Handshake review
A full campus recruiting platform with free entry and broad hiring workflows.
Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
Handshake connects employers, students, and educational institutions through a campus recruiting platform. Employers can post early-career jobs, search school connections, message student candidates, manage applications, promote career fairs and events, and publish company content. Career centers can use the platform for opportunities, events, resources, appointments, surveys, and student engagement. It is available on web, iOS, and Android, making it suitable for large employers that need a broad campus program rather than a single-purpose job board.
The freemium structure gives employers a practical entry point. Basic includes free job posting, 10 messages per month, and a simple company presence. Pro costs $450 per month and adds 200 monthly messages, AI-powered applicant tools, multi-user collaboration, and workflow automation. Enterprise adds advanced messaging, promotions, event support, centralized permissions, automated workflows, and hiring-funnel analytics. Promoted Jobs can be added to Basic or Pro and is included in Enterprise. Employers should compare the message allowance and collaboration needs against the monthly Pro cost before moving beyond Basic.
Handshake’s ecosystem is a major part of its fit for larger recruiting teams. The platform supports application review, application-status synchronization, and ATS integrations with Greenhouse, Workday, Lever, Taleo, Jobvite, SAP SuccessFactors, SmartRecruiters, Infinite BrassRing, and UKG. Its scope also extends from student engagement and university relationships to career fairs, employer branding, and campaign analytics. That breadth suits organizations coordinating many schools, events, recruiters, and approval workflows. Smaller teams focused only on occasional job posting may prefer the Basic plan, while employers needing advanced controls, promotions, and reporting should consider Enterprise.
Handshake pros and cons
- Where it wins
- Free job posting with school connections and student search
- Events, applications, messaging, analytics, and employer branding in one platform
- Nine ATS integrations plus web, iOS, and Android access
- Where it doesn't
- Basic limits proactive outreach to 10 messages per month
- Pro costs $450 per month before higher-tier capabilities
- Promoted Jobs is an add-on outside Enterprise
Handshake fact sheet, pricing and score →
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