UML鈥檚 Move to New Platform Opens Door to More Jobs, Co-ops and Internships
Image by Ed Brennen
09/30/2019
By Ed Brennen
A combination of LinkedIn, Indeed and Netflix.
That鈥檚 how one Career & Co-op Center staff member describes Handshake, the career networking and recruiting platform the university has introduced to students and alumni this fall in place of the former CareerLINK.
Used by more than 400,000 employers and 800 universities nationwide, Handshake has quickly emerged as a popular way for college students and recent grads to find internships, co-ops and full-time jobs, according to Greg Denon, associate dean of student affairs for career development.
鈥淲e looked at a couple of different options, but Handshake is really setting the standard for the next generation of platforms,鈥� Denon says. 鈥淭he core functionality is 10 times better than CareerLINK and the interface is a lot more contemporary, so it鈥檚 easier for students to search and apply for positions. Everything about it is easier.鈥�
Of course, the most important difference for students and alumni is the volume and variety of opportunities available on Handshake.
Not only does the platform allow employers to post openings to a wide swath of member schools at once (as opposed to one by one), but companies can also target schools with specific programs or in certain geographic areas.
Image by Ed Brennen
鈥淏ecause employers can manage multiple target schools, it allows them to expand their pool,鈥� says Denon, who adds that 鈥渨e鈥檙e starting to get contacts and job postings from employers that we hadn鈥檛 been able to get before,鈥� such as the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee.
The Career & Co-op Center now receives hundreds of job postings each day through Handshake, which Denon says is both 鈥渁 blessing and a curse鈥� since each posting must be evaluated and approved by staff members. They prioritize job leads in the New England area and those that best align with students鈥� career goals.
Denon has already noticed that some career fields, such as physical therapy, are better represented on Handshake than on the previous platform.
鈥淲e鈥檝e been getting so many postings related to physical therapy, mostly rehab centers and outpatient work,鈥� Denon says. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e coming in and want to get more of our Doctor of Physical Therapy 蝉迟耻诲别苍迟蝉.鈥�
Once a student has signed up for their free Handshake account by computer or mobile app, they create a public profile page (similar to LinkedIn) and upload their r茅sum茅. The profile page includes a photo and details such as school, major, graduation year, organizations and skills. Certain profile information, such as grade-point average, can be made private by users.
The employment search then works both ways. Companies can recruit job candidates based on their profiles. If an employer wants to contact a student directly, they can send a message through the system that the student receives as a blind email. Students can also look for employers and jobs as they would on search engines such as Indeed. If they鈥檙e not ready to apply right away, they can 鈥渇ollow鈥� the opportunities that interest them.
Image by Ed Brennen
Leanne Winton, a junior business administration major with an accounting concentration from Merrimack, N.H., likes how Handshake will recommend other jobs that she may be interested in based on her past search criteria 鈥� much like Netflix recommends other TV shows and movies.
鈥淚鈥檝e had jobs pop up that I wouldn鈥檛 have found because I never would have thought to look for the company,鈥� says Winton, who is in search of a co-op position this year and is taking the professional development seminar with Asst. Director of Cooperative Education Jim McGonigle.
鈥淗e described Handshake as a combination of Indeed, LinkedIn and Netflix, which is an accurate description,鈥� Winton says.
The Career & Co-op Center also uses Handshake to promote and register students for events on campus, from r茅sum茅 workshops and employer visits to career fairs.
At the recent Accounting and Finance Career Fair at University Crossing, Prabakar Adithya, a sophomore business administration major from Chelmsford, was able to hone in on specific companies 鈥� RSM and Ernst & Young 鈥� thanks to the homework he鈥檇 done beforehand on Handshake.
鈥淚 could do background research on them rather than going in blind and trying to figure it out,鈥� says Adithya, who came to the career fair with a r茅sum茅 that had been reviewed and approved by a UML career counselor through Handshake.
Alum Cheryl Medina 鈥�90 represented the U.S. Department of Treasury at the Accounting and Finance Career Fair. An audit manager for the Office of Inspector General based in Andover, Medina began working with Handshake earlier this year.
Image by Ed Brennen
鈥淚t helped me get the word out that we鈥檙e posting a job in the next couple of weeks,鈥� says Medina, an accounting alum who began working for the Inspector General right out of college. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a very convenient system.鈥�
At the Northwestern Mutual booth, campus recruiter Courtney Pollard told students to sign up for the company鈥檚 upcoming recruiting session through the platform.
鈥淗andshake is really up and coming,鈥� says Pollard, who used the platform as a student at Endicott College and is now using it on the employer side. 鈥淚t鈥檚 more geared toward students, which is huge.鈥�
The positive reaction from employers doesn鈥檛 surprise Denon. When he met with recruiters at iRobot in Bedford over the summer and told them UML was moving to Handshake, the room erupted in applause.
鈥淲hen you remove pain points,鈥� Denon says, 鈥済ood things happen.鈥�
