Welcome to Handshake! Below, you will find carefully curated steps designed to ensure a seamless onboarding experience.
Before proceeding, please determine whether you qualify as an on-campus employer. For detailed information, refer to Identifying as an On-Campus Employer on Handshake.
Notes:
- It is essential to identify whether your school utilizes the Company Model or the Divisions Model for employer accounts, as this will determine the appropriate method for connecting with your school's profile on Handshake.
- If you have created a new company profile, ensure it is promptly connected to your school once you gain access to your account. This connection enables your school to assist with the management of staff and job postings.
- If you have joined an existing company profile, we recommend confirming with the profile owner that it is properly connected to your school on Handshake.
Expand each header to review the steps and key details for setting up your Handshake account.
Sign up
1. Visit https://app.joinhandshake.com/employer_registrations/new and enter the following information:
- First name
- Last name
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Work email
- If you enter a personal email address, a yellow banner will appear with the message: '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.
- Enter your email address ending in @edu. If you don’t have a work email, you can proceed with your personal email.
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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.
- Tip: Click the show password icon (👁) to confirm that you have entered your password correctly.
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Passwords on Handshake must:
2. Review Terms and Privacy Policy. By clicking Create account, you agree to Handshake's Terms of Service and confirm that you have read the Privacy Policy.
Note: There is no checkbox for agreement; your consent is implied when you click Create account.
3. When finished, click the black button Create account in the lower-right corner.
4. Verify your email address on Handshake by clicking the link in the email we sent you.
Note: Email verification links remain active for 12 hours after they are sent.
If you don't receive a confirmation email, check out Troubleshooting a Missing Confirmation Email.
5. Complete your profile by providing the following information:
- User profile photo (optional)
- Types of candidates you're looking for
- Phone number
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Education history (optional)
- School Name
- Graduation Year
- If your school is not listed, check the box for School not listed.
- To add another school, click Add another school.
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Third-Party Recruiter Status
- Are you a third-party recruiter working on behalf of another company? (select Yes or No)
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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.
- If yes, job postings created by third parties must represent a single company. The job description must clearly state the company's name and indicate that you are a third-party firm recruiting on its behalf. Additionally, you may not disclose any student information to another party without the student's written consent.
- Review our Third Party Recruiting Policies, then check the box to agree.
- Note: If you need to update your third-party recruiter status after completing your profile during onboarding, contact our Support team.
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According to Handshake, a third-party recruiter is:
- Are you a third-party recruiter working on behalf of another company? (select Yes or No)
6. When finished, click the black button Continue in the lower-right corner.
- If you can't complete registration, click your name in the upper right corner and select Log out. While your information will not be saved, you will return to the same page when you log back in.
Join your company (school) or create a new company profile
Upon completing your profile, you will be prompted to create or join your company profile on Handshake.
The process varies depending on whether your school uses the Divisions Model or the Company Model for on-campus employment.
Divisions model
In this model, your school has one central company profile for all on-campus employment.
To connect:
- Click the button Request to join in the lower-right corner of the company's profile.
- Once approved, the profile owner can create a division for your department.
- You’ll then be able to use this division for job postings, events, and career fairs.
Company model
In this model, schools may have multiple company profiles for different departments or offices.
To connect:
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Search for your company
Use the search bar to locate the company associated with your department or school unit. -
Send a request to join
Click the button Request to join in the lower-right corner of the company's profile. -
Create a new company profile (if needed)
If no matching profile exists, you can create a new one. Learn How to Create a New Company Profile.
Tip: Before creating a new profile, check with your school’s career center to see if they have a preferred naming convention for on-campus employers.
Validate your account
If you’ve created a new company profile, your account will be manually reviewed and validated by Handshake’s Trust and Safety team.
- Once your account has been validated, you will receive an email notification.
- After validation, you will be able to access your account.
For additional information, refer to Employer Validation.
Connect with your school
Once your employer account is validated or you have successfully connected with your school's existing company profile, make sure your company settings in Handshake identify you as an on-campus employer and are correctly associated with your school.
Click on your name in the upper-right corner of any page in Handshake, then select Company settings from the dropdown.
In the Details section, check the On-Campus employer box, then select the school you are associated with from the dropdown menu, then click the black button Update employer in the lower-right corner of the page.
Notes:
- Only the owner of a company's profile can edit its settings.
- Employers can designate themselves as an on-campus employer for only one school.
- If the box is not checked and your associated school is not selected, your school will not be able to manage your jobs or staff.
- On-campus employers can only post jobs associated with their selected school.
School permissions
To select the schools that can post and edit jobs on your behalf and manage your profile, navigate to your Company settings, then click Global Settings from the left sidebar.
In the School permissions section, use the respective dropdowns to select which schools can post and edit jobs on your behalf and which can manage your profile, then click the black button Submit in the lower-right corner of the page.
Notes:
- Permissions cannot be removed for the school where you are an on-campus employer.
- If a school has declined your connection request on Handshake—submitted through a job—cannot be added.
Engage with early talent
Once your settings are properly configured, you can start posting jobs to your associated school and any other school on Handshake.
If you don’t have a job to post but want to host an event at a specific school, reach out to the school directly to request proactive approval.
For assistance in locating a school’s contact information, 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.