Handshake Unlocks Access To Job Opportunities and Career-Building Benefits to Every Undergraduate University Student in America

SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 20, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Handshake, the leading career community for college students in the U.S., announced today that every undergraduate student attending a four-year university nationwide will be able to use its platform to search for jobs and internships. Previously accessible to students at one of Handshake's over 800 partner universities, the move to welcome all college students and recent graduates across the country using their .edu email address advances the company's mission to democratize job opportunity regardless of the college attended. Students can sign up for a free Handshake account by visiting joinhandshake.com.

"I use Handshake because it is the bridge that connects you to opportunities that you never thought that you'd have, but can change your life," said Brittanie Rice, a junior at Spelman College, and active Handshake community member, who successfully used the platform to secure a coveted summer internship at Under Armour.

Today's announcement evens the playing field for college students and recent graduates of all backgrounds seeking successful careers. Students who attend less well-known schools, or universities that aren't near metropolitan areas or economic hubs, often struggle to get the attention they deserve in the job market. Handshake's community provides an answer to these challenges by bringing together students, employers and universities in a tech-savvy, data-driven way to best match students from across the country with internships and jobs.

"Access is the most direct path to opportunity, and we're enabling students to build successful careers regardless of where they're from, the school they attend or the personal connections they may or may not have," said Garrett Lord, Handshake CEO and Co-founder. "We're excited to have more students take advantage of the Handshake community to get personalized job recommendations, easily apply for relevant jobs, read employer reviews, and get career advice from other students."

In addition to today's landmark news, Handshake is adding new features and functionality for students, including:

• Open peer-to-peer communication: Students can identify and connect with any other student on Handshake to act as a source and gain insight on experiences such as tips for interviewing for specific positions and companies, advice on landing an internship or job, while broadening their own network of connections.
• Enhanced profiles: New fields enable students the option to add context about who they are, what they're looking for and why they're a fit for a job, making it easier to be discovered by a potential employer vs. a standard resume and receive more accurate job suggestions from Handshake.
• Follow functionality: The added ability to follow employers on Handshake allows students to signal interest in the company and be the first to receive notifications of new job opportunities.
• Job roles snapshots: Additional content pages provide an overview of everything students need to know to gain a better understanding of what a job is like, making it easier to narrow down roles of interest and view the jobs that best suit their skills.
• Mobile-first app updates: The new option to sign up directly through the mobile app experience helps students stay on top of what's happening wherever they are, including 1-click application option, and push notifications for new messages, jobs, and applications.

Students at partner universities will continue to benefit from the deep integration between Handshake and career service centers on campus. Handshake encourages students to begin preparing early and to fully utilize the resources they have, including the expertise of their career services centers.

"Universities have been at the center of Handshake since the company was founded and that's not changing," said Christine Cruzveraga VP of Higher Education and Student Success at Handshake. "Opening up access is a critical next step in contributing to educational equity and realizing our mission of democratizing opportunity for every student - including those that may attend an institution without the resources to offer career services. We're all part of this larger ecosystem."

More information on the announcement can be found here, joinhandshake.com/press. To learn more about how Handshake is democratizing opportunities for students and connecting employers to up-and-coming talent across the U.S., visit joinhandshake.com.

About Handshake
Handshake is the leading career community for college students in America. Today, the Handshake community includes 14 million students and young alumni at over 800 universities - including 120+ minority serving institutions. We connect up-and-coming talent across all 50 states with 400,000+ employers recruiting on Handshake - from every Fortune 500 company to thousands of small businesses, nonprofits, startups, and more. Handshake is democratizing opportunity and ensuring college students have the support they need to find to find a great job and kick-off a meaningful career regardless of where they go to school, what they choose as a major, and who they know.

SOURCE Handshake