Published on Feb 08, 2022

By now, you’ve probably spent a lot of time perusing the annals of the Handshake job site. You’ve probably even applied to an internship or two. Unfortunately, there are tons of students across the country who are in the same shoes, with quite a few of them in your town alone. On the bright side, Handshake has a blog dedicated to answering all your questions with tips and tricks to land a job or internship. Since there’s so much information to look through, we’ve compiled our top Handshake hacks.

Completely Fill Out Your Profile

This might be a little obvious, but it’s important and worth the mention. When we say “everything,” we mean everything. Uploading a resume and hoping for the best just isn’t enough. Set some time apart in your day to fill out your job interests, your experience, and any applicable skills that you’ve learned throughout your college career. 80% of students who share theirs interests on their profile receive a message from recruiters, so if you want to see success take a couple seconds and get it done!

Make Your Mark

Maybe you can’t hang a giant “I’m great” sign on your profile, but you can express it by introducing your genuine self digitally. That means showcasing your extra-curricular activities, past and current coursework, your volunteering experience, and more. The goal is to show recruiters that you’re more than just your degree. Once you’ve done that, start being more proactive during the job search by reaching out to recruiters first.

Set the Networking Fire

When we say “reach out to them first,” we actually mean start networking. Start by following them on Handshake. Then, message them and schedule an informational interview with the recruiter to learn more about the job. Not only will you learn more about the company, but they’ll get a more genuine scan of who you are as a potential employee.

Send a Thank-You Note

You should think of the interview process as a sandwich. The bottom bun is your first outreach attempt, the meat is the interview, and the top bun is your thank-you note. It might seem a little weird at first, but it has so many benefits. Ultimately, it acts as the final nail in the interview coffin because it forces the employer to remember you in a positive way. Handshake has a great list of writing tips and examples for you to follow on your outreach journey.

These 4 simple steps are effective ways to spend your time for a big return on investment: a summer job, internship or full-time career!