Caitlin Laubsch | 10.8.21
Handshake may be just one of many available resources for students at Purdue Fort Wayne through the Career Development Center, but the program has become one of the most heavily endorsed programs by PFW’s Career Development Center.
Handshake is a website that is available to all PFW students and alumni. The platform is accessible online.
The website is a resource designed to help students find jobs and entry-level careers. The program allows a user to follow employers to see their job listings, see reviews of companies by past employees, see how many applicants an employer is looking to hire and more. The platform provides a way to have direct communication with potential employers and see information about career fairs and events.
When a user starts out on Handshake, they can create a profile to share with employers. They can upload a resume, share past job experience, share their skills and even narrow the job preferences suggested to them by industry, job interests and location.
Using the platform, students can set up job interviews, message employers, and create a profile that draws employers to message them first. Handshake suggests jobs based on the profile and the entire program is very customizable and individual. The job search can be narrowed down by location, full-time or part-time, on-campus or off-campus and can even be tailored to help you find internships.
Handshake also includes a “Discover More Students” tab, creating an opportunity for students of similar interests to connect and collaborate with each other.
Tracey Hanton, the assistant director for career development at Purdue Fort Wayne, works in the Career Development Center on campus. She said students are automatically registered for Handshake when they register for their first classes at PFW.
“You can make appointments with our office, you can find out about events that we’re hosting, or events that we are collaborating with,” Hanton said. “But more importantly, because it’s online, you can find events that are online that aren’t even in the area.”
Handshake is unlike any other job-search website, according to Hanton, who said that the employers are specifically looking for PFW students when they register their jobs on Handshake.
“The employers that are on our site, they actually have to register for each school that they want to be a part of to actually post their jobs,” Hanton said.
Hanton also said that Handshake is unique because “[the employers] do have a ranking and a trust score, so if there’s a company on there that somebody has found they are scamming students, we get an alert. Indeed is not going to give you an alert that this company has been scamming students.”
Details on Handshake can be found online.
Caitlin Laubsch | 10.8.21
