By Shay Enstrom, CPDC Social Media Intern 

Job and internship searching can be tough. There are so many different platforms, but not all jobs and internships are posted across them equally. Organizations’ websites can be hard to navigate when looking for their “careers” sections. Some jobs aren’t offered in your location, but you spend 30 minutes searching before figuring that out. The whole process can be disheartening, and demotivating to anyone who is newly searching for an opportunity.

That is where Handshake comes in.

Handshake is a free job and internship search platform exclusively designed for college and university students and recent grads. I had never heard of it until I started my internship at the CPDC. When it was put on my radar, it sounded like any other job searching platform. I thought, “Great, another place for me to drown amongst all the other people searching for jobs”. But, as I learned more and more about what Handshake really had to offer, I realized how specialized it is for college students.

Here are a few things I love about using Handshake:

• In Handshake, you can create a profile, search for employers, and apply for jobs and internships.
• Nearly 100 new jobs and internships are added to Handshake every day, so there’s always something new for you to discover!
• Instead of competing with people who have 10+ years of experience, these jobs and internships are catered to college students’ experience levels and previous backgrounds.
• You can fill out your profile and a short career interests survey to customize your account and see opportunities that align with your interests featured right on your homepage.
• Employers post specific jobs and internships to Handshake that aren’t always posted on other platforms, so us students get first pick.
• The jobs and internships you see in Handshake are opportunities that employers are actively recruiting UofU students and recent grads for, so you’ll have an automatic leg up when you apply.
• Handshake allows employers to host career and internship events, as well as info sessions about possible opportunities that are, once again, only for the students and recent grads that have Handshake accounts.
• Handshake has a ton of free resources embedded in it that you can use to search for jobs, practice interviewing, explore careers, and more!

The best part: As a UofU student, you already have a free Handshake account, you just have to login to activate it. You can use your free account the whole time you’re a student and for up to two years after you graduate!

Before I discovered Handshake, I had definitely been feeling discouraged when surfing through online job platforms. Feeling out-numbered by other applicants who had more experience and competing with those who held more credentials than me was really making me feel as though I wouldn’t find a job. But Handshake has allowed me to breathe a sigh of relief, knowing that I really do have a chance, and I really will be seen by employers.