message applicants outside of Handshake?
To email applicants outside of Handshake, export their data as a CSV file.
Jobs
1. Check the box next to each applicant you want to export.
Tip: To export all applicants, skip this step. Handshake will include all applicants by default.
2. Click the More dropdown above the applicant list, then select the download format you need:
- Download applicant data (CSV): Exports applicant data as a CSV file for use outside of Handshake.
- Download applicant packages (PDF): Downloads selected applicants' documents as a single PDF file.
- Download applicant packages (ZIP): Downloads selected applicants' documents in ZIP format.
On-Campus Interviews
1. Check the box next to each applicant you want to export.
Tip: To export all applicants, skip this step. Handshake will include all applicants by default.
2. Click the Export CSV button above the applicant table.
3. A pop-up will appear indicating the download is building. This may take longer for larger applicant pools. You will also receive the CSV file via email. You can close the window if you prefer not to wait.
4. Once ready, click Your download is ready to access the CSV.
Tip: Use Chrome or Firefox for the best experience. If you're having trouble downloading, clear your cache, close all Handshake tabs, and try again in a new browser window.
The exported CSV file includes the following fields:
- Application ID
- Application Date
- Application Status
- Student ID
- First Name / Last Name
- Fully Qualified? (TRUE/FALSE)
- School Year
- School / Primary College
- Graduation Date
- Majors
- Applied To ID / Type / Name
- Job Applied For
- Employer ID / Name / Division
- Document IDs
How do I use the exported data to message applicants?
For jobs, use the email addresses in the exported CSV, PDF, or ZIP file to contact applicants outside of Handshake.
For on-campus interviews, use the email addresses in the exported CSV file to contact applicants outside of Handshake.