The Cal State East Bay Career Empowerment Center launched a November Career Trek to the digital job posting platform, Handshake. Handshake works with 650,000+ employers, including all Fortune 500 companies, and is the number one site for college students to find jobs. Handshake itself employs software developers, recruiters, accountants, and more.
CEC staff organized a visit to Handshake’s headquarters in San Francisco to allow CSUEB students the chance to learn about different career opportunities available as well as meet staff on site. 25 students of different years and majors ranging from data analytics, communications, to business administration attended. Handshake hosts Amy Hendrickson and Alexander Lule provided students a tour through their main lounge area, open-space offices, individual Zoom booths, and conference rooms. They explained more about the company culture while sharing their day-to-day work activities.
“It’s always fun to host students at our office so they can learn more about our Handshakers and why we do what we do. We love our partnership with Cal State East Bay and loved being able to answer all their questions about Handshake and what it’s like to work at a tech company,” said Amy Hendrickson, Relationship Manager at Handshake.
The tour concluded with a Q&A session with some of Handshake’s employees as panelists. Each were from different departments including marketing, communications, HR, software engineering, and data analytics. Staff discussed their academic journeys and previous job positions where they were challenged with layoffs, changes in career direction, and job dissatisfaction. Students aspiring to enter in similar roles found the conversation to be very meaningful.
“Gaining first-hand experience by interacting with Handshake employees, understanding their expectations from students, and discussing the workings of their platform has allowed me to gain valuable insights into aligning my skills with industry needs. This experience has also provided me with a clearer understanding of how to make the most of platforms like Handshake to advance my career prospects,” recalled a student.
Students who are interested in attending future career treks can complete their Handshake profile or stop by the Career Empowerment Center to learn more.
