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Curry College students and alumni will now have access to thousands of new job and internship opportunities through leading job-search and networking platform, Handshake. The Center for Career Development recently transitioned Curry Connect to the new platform, which includes a network of more than 500,000 employers offering hundreds of thousands of jobs and internships across industry and geography.
“In Handshake, there are thousands of employers posting jobs at any given time. Now that we are part of their international network, students will have access to opportunities both locally and wherever they might call home,” says Center for Career Development Director Kerrie Aborn. “Searching for a job or internship is no longer a one-way process where students apply to countless positions and wait tirelessly for a response. Handshake brings employers directly to the students by allowing them to view their profiles and message them seamlessly within the system. Our adoption of Handshake is just one more way that Curry is ensuring our students find quality, relevant jobs and have a successful start to their careers.”
Boston-based athletic footwear company, iSlide, Inc., which has hired many Curry College students as interns in recent years, also endorses the career development platform. “We are in full support of Curry making the switch. We have used Handshake for probably five years, and it is our primary recruiting tool for finding and hiring interns. We post all our internships on Handshake and definitely give full attention to any applicants through the website,” says Steve Amrein, CFO, iSlide, Inc.
To start on the new platform, which is offered on the web or a mobile app, students should log in to Handshake to claim their account and answer a series of questions. The information will then curate a unique homepage specific to their career interests, including recommendations for positions that match their major or skills. They can then begin to search and apply to job and internship postings, build a professional profile, connect with peers at other schools, network with Curry alumni in the field, and register for Center for Career Development events.
“Handshake uses sophisticated artificial intelligence to make suggestions to students regarding jobs and internships that might fit their profile and vice versa for employers,” says Aborn. “The Handshake platform also facilitates networking among students and employers. Students can see which employers in the system are Curry alumni and can reach out and connect. Students can get an inside look at employers and jobs by reading reviews that other students write, including reviews from students at other institutions.”
“I created a Handshake account right away when Curry College transitioned over to it from Curry Connect,” says Hannah Gillis ’22, a business administration major. “This platform is very user friendly and can be easily navigated. The networking opportunities are endless. Even if you are not currently looking for a job, just creating a Handshake account is likely to be very beneficial throughout your time in College and also later when building a career.”
Handshake is also available to all faculty and staff at the College, allowing them to also connect with relevant employers and alumni. “We want faculty to be involved in the process of helping students find meaningful experiences that relate to their studies.”
For more information on Handshake, contact the Center for Career Development at CareerDevelopment@Curry.edu or (617) 333 – 2195.