Handshake has updated Basic employer accounts to enhance student privacy, promote more meaningful engagement, and streamline the recruiting experience on the platform.
This article explains the current experience for Basic employers, including key feature changes and how they may impact your workflows.
These changes apply only to Basic employer accounts. They do not apply to on-campus employers or employers on paid plans.
Note: These updates took effect in July 2025 and are fully applied to all Basic employer accounts.
Feature updates
1. User roles & permissions
Previously
Basic accounts could assign Representative and Recruiter roles.
Current experience
The Representative role is no longer available.
All existing Representatives were automatically upgraded to Recruiter (Standard).
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Basic accounts include:
One Owner seat
Unlimited Recruiter (Standard) seats
2. Collaboration & admin controls
Ownership & role management
Previously
Owners could manually add and approve teammates, assign roles, and transfer ownership.
Current experience
Approval is automatic for users who register with a matching company email domain.
Owners cannot transfer ownership or modify roles or seats.
Teammates cannot be added directly to the account. Users must sign up independently or join using an invite link.
Notice an unfamiliar or unauthorized user on your company profile? Learn more about Reporting Duplicate, Spam, or Suspicious Activity in your Employer Account.
Collaboration features
Previously
Notes, labels, and shared hiring activity were available across teammates.
Current experience
Notes and labels are not available to Basic accounts.
Hiring team activity, including messages sent and candidate engagement, is not visible across teammate profiles.
3. Job management
Job posting duration
Previously
Employers could set flexible job posting durations up to one year.
Current experience
All new job postings default to 30 days.
Jobs can be renewed monthly for up to one year total.
Editing jobs
Previously
Recruiters and owners could edit and manage candidates for jobs created by teammates.
Current experience
Employers can edit and manage candidates only for jobs they personally create.
Jobs created by other teammates are view-only.
4. Candidate visibility & data access
Access to expired job applicants
Previously
Candidate and applicant data remained accessible indefinitely after a job closed.
Current experience
Access to applicants expires 30 days after the job posting closes.
Bulk applicant downloads
Previously
Employers could bulk download applicants across all jobs.
Current experience
Bulk downloads are available only for jobs the user personally creates.
Talent List access
Previously
Basic employers could access Talent List to discover and engage prospective candidates.
Current experience
Talent List is not available to Basic employers.
To access Talent List, employers must upgrade to an eligible paid plan.
5. Messaging limits
Previously
Basic employers could send up to 25 direct messages per month.
Current experience
Basic employers can send up to 10 direct messages per month.
Messages to the following candidates do not count toward the monthly limit:
Candidates who have applied to your jobs
Candidates who RSVP’d to or attended your events or career fairs
Candidates who have scheduled on-campus interviews or meetings
These limits support targeted, relevant outreach aligned with student messaging preferences.
Upgrading for advanced features
Basic employers who need higher messaging limits, collaboration tools, flexible roles, or advanced candidate insights must upgrade to an eligible paid plan, such as Enterprise.
Determine which option best supports your hiring goals and recruitment strategy by viewing our Handshake plans.