Handshake: Faculty Resources

Northwest University offers Handshake as a valuable career readiness and job search tool for students and alumni. Preparing our students to enter the workforce with confidence is not only supported by the NU Career Services department, but should be championed across the entire NU community. So what is Handshake, and how can you promote it with students?

Overview of Handshake:

30-second highlight video

20k employers looking to recruit – and counting! Including all Fortune 500 Companies.
Around 80k jobs and internships posted for NU students to browse.
Virtual events offered regularly by companies, which include job readiness workshops and information sessions about their open roles, recruiting process, and internship programs.
Feature to message alumni and recruiters in platform.
Regular emails are sent through Handshake – from Handshake and from NU Career Services with resources and opportunities.

Faculty are welcome to create their own Handshake account if they would like to see what the student experience is like. Just sign in with your Northwest email, and fill out your profile to reflect an average student’s experience and see what the search algorithm recommends.

So how can you promote this great resource?

1. Share the benefits of Handshake with students

Land jobs and internships by connecting with over 80,000 employers
A thriving job board that is specifically tailored for them – for college students!
Regularly offered virtual events from employers that cover a wide career range

2. Encourage students to activate and complete their profiles

Students are 5x more likely to get messaged by an employer when they have a complete profile
Employers search for students by the information in their profile
Students are recommended jobs based on the information and interests they’ve entered

3. Bring it up in your day to day interactions

Invite NU Career Services into your class to share a presentation. Slides are also offered below which can be downloaded and added to class presentations
Require students to log in and complete their profile as an assignment for class
Mention Handshake when you meet with students (office hours, advising, etc)
Add Career Services and Handshake as a resource in your syllabi

4. Refer Employers

Always feel free to refer employers to NU Career Services and to posting not just on NU JobSearch, but also on Handshake. Here’s a suggested template when responding to prospective employers:

“Thank you for reaching out and considering our students for your opportunities. To post your position and begin recruiting our students and alumni, please join Handshake, our online job/internship platform, by using this Registration Link. If you have additional questions, please contact Career Services at careerservices@northwestu.edu. We look forward to partnering with you!”

Note: the system allows employers to be selective about which schools they want to broadcast their positions to, so even if they are already on Handshake they need to ensure NU is added to their school list.