Our team has outlined a reliable strategy for allowing both in person and virtual appointment types for students.
Note: The workflow suggested in this article is mostly for using external video platforms (like Zoom). To host an appointment using integrated video in Handshake, refer to Virtual Appointments on Handshake.
To get started, configure Mediums, Office Locations, and Appointment Types in School Settings as described below.
To access your School Settings, click your name in the upper-right corner of Handshake, then click School Settings. Mediums, Office Locations, and Appointment Types are listed in the menu on the left of the page, in alphabetical order.
Mediums
Set up one clearly virtual medium and then put in physical locations for the other mediums. Examples below:
- “Virtual (will use zoom link)”
- In Person Appointment - 814 Hayes Street Liberal Arts Building
- In Person Appointment - 210 Hayes Street Engineering Building
- In Person Appointment - 111 Hayes Street College of Business Building
For further information on setting up mediums, check out School Settings: Appointment Preferences and Mediums.
Office Locations
In the office locations settings, be sure to put the full link in the office location Name field –– that is what will appear in the appointment confirmation emails:
Make sure to list out each teammate’s zoom link in formats similar to the examples below:
- Erin’s zoom link for virtual appointments: https://example.zoom.us/j/7692104495
- Kevin - Zoom link: https://example.zoom.us/j/769210449
- John - Zoom link: https://example.zoom.us/j/769210449
For further information on setting up office locations, check out School Settings: Campus Information.
Appointment Types
If an appointment type can be virtual OR in person, consider calling it out in the name of the appointment type, e.g. “(VIRTUAL OR IN PERSON APPOINTMENT) BCS - Career Planning”.
Pre-appointment messaging per appointment type
- Be explicit in the pre appointment message for each appointment type what the student should refer to for either an in person or virtual appointment.
- For example:
- For virtual appointments: "Please be sure to use the link in this email."
- For in person appointments: "Please plan to meet at the address noted in this email." (Tip: include any additional steps students should take, such as wearing a face covering!)
For further information on appointment type configuration, check out Configure Appointment Categories and Types.
Once these configurations are set, each career coach should set up the following:
1. User settings → Appointment blocks → Edit each appointment block to include both the “zoom” medium and physical location medium
In this example, appointment blocks list both a physical address medium and the Virtual link medium:
2. User settings → Personal information → Select their link as the office medium
For further information on appointment blocks, check out Configure Your Personal Appointment Availability (Appointment Blocks & Types).
Student view
Once a student selects an appointment type, they can choose a medium, if multiple mediums are entered into the appointment blocks by career coaches.
If no mediums are entered into the appointment block, students may choose from all options. It is very important for each career coach to add at least one medium to their appointment blocks!
Example student confirmation email
In the confirmation email example below, the selected medium is listed after the appointment type in parentheses. The second paragraph showcases the office location (a virtual link in this case), and the pre-appointment message makes up the third paragraph.