Handshake

What is Handshake?

The Handshake network includes 12M+ active student users, 1,400+ college and university partners, and 750k+ employers. 

Handshake is committed to democratizing opportunity! We’re driven by the mission to give all students the chance to build the career they want, no matter where they’re from or what school they attend. 

Handshake is the #1 way college students find jobs. 

Join today to explore career options, find jobs and internships for students, and connect with employers

While studying at Michigan Tech University, Handshake founders Garrett Lord, Ben Christensen, and Scott Ringwelski discovered the glaring inequality in career opportunities for students across the country. Believing that software had the potential to bridge this opportunity gap, they built the foundations of Handshake. The friends took their idea on a cross-country road trip to better understand the challenges students face when applying to jobs and to persuade college career centers to partner with them.

Handshake was created to ensure that all college students have equal access to meaningful careers. Since our 2014 founding, our network of university and employer partners—and the impact for students— has grown exponentially. Within a few years, Handshake has become the leading early career community in the US.