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How to Use Handshake

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Take a quick tour of Handshake's basic features.

Handshake - Your Comprehensive Career Management Tool

Handshake is one of the Career Center's most valuable resources for AU students and alumni who seek jobs or internships. This robust tool enables you to:

  • Apply for full-time and part-time jobs and internships specifically posted for AU students and alumni
  • Apply for positions through the On-Campus Recruiting (OCR) program and schedule employer interviews
  • Register for recruitment events, including job and internship fairs, employer information sessions, and networking receptions
  • Save your application materials in one place and report your internship and employment successes 
  • Receive automatic alerts when new positions that match your search criteria are posted

Your Handshake account

If you are a current AU student, your free account is active. To , enter your AU credentials.

If you cannot remember your login information, click on the "Forgot Password" link to reset your password or contact the Career Center for assistance.

New Students

The Career Center (or the Kogod Office of Career Engagement, for Kogod students) creates accounts for all incoming students prior to the start of their first semester. Watch for an email announcing that your account is ready. Do not create a new account for yourself—the Career Center or Kogod Office of Career Engagement must create and approve all accounts. If you have any questions, please call us at 202-885-1804 or email careercenter@american.edu. Kogod students can contact the Office of Career Engagement.

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To create a Handshake account, or to recover your student account:

  • If you still have access to your AU portal username and password,  with your AU portal credentials  
  • Otherwise, please email careercenter@american.edu and include the following information:
    • Your full name while attending AU
    • Your preferred full name now (if different from when you attended AU)
    • Your graduation year
    • The name of the program you graduated from 

Account Troubleshooting Tips

Logging in After Resetting Your Password. If you reset your password after too many incorrect login attempts, remember to clear your browsing history and open a new browser before you attempt to login again. 

Help with Handshake

Check out these articles to troubleshoot common issues in Handshake. If you can't find an answer to your question here, call or email us.

202-885-1804
careercenter@american.edu


Handshake Work Authorization FAQs

All students will be asked the status of their U.S. work authorization when submitting their first job application in Handshake. Non-US citizens and permanent residents may find guidance on how to answer these questions in Handshake. 

Best Practices

More than 1,000 jobs and internships are active at any given time. To find the most appropriate opportunities for you, initially search by "Position Type" and "Job Function" because employers are required to complete these fields. Employers must also designate location and salary range, which you can include in an advanced search. To narrow your results, search according to your major or concentration or for positions for which you qualify based on your profile.

Configure multiple search agents that trigger automatic e-mail announcements when new positions that match your search criteria are posted to Handshake. Build search agents in the "Advanced Search" tab within "jobs and internships" and set the frequency of your e-mail alerts in the "Saved Searches" tab.

Several employers allow students to apply for positions directly through Handshake. Take advantage of this convenience by uploading your resume and other application materials through the "documents" tab. Label your document so as to distinguish it from others and keep in mind that your label is visible to employers.

Quickly and easily RSVP for on-campus events, including fall and spring Job and Internship Fairs, networking receptions, and employer information sessions. Prepare for the events by reviewing critical details and lists of participating employers.

Before applying to an organization or speaking with employers at recruiting events, review organizations' profiles in the "employers" tab and even search for employers who offer value-added internships.