Handshake Frequently Asked Questions

Handshake users have the ability to explore amazing job and internship opportunities customized to their interests, experiences, and majors.  But Handshake is much more than a job portal.  It is a place for students to schedule career appointments, search for events, discover resources and articles, sign up for on-campus interviews, and even document their career journey.  Start using Handshake today!   

1. At Handshake Login, enter your primary email address(does not need to be @sandiego.edu)
2. Click "forgot your password?"
3. Follow instructions and login with email and new password!
4. If you do not have an account with the email you entered, you will need to sign up by clicking "I'm a student or Alumni"
5. Complete the registration process
6. You will be contacted by the Career Development Center to verify your account
7. Please allow 1-2 days for verification

If you are not using a @sandiego email address, the blue Single Sign-On button will give you this error.  

Please login using email and password.

1. Login to Handshake
2. Click "Appointments" on left-hand navigation bar
3. Click "Schedule New Appointment"
4. Once you have selected an appointment category and type, you will be able to choose a time and counselor
5. Enter details about the appointment in the What can we help you with? section and then click Request at the bottom of the screen. You will be taken to the overview of the appointment where you can cancel the appointment or add comments before the appointment.

1. Login to Handshake
2. Click Appointments on left hand navigation bar
3. Click on the blue text that lists the name of the Career Counselor with whom you’ll be meeting
4. Click on the red “Cancel Appointment” button

All eligible users may apply for any job in Handshake, regardless of preferences. While no user is ever blocked from applying, your application may show as “not fully qualified” based on items such as major, GPA etc to employers.   Please note that this will not stop you from submitting your application for any opportunity.

A saved search is a function in Handshake that allows you to quickly see only the items you wish when searching Jobs, Internships, Employers, Interviews and Fairs.  After selecting criteria, click on the “+” button next to “Saved Searches.”  Name your saved search by giving it a title you will remember.  Once it is saved, you can go back to it selecting “Saved Searches” and search for the title.

Pro Tip:  Make your “saved search” a default. This will pull your search every time you click on that section.