We’re so excited to have you on Handshake Q&A (Questions & Answers)! The goal of Q&A is to democratize information and help every student get the information and insights they need to be successful in their job search process.
Content Policy and Guidelines
We’re sure you have amazing information to contribute! In order to make sure we create a community that is relevant, valuable, and appropriate, here are some content guidelines.
Questions - Major Policies
- Clearly address a specific employer and/or job position when applicable
If you’re asking a question about a specific company or job, please make sure to clearly identify the employer and/or job position you are referring to. Asking what the interview process is like for “this company” or for “this job” is not enough for readers to understand what exactly you are referring to. So, if you happen to ask a question about a specific company or job position, make sure to name them!
- Have not been asked before
Before asking a question, make sure it (or a similar question) has not previously been asked.
We’ll build a better community if we have answers to similar questions consolidated in one single place where we can all build upon each other’s experiences and opinions.
- Are appropriate
Please read below for more information on what is considered “inappropriate content.”
Answers - Major Policies
- Address the question that was asked
Valuable answers specifically address the topic under question and also take into consideration the perspective of the asker — What do they want to know? What they are unsure about? What kind of context do they need? Valuable answers are relevant and will usually draw from your own personal experience.
- Support their arguments with examples and details
Valuable answers are substantiated with supporting details. Just saying that a company’s culture is “positive” or “fun!” does not provide other students enough information to paint a picture of this workplace. Good answers will provide details on what it is that makes the culture “positive” (i.e.: strong collaboration, supportive managers, transparent leadership team).
- Are clear and easy to read
It’s completely acceptable to have the occasional typo or spelling error, we all do that! But please make sure your answers are easy to read and understand and don’t contain any jokes or sarcasm.
- Are appropriate
Please read below for more information on what is considered “inappropriate content.”
Categories of inappropriate content
- Contains personal information
“Personal Information” is information that can identify a specific individual, creating a privacy risk. We will reject any Q&A that contains the following:
- First and last name
- Any phone number
- Any email address
- Any home address
- Indirect information which clearly identifies a specific individual in a negative light
- Negative comments about individuals not involved in leadership
Q&A should not discuss specific people, unless those individuals are leaders or senior executives who have broad influence over the organization’s culture and environment. We will reject Q&A if:
- It criticizes specific people instead of the internship experience or company culture
We will not reject Q&A if:
- It is critical of the highest levels of leadership in the company. It’s ok to identify and/or criticize the owner, founder, president, vice president, executive director, etc., as long as it’s related to the company culture or internship experience
- Profane, vulgar, discriminatory, hurtful or illegal content
We will reject Q&A if it contains:
- Profanities or swear words
- Inappropriate sexual comments
- Comments about a person or group based on gender, race, national origin, or sexual orientation unrelated to the company culture or internship experience
- Contains confidential information
We will reject Q&A if it contains:
- Information on upcoming products or services
- Non-public information about the company
- Research & Development activities
- Budgets or detailed financial information
- Names of the employer’s clients or customers
We will not reject Q&A because it contains:
- Internship compensation
- References to public information or published negative press about a company
- Spam
Q&A should not contain any commercial or promotional content. We will reject Q&A if it contains:
- Content advertising or promoting a product or service
- Links to products, services, or other companies, even if related to the internship
- Links to other job listings or other job listing services