Are you ready to join Handshake and streamline your hiring process? Follow these steps to create your account and get started efficiently.
To determine if you are considered an on-campus employer, refer to Identifying as an On-Campus Employer on Handshake.
Tip: verify if your institution uses the Company Model or the Divisions Model for employer accounts. This information will guide you through the connection process with your institution’s profile on Handshake.
Sign up
1. Visit https://app.joinhandshake.com/employer_registrations/new and enter the following information:
- Email Address
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Password (create new password)
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Passwords on Handshake must:
- Contain eight characters, or more
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Contain characters from two of the following three character classes:
- Alphabetic (e.g., a-z, A-Z)
- Numeric (i.e. 0–9)
- Punctuation and other characters (e.g.,!@#$%^&*()_+|~-=\`{}[]:";'<>?,./)
- Note: passwords are not encrypted.
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Passwords on Handshake must:
2. Click the blue button Sign Up, and on the next page, enter the following information:
- First Name
- Last Name
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Phone Number
- A phone number is required to provide a point of contact for career centers. This information isn't visible to students.
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Job Title
- Enter your personal job title, and not the job that you are recruiting for.
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Country
- This information is collected to ensure that Handshake can observe all relevant practices in your country.
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Tell us the types of candidates you would like to find
- Check the box next to the major categories you'd like to source from.
- Note: while there isn't a way to add categories to this list, you may choose from additional major categories in the Candidate qualifications section of the job posting form.
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Add your Alma Mater (the school you formerly attended and/or graduated from)
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School Name
- Type to search, or click the dropdown menu to search for and select your school.
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Grad Year
- Click the dropdown menu to select your grad year.
- Note: if your Alma Mater is partnered with Handshake, an alumni contact entry will be automatically created at your Alma Mater.
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School Name
3. When finished, click the blue button Save and continue in the lower-right corner of the page.
3. Review Handshake Employer Guidelines, as well as the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
Our guidelines require third-party recruiters to identify their Handshake account as such.
According to Handshake, a third-party recruiter is:
- An employer who is hiring or posting jobs for a company other than the one they work for.
- An employer who is hiring or posting jobs, but another company provides the pay/salary.
- An employer who is hiring or posting jobs for both the company they work for and another company.
Below the guidelines listed, you're prompt to answer the question "Are you a 3rd party recruiter working on behalf of another company?"
- If you are a third party recruiter, click the button Yes, then review our third-party recruiting policies, and check the box for "I agree and comply with the above third-party recruiting policies."
- If you're not a third-party recruiter, click the button No.
4. Click the box for "I agree to the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy" to move forward, and "I agree to recieve marketing messages including promotions and special offers from Handshake" if desired.
5. Click the blue button Save and continue. The next page contains instructions on how to verify your account via the email address you used to sign up. The email should arrive in 10 minutes with a link to confirm your account.
If you don't receive a confirmation email, check out Troubleshooting a Missing Confirmation Email.
6. When the email arrives, click the red button Confirm Email in the email to verify your account. Note: email verification links are active for 12 hours after they are sent.
Connect with your institution
After confirming your email, you will be redirected to Handshake, where you can join your company or create a new company profile.
Divisions model
- If your school uses the divisions model for on-campus employment, there will be a single company profile in Handshake to connect with. To connect with the company, click the blue button Request.
- Once connected, the company profile owner will create a division for your department. This division can be used for future job postings, events, or fair registrations.
Company model
- If your school uses the company model, several company profiles may be shown. Search for the company you are affiliated with, then click the blue button Request to send a connection request.
- The option to create a new company profile may also be available. If a profile does not exist for your company, you may create one. Learn more about How to Create a New Company Profile.
- We recommend confirming with your school's Career Center whether they have a naming convention for on-campus employer accounts.
Validate your account
If you've created a new company profile, your account will be manually reviewed and validated by our Trust and Safety team.
After your account has been validated, you will receive an email notification. You will then be able to access your account. For additional details, refer to Employer Validation.
Access your account
After your employer's account has been validated, or you have connected with your existing company profile, you can post jobs to any school in Handshake. Learn how How to Post a Job.
If you do not have a job to post and instead want to post an event to a particular school, contact the school directly and ask to be proactively approved.
To locate a school's contact information in Handshake, refer to How to Contact a School.
Additional resources
- Requested to join the wrong company? Refer to Canceling a Request to Join the Wrong Company.
- If you've automatically connected to the wrong company, refer to Leaving a Company in Handshake.
- If you've created a new company profile, check out Employer Owners & Admin Tools.
- Explore your Employer Account User Settings.
- Learn How to Post a Job.
- Learn more about Registering for a Fair (Employers).
- Ready to host your first event? Discover How to Create an Event.