Handshake

Overview

Handshake is a career network linking job seekers, educational institutions, and employers for career discovery, hiring, and upskilling. It is best suited to employers recruiting early-career talent through campus channels, alongside institutions and candidates using the network to connect. Its breadth of campus reach is compelling, but Basic’s tight messaging and matching caps make it a limited option for active recruiting.

Handshake says its marketplace connects 25 million knowledge workers, more than 1,600 educational institutions, and 1 million employers. Employers can post jobs, search and message talent, manage applicants, promote recruiting events and career fairs, and publish company content through a Brand Page. Basic and Pro have limited Brand Page access.

Key features

• Campus-focused search: Employers can filter by school year, major, GPA, skills, student location, and job-role interests. Enterprise supports up to 50 filters, which gives larger recruiting teams more ways to narrow their search; Basic is capped at 100 talent matches per job.
• Recruiting workflows and events: Job posting and applicant management sit alongside campus event tools, student engagement, university relationships, and application workflows. That combination is well suited to organized campus recruiting, not just publishing vacancies.
• Messaging and collaboration: Basic allows 10 messages a month and limited candidate messaging. Pro raises the allowance to 200 messages and adds multi-user collaboration and workflow automation, making it more practical for teams managing sustained outreach.
• AI tools and promotion: Pro includes AI-powered applicant tools and offers promoted jobs as an add-on. Enterprise includes promoted jobs, plus advanced messaging, promotions, and event support.
• ATS connections: Integrations are listed for Greenhouse, Workday, Lever, Taleo, Jobvite, SAP SuccessFactors, SmartRecruiters, Infinite BrassRing, and UKG. They are available only to Essentials and Enterprise customers, so they are not an option on Basic or Pro.
• Mobile access: The iOS and Android app lets users search opportunities, apply for jobs, and manage career center appointments; the platform also supports web.
• Security and compliance: Handshake says it is FERPA compliant and that external parties audit and attest to its security and privacy compliance program. Its trust portal states SOC 2 Type II compliance and lists GDPR, CCPA, TX-RAMP, UK Cyber Essentials, and PCI compliance.

Pricing

Handshake uses a freemium model, with a free Basic plan and paid pricing from $450 per month. Basic is a no-cost way for employers to establish a simple company presence and try limited talent matching, but 10 monthly messages and 100 matches per job can constrain a real recruiting campaign.

Pro costs $450 per month and includes 200 messages per month, AI-powered applicant tools, multi-user collaboration, and workflow automation. It suits employers that need shared recruiting workflows and more outreach capacity; promoted jobs cost extra, Brand Page access remains limited, and ATS integrations are not available at this tier.

Enterprise has custom pricing. It adds advanced messaging, promotions and event support, ATS/XML integrations, centralized team management, hiring funnel analytics, and promoted jobs. Premium support and a dedicated customer success account team make it the stronger fit for organizations coordinating larger or more complex recruiting programs.

Platforms

Handshake supports web, iOS, and Android. Its mobile app covers opportunity search, job applications, and career center appointments, while employers can use the broader recruiting network and tools.

Who it's for

Handshake is a natural fit for employers that recruit students and other early-career candidates through educational institutions, especially when events, targeted search, and applicant workflows matter alongside job posts. Institutions and job seekers can also use the network for career discovery and opportunity access. Employers with modest needs can start on Basic, but those relying on frequent outreach or larger match pools will outgrow its caps quickly. Teams that require ATS integration should consider Enterprise rather than Basic or Pro.

Pros and cons

• Pro: A large stated network spanning 25 million knowledge workers, more than 1,600 institutions, and 1 million employers gives campus recruiters broad potential reach.
• Pro: Search filters, events, applicant management, and workflow tools address multiple stages of campus recruiting in one network.
• Pro: Pro adds AI applicant tools, collaboration, automation, and a higher messaging quota than Basic.
• Con: Basic’s 10-message monthly allowance and 100-match-per-job cap limit how far employers can take a free recruiting effort.
• Con: ATS integration requires Essentials or Enterprise, excluding both Basic and Pro.
• Con: Pro costs $450 per month, and promoted jobs are an add-on at that tier; Basic and Pro Brand Page access is limited.

Alternatives

Campus Recruiting Software is a useful category to compare if you want to weigh Handshake against other campus recruiting tools. For event-focused options, compare the Recruiting Events Software list.

• CoCubes offers institutes a free Associate institute program with basic platform access and one employability assessment, making it worth considering for institutions sharing final-year student data.
• Flarebox has a free plan for AI mock interview sessions and practice tests, so it is an option to consider for interview preparation.
• TPO Bridge offers unlimited job posts and campus drives on a free plan with no subscription or per-post charges, which may suit institutions prioritizing those functions.
• JobTeaser offers a free plan for a limited number of job ads across institutions, with caps varying by country; it may suit employers seeking that kind of capped posting option.
• PakkaPlacement offers companies and recruiters free job posting, talent search, aptitude tests, direct offers, and Google Meet interviews, making it another no-cost option to consider.
• ProSculpt has a free student plan with premium courses accessed through earned ProCredits, an option for students focused on courses.
• RippleMatch offers a candidate network that is always free for candidates, while employer subscriptions are quote-based; it may suit candidates looking for a free network.
• GradLeaders is another option to compare for graduate recruiting.

Verdict

Handshake is a strong choice for employers and educational institutions building early-career recruiting around campus connections, events, and targeted talent search. Its network and layered recruiting workflows are the main reasons to choose it; look elsewhere if Basic’s message and match limits are too restrictive, or if you need ATS integration without moving to Enterprise.