Please read our Handshake Frequently-Asked-Questions. Thank you!
Handshake is a cutting-edge, customizable career tool for students. Users can enjoy searching a vast array job and internship opportunities geared towards their interests, experiences, and majors. But Handshake is 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.
So what are you waiting for? Start using Handshake today!
Handshake uses your USD Single Sign-On(SSO). Be sure the login URL is sandiego.joinhandshake.com and NOT app.joinhandshake.com.
Accessing Handshake from MySanDiego or the USD Career Development Center's website will always avoid this error.
Once logged in to Handshake, simply click "Appointments" in the left, gray navigation bar.
For more information on hours, appointments, and incredible counselors, please visit our Meet the Counselors page.
- Log into Handshake
- Click Appointments on left-hand navigation bar
- Click on the blue text that lists the name of the Career Counselor with whom you’ll be meeting
- Click on the red “Cancel Appointment” button
*Please email careers@sandiego.edu if canceling less than 24 hours before scheduled appointment
No, we have drop-in hours Monday through Friday, 11am - 12pm and 3pm - 4pm, at our main center in Manchester 101.
Please visit our Meet the Counselors page for more drop-in and times and locations.
- Log into Handshake
- On the left-hand navigation, select “interviews”
- Choose the company you wish to interview for
- Select “Apply” and Choose Relevant Job you are interview for
- You will receive a notification of your status, if selected, you will be able to schedule a time
Employers choose a specific number of candidates based on the number of slots and schedules they have available. Alternates fill any remaining interview spaces. The email you receive about your alternate status will include the date and time you’ll be able to check the interview schedule. Available slots fill in on a first-come first-serve basis. You are able to jump into any available interview slots from the time alternate sign-ups open until the schedule freezes a few days before the event.
Students that have taken a slot may request to swap slots with other students.
You may:
- Request and respond to swaps any time during the signup period
- Request multiple swaps
When submitting a swap request, an email is sent to the person holding the slot. If the student receiving the request accepts, they will be asked to choose from the available slots plus the slot of the student requesting the swap.
Once they choose a new slot, the swap is executed. Other swap requests by the student requesting the swap are cancelled and the students are put into their new slots.On your profile page, click on the pencil/notepad icon next to the “Education” field, and make your edit from the “Education Level” drop-down menu.
Please note this information is synced from the registrar’s office once a month. Changes you make will be overridden during syncs. Please contact careers@sandiego.edu with any questions.
On your profile page, click on the pencil/notepad icon next to the “Education” field, and make your edit from the “End Date” drop-down menu.
The GPA fields are unlocked and you can add your departmental and cumulative GPAs to your profile.
To do so, click on the pencil/notepad icon next to "Education" and enter your data. Be sure to scroll down and click "save" before leaving the page.
All accounts are hidden from employers, or private, by default. You may view and change your status in your Handshake User Settings at any time.
To make public, go to user settings and click the box “Allow employers to be able to find and view my profile.”
All eligible users may apply for any job in Handshake, regardless of qualifications. 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.
When you apply for a posting that requires a transcript, click on “Apply Now” and select “Document Type” underneath the heading “Upload a Document.” You are able to identify your document as a transcript by selecting “transcript” on the document type picklist.
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.
Please visit Handshake's Help Center for more detailed instructions on how to use Handshake.
For all other questions, please email the Career Development Center at careers@sandiego.edu.