Updates 10/16/2025

Updates 10/16/2025

Hello all, 

 

We hope you're well and that the busy back-to-school season is slowing down just a bit!

 

We also know that you may have seen increasing coverage of Handshake from outside sources over the last few weeks. We’d love to speak with you about this directly. Join us for a candid conversation with Christine Cruzvergara on October 30 at 10:30AM PT | 1:30PM ET. She’ll share a brief presentation about how AI is shaping both our product and our company and give you an inside look at Handshake’s strategy and vision for the future. We'll spend the majority of the time together engaging in Q&A, so we hope you’ll join us and bring all of your questions. Save your spot!

 

Best,

Susanna

Product updates: recently released

Multiple labels: We have introduced the ability for you to add multiple labels at once in several places throughout the platform. For example, you could quickly add more than one label to a company when viewing their employer overview page, a helpful timesaving addition. 

 

Survey updates: We’ve made it possible to delete past surveys even if they have a response already. They are no longer selectable or viewable on the survey list but note that responses that live in other parts of the product (e.g. on appointments, events, etc.) have not been deleted.

  • We have also added a column to the survey overview page so that you can see “Respondent” numbers at a glance.

Collections updates: We made several updates to make it easier to manage your collections. You now have the ability to:

  • Edit a collection’s category

  • Re-run job rules, which will remove any manually added jobs and re-add any manually removed jobs

  • See information about when a collection was last updated and by whom

We also further increased collection visibility for students by adding a new “Collections” tile to the career center page for students.

 

Sourced outcomes: This feature is now live for any school that would like to join our beta group! It offers a combination of Handshake-exclusive data and LinkedIn profile data to provide you with a significant new stream of student outcomes. This helps your office to save time in gathering knowledge responses and demonstrate your impact.

  • Register for our webinar on November 4 at 9AM PT | 12PM ET to learn more about this tool.

First Destination Survey (FDS) email set-up: We have made an update to the FDS set-up process, which will be especially beneficial to those who may wish to leverage sourced outcomes but do not use Handshake to distribute their survey. You are now able to easily disable the email campaign so that you can set up a survey without messaging students.

 

Redesigned contact detail page: We have just released in beta a refreshed contact details page intended to provide more relevant information. This will be available for all schools later this fall. The new page includes:

  • A profile image (if available)

  • A last login date

  • An updated activity pane that is specific to the user associated with the contact and not their company

Reonboarding: We have launched an experiment to show returning students the streamlined onboarding flow that we launched this summer. Users going through reonboarding have their career interests pre-populated in the flow, and the process encourages them to ensure those interests remain up to date.

 

Degree level filter on job search: We’ve started rolling out a new job search filter allowing students to pinpoint opportunities targeting their degree level (e.g. associates, bachelors). This will be especially helpful for students seeking a degree other than a bachelors.

Application downloads from emails: As part of our ongoing efforts to further protect student privacy, Basic employers are no longer able to download applicant packages directly from an email. This update will not apply to on-campus employers or jobs posted by career services users, but will eventually apply to Handshake’s paid employer partners. Logging in to Handshake to access sensitive student application data will also help encourage employers to update applicant statuses in Handshake, sharing important hiring information with applicants and with your team. 

 

AI applicant management: Handshake Plus or Pro employers can now set their hiring criteria, such as location or skills, up front and our AI tool will rank and sort applicants by best match. This helps employers to save time and focus on the best-fit candidates. Candidates profiles also include an AI-generated summary to help recruiters see the most critical information at a glance.

 

Product updates: coming soon

Appointment scheduling updates: Later this fall, we will release some highly requested appointment scheduling features, such as the ability to edit a recurring appointment block or a single instance, the ability to set maximum number of appointments per block, and the ability to select multiple days when creating a recurring block. All of these updates will make it easier for an advisor to manage their availability.

Natural language search: In the coming weeks, we will launch an experiment in which job seekers can find opportunities by typing queries in the way they’d naturally ask a friend or career coach, such as “jobs that don’t require a degree near San Diego.” This natural language search will improve upon the rigid keyword matching of the current search experience. Students will need to toggle the new search on to try it, otherwise they will see the current search experience with filters. 

Job search updates: This fall, we’re experimenting with a new design for job search that allows students to more easily explore relevant opportunities, even if they aren’t sure what they’re looking for. The new jobs page will highlight collections of jobs tailored for the student while providing context on why they're being recommended. Initially we'll test Handshake-generated collections of jobs, built using AI, to see how well they resonate.

  • Watch this recording of our recent office hours session to learn more. 

AI-assisted profile completion: This fall, we’re developing an AI-powered feature that will allow students to assess how good of a fit they are for a particular role and update their profile to highlight their most relevant skills.

Want to learn more? Check out the product change log for more details on product updates.

 

Upcoming events

Virtual EDU workshop for community & technical colleges: Join us on Wednesday, October 29 at 11AM PT | 2PM ET for a virtual EDU stakeholders workshop designed specifically for community and technical college partners. This interactive session will offer a look into Handshake’s product vision, highlight our evolving support for two-year institutions, and create space to share feedback, learn from peers, and build community.

  • Please note: Much of the day will be spent in breakout rooms to ensure strong engagement and sharing among attendees. For this reason, please limit the number of attendees from your institution to 2 individuals.

Register here

Inside Handshake’s strategy: A candid conversation with Christine Cruzvergara: On October 30 at 10:30AM PDT | 1:30PM EDT join Christine Cruzvergara for a peek inside Handshake's strategy, including:

  • Our guiding principles for protecting student data and trust

  • How we’re innovating to ensure schools and students are positioned to succeed in the AI economy

  • Information about our new Handshake AI Fellowship program

  • Misinformation from competitors and how schools remain at the heart of Handshake’s mission and strategy

Register here

Sourced outcomes webinar: On November 4 at 9AM PT | 12PM ET we will host a webinar to share details about our sourced outcomes tool and plans for general launch. We will talk through set-up and provide details on our data pipeline and how you can share feedback on the accuracy of individual outcomes. We'll also be joined by a guest speaker to hear about how the tool has benefitted their institution's outcomes process thus far!

Register here

Need support? handshake@syr.edu