Do you remember searching for your first job out of college?
It is likely that you were a student yourself back in the era when the protocol was to visit the career center at your institution and timidly ask “Where do I go to find a job?”
Upon hearing this question, the career staff would point you to the dreaded Wall of Binders where job listings (mostly outdated) were filed. If your school had an active on-campus recruiting program, you may have also been directed to the Shelf of Clipboards where you could sign up for an interview, or you were instructed to drop off your resume and were told, “After reviewing your resume, an employer may get back to you to schedule an interview.”
How things have changed! Since the early 2000’s, UMW has offered a web-based job search system (Employ-an-Eagle) and now we are moving forward to the next level! Handshake is an exciting new career services management platform that the Center for Career and Professional Development is implementing this summer. We are joining 170+ colleges and universities nationwide in offering this system to our students, alumni, and employers.
Handshake will allow UMW students to search for jobs and internships all over the country (local, regional and national), quickly and efficiently. Over 120,000 employers from the private and public sector are currently using Handshake, including 95% of Fortune 500 companies. In addition to searching for opportunities, students will be able to construct their own profiles and put their best foot (or perhaps we should say “hand”) forward in order to market themselves to employers.
We will be actively promoting this new tool to students beginning in May. Make sure your student signs up! Besides job and internship postings, this resource will provide information on upcoming employer site visits, job fairs, shadowing opportunities, and on-campus interviews.
For more information and updates, please visit the special section on our website devoted to Handshake.