Employers without a corporate email domain can register on Handshake using a designated generic email address (e.g., @gmail.com, @yahoo.com).
However, generic email addresses may have limited functionality and are not always eligible to join existing company profiles.
To ensure the best experience and connect with your company more easily, we recommend using your work email address whenever possible. If your company does use a generic email domain, you may proceed with registration — just be prepared to provide additional information or follow alternative steps during the setup process.
Check out how to Create an Employer User Account, Join a Company, and Connect with Schools.
Registering with a generic email address
When you enter a generic email address, a message will appear stating: "It looks like you're using a personal email (@gmail, @yahoo, @hotmail, etc). Please use your work email so we can connect you with your company." This message will not prevent you from continuing the registration process.
Note: To ensure you're correctly connected to your company, we recommend using your work email address. If your company does not use a generic domain, you will not be able to join an existing company when registering with a personal email.
Next, set and confirm your password, review Handshake’s Terms of Service and Privacy Policy, and check the box to agree.
To receive marketing messages — including promotions and special offers from Handshake — you can also check the optional box provided.
When finished, click the black button Create account in the lower-right corner.
After verifying your email address, continue by completing your profile. For step-by-step guidance, refer to Create an Employer User Account, Join a Company, and Connect with Schools.
- If you try to join your organization’s company profile and receive the following error message "You cannot join a company if you have a generic email domain. Please re-register with your company's email. If you need to use your current email, you can contact support and have them manually add you,", this means your company’s profile was created using a corporate email domain, and generic email addresses (e.g., @gmail, @yahoo) aren’t allowed to join it by default. To resolve this, contact our Support team.
- If you're unable to find an existing profile for your company, you can create a new company profile. Learn more about How to Create a New Company Profile.
Note: If you plan to post job listings for household positions, such as babysitting or caretaking roles, review the guidelines in Posting Personal, Babysitter, Household, or Caretaker Jobs.