How to Request an Event

All employers can request to host events with schools on Handshake that have granted their company approval and permission.

Events may be hosted on the school's campus, off-site, or virtually. They can be used to meet students and alumni, discuss current career opportunities, and provide students with valuable resources.

Features available only to Premium partners are indicated by an asterisk(*). For more information, please check out this resource.

1. To begin, click Events from the left navigation bar, then click Request Event in the top-right corner of the page.

2. Complete the fields in the Create a new event form:

• Event Name
  • 85 character limit 
• Event Categories (select up to two)
  • Hiring and recruiting 
  • About your company 
  • Guidance
  • Networking
  • Career fairs
  • Conferences and more
• Start & End Dates
  
  • Click on the calendar icon to select the desired start and end dates for your event.
    • Events cannot be set as recurring. However, events can last for more than 24 hours, *or occur at the same time as a 1-on-1 employer-hosted schedule. 
  • Time Zone 
• Contact 
  • The contact person should be the primary point of contact for any event-related questions.
    
    • The contact must have an active Handshake user account, and have the role to manage events. For additional details, refer to A Guide to Employer Role Types in Handshake.
    • Note: if their name does not appear in the dropdown, create a contact for the teammate first. Learn more about How to Create an External Contact.
    • Students can also message the contact. Check the box for The contact person can accept messages from students to allow students to message the contact directly. 
• Where is your event being held? 
  • On-Campus: My company is hosting this event at a school.
    • Which school is hosting? (select a school)
    • Virtual event available: Students can choose to attend virtually or in person. 
      • If yes, enter the Virtual Attendance Link 
    • Tip: add the specific location, e.g., building and room number, to the Description section of the event form.
  • Off-Campus: My company is hosting this event (not at a school) and booking space ourselves.
    • Where is the location for your event (optional)
    • Virtual event available: Students can choose to attend virtually or in person. 
      • If yes, enter the Virtual Attendance Link 
  • Virtually: My company is hosting this event virtually. 
    • Where will the virtual event happen?
      • *Handshake video session: only available to Handshake Premium partners with Event Management. These sessions have a participant limit of 50 total attendees.
        • *Would you like to record this session? (select yes/no) 
        • *How many people from your team will host the event? (select or enter number) 
          • Maximum 20 hosts allowed
        • *Student check-in: Request that students check in for this event via Handshake.
          • For additional details, refer to Virtual Event Check-In Guide.
      • External Video Platform
        • Web Host URL: This is where students will go to attend your event (e.g., a link to Zoom, YouTube, Bluejeans, or WebEx).
        • External Registration Link (optional): Link to Eventbrite, CRM, or another tool. Students will be redirected here when they register for the event.
• Add a registration limit (optional): Limit the number of people who can register and attend this event.
• Invite schools to promote your event 
  • For Core Employers, only one school per event created can be requested. 
    • *Handshake Premium partners can select multiple schools or choose a School List if you’re hosting an event for a group of schools, like HBCUs. Learn How to Use School Lists.
• Write an effective description: Describe your event to help attract the right attendees.
  • 2500 character limit
• *Highlight guests: Handshake Premium partners may choose to add information (Name, Title, Short Bio, Photo) about speakers, hosts, and panelists to appear alongside the description.
  • Maximum 5 participants allowed 
• Update event thumbnail: 
  • The logo your company profile currently has on Handshake will automatically be added as the thumbnail. However, you may change the branding image by clicking on the small pencil icon towards the right corner of the image. For size and ratio recommendations, refer to our Employer Logo & Banner Guide.

3. Click Save in the lower-right corner to save and request your event.

Event overview

Once your event is created, you will be directed to the event Overview page, which features two main tabs. Premium partners will have two additional tabs, denoted by an asterisk (*).

• Overview: shows general event information including date, time, location, description, activity, and comments. 
• *Schools invited: shows a list of all schools invited to the event and their event approval status.
• Students: shows a list of all students that have RSVP'd to your event. Learn How to Access and Message Event RSVPs.
• Handshake Events setup: Premium partners with Event Manager have the option of inviting recruiters to use Handshake's Event app on their mobile device! This allows users to access RSVPs and submit evaluations! Check out Handshake Events Setup for Mobile App.
• *Check-in kiosk Setup: Premium partners with Event Manager have the option of setting up a Check-in kiosk for in-person and virtual events. Check out Event Check-In Guide (for in-person events). 

Inviting students 

Events are available to students affiliated with schools that have approved your employer on Handshake.

After the school(s) approve your event, it will become visible on Handshake, allowing students affiliated with schools that have approved your employer on Handshake to discover it through search.

To further promote your event, you can invite students via messaging. Discover how to Invite Students to an Event or Fair.

*Premium partners can also invite students without a Handshake account by clicking the gray button Copy link to event and sharing the link. 

Event promotion 

If your company has active job postings and the requested event is less than 60 days away, it will be promoted on the job postings at schools that approve the event.