Wayne State College has switched to Handshake, an online job platform, for the fall semester.  

Handshake is a nationwide platform designed specifically to assist students with job searching. Jason Barelman, director of career services at WSC, said Handshake is a great tool that can keep students connected not only with WSC, but also with employers. 

Barelman said the main reason for switching to Handshake was the bigger pool of jobs it offered. “We need to get jobs in front of them,” Barelman said in reference to WSC students. Barelman said Simplicity, the old system, offered better analytics but not as many jobs, arguably the more important part. Handshake is a better service than the previous one due to its extensive selection of jobs. Barelman predicted there will be probably thousands more jobs available to students than previously available on Simplicity. 

“I would say one thing that does make Handshake unique, though, is that it is geared more toward the soon-to-be graduates,” Molly McCoy, the event planning coordinator at WSC, said. McCoy went on to say it provides a different experience from other job searching engines, such as Indeed, because of its focus on college students.  

Other platforms can feel overwhelming for college students because they are catered to wider audiences from all kinds of platforms, according to McCoy. “Employers have to physically, in their account, choose to post their jobs to Wayne State, so when you see these jobs, they choose to connect with our school,” McCoy said.  

Handshake also hosts events on their platform that can expose students to new opportunities. McCoy said the types of events can vary depending on the company hosting the event. Examples of some events that can be available to students are Q&As, internship searches or Zoom calls. 

Barelman encourages students to utilize Handshake and take advantage of its resources. Students can jump in and build their profiles, as well as connect with employers. Barelman said that while Handshake is a great starting point, it is not a requirement for WSC students to use it.  

“Only probably about 20% of jobs are even posted, the other 80% are by networking and other means,” Barelman said. Students are encouraged to use all the resources at their disposal at WSC’s Career Services.