Why can't I access my employer account in Handshake?

There are a few reasons why you might not be able to sign in to your account. See below for troubleshooting tips.

You may not have an account: 

When logging in, if the message "Hmmm... Looks like there is no account on file for EMAIL" appears, make sure you're using the same email you signed up with. 

If you're getting this message and you know you created an account previously, it's possible the account is tied to a different email. 

This can happen if you have more than one work email address or use email aliases. Even for aliases used for one account, they are recognized as independent email addresses in Handshake. We recommend trying to sign in again with the email used to create the employer account.

If there are no other email addresses you could have used, it's possible the address may have been misspelled. When you're signed in, on the right of the page, check the email address listed and confirm it's spelled correctly. 

If you continue to receive the message stating that no account was found, you can either choose to create a new account with the desired email address, or contact our Support Team to inquire further. 

You may be entering the wrong password: 

When logging in, if the message "You entered an invalid password." appears, the password entered was incorrect.  

You can either try again with a different password or reset your password.

The option to reset is immediately below the password text box, displayed as blue linked text Forgot your password? 

Click the link to proceed. Enter your email address once again, then click Reset Password. Each step with screenshots is outlined in Reset Password for an Employer Account. 

Your account is not confirmed: 

If you can login but you're stuck on a page that says "Great! You've successfully signed up for Handshake", your account is not yet confirmed. 

Email verification links are usually sent immediately but may take up to 10 minutes. Once generated, the link is valid for 12 hours. However, if more than 12 hours have passed, you'll need to resend the email to generate a new link. 

If you are not receiving the confirmation email, we recommend taking the steps below:

• Check your spam and junk mail. Since this is an automated email, some providers may filter the message from your inbox. If you're using a common mail client you can find instructions below.
  • For Gmail 
  • For Outlook
• Keyword search all mailboxes using "Email Confirmation" (the email's subject line). This can better surface the email if it's been filtered to an unexpected location. 
• Add Handshake to your address book with the following contact email: "handshake@m.joinhandshake.com". After adding this contact, resend the confirmation email from Handshake (step 4 on the thanks for signing up page). 
  • This will help ensure delivery of future emails, and is important for keeping you up to date in your professional life.
• Contact your institution's IT department and ask if they know of any reasons emails from Handshake would be denied. 

If the confirmation email is not received after taking the steps above, submit a ticket to Handshake Support. We'll work with you to get the email delivered. 

Best Practice: when submitting a ticket, include a summary of the steps you've taken so far. This will save time and result in a more efficient interaction!

You are not connected to a company profile: 

You're logged in and your email is confirmed, but you're being prompted (again) to Join Company. 

After confirming your email, you'll be able to join an existing company or create a new company profile if needed. If you've already requested to join a company, but are prompt to request connection after the initial request, this indicates that the connection request was not submitted successfully. 

In order to submit the request to your company profile's Owner, you'll have to click Request on the company tile, then click the blue button Next: Connect with Schools, in the upper-right corner of the page. 

On the next page, choose if you'd like to connect with any schools, then click Next: Finish to complete onboarding. You can always request schools later if preferred!

Your request is still pending approval: 

When you sign in, your current status is "Pending approval at COMPANY NAME". This message indicates you've successfully requested to connect with the company, and once approved, you'll be able to use Handshake normally. Learn how to expedite approval in Pending Approval to Join Company.

Your account requires additional verification:

If you login and encounter a message that reads "Verification Required", you'll need to contact our Support Team.

More information is needed from you in order to proceed, and our Support Team is ready to address this with you! To learn more about this process, refer to Safety: Verification Required for Employer.

If you're still unable to access your account, or have other issues with access, please submit a ticket to our Support Team. 

• Click on the message icon in the lower-right corner of the Help Center to begin the submission.
• Once you're in our chatbot experience, enter a summary of the issue and select the relevant options to continue (no, show me more), then scroll to the bottom and click on Contact Support. 

Additional Resources

• Canceling a Request to Join the Wrong Company: if you are pending approval and realize you've selected the wrong company profile
• Leaving a Company in Handshake: if you've connected automatically with the wrong company branch
• Employer Roles & Admin Tools: if you created a new company profile, you're automatically set as that company's Owner. This article contains more information on managing your company profile and teammates
• Employer Account User Settings: setting or updating your personalized user settings