You’re board.  The pandemic is eating away at your planned summer fun or a withdrawn internship.  Don’t let the quarantine put a stopper on your career.  Now more than ever, networking is key, and the first thing you need to do to make connections is to update your social media profiles – especially Handshake (also LinkedIn, but we will cover that later) – where recruiters can easily find you.

According to a recent report posted in Handshake, 80 percent of students who include job interests in their profile will be messaged by employers in Handshake.  The “Your Interests” section of your Handshake profile includes:

  1. Job Type
  2. Location
  3. Job Role

These are fields employers commonly use to search for potential candidates.  Including them in your profile is essential to getting recruited.

What are you looking for?

  • Job type: select part-time job, full-time job, or internship. Looking for a part-time job for now and an internship for next summer? You can select more than one job type.
  • Job location: choose the cities that you’d like to live and work in. There are thousands of incredible employers on Handshake from every corner of the country, so we recommend being open to exploring jobs in a few different locations.
  • Job roles: select at least three job roles that interest you. Handshake will give you suggestions based on your major, school and city. You can also search the job role pages to learn more about what you’d like to do.

You may be thinking “What if I don’t know what I’m looking for?” That’s ok. Handshake will give you some suggestions. And, like the rest of your profile information, you can always change your interests later.

Your Handshake profile is the first step to networking with industry representatives, and it is the key to finding jobs and internships that are right for you. Remember to check Handshake regularly for new messages from employers and read them thoroughly.  This is your special invitation to connect with them.

Ready to meet potential employers, find the right job or internship? Log into Handshake and fill in your interests today! Ask our career coaches at the Voiland College Internships and Career Services Office to review your profiles and provide feedback.  Reach us at vcea.internships@wsu.edu.

While you’re here, check out the Handshake Blog “Get hired remotely.”