Handshake Student and Alumni User Guide

Students

Currently, enrolled degree-seeking students will access Handshake via MyUWF.  Upon enrollment in classes, an account will automatically be created for you. The following steps outline how to activate and access your Handshake account:

1. Log into your MyUWF account and search for Handshake in the search bar.
2. Log into Handshake using your ArgoNet username and password.
3. Your profile activation will begin with a series of questions regarding your career preferences. Simply select the options that describe you best. Handshake will use your answers to customize your experience with suggested jobs and opportunities.
   • Note: You may skip this step and complete your career preferences questionnaire at a later time. Just select your own name in the top right corner, then select Career Interests.
4. You’ll need to decide whether to make your profile public or private.
   • A public profile, and most information in your profile, can be seen by an approved employer on Handshake and by your career coach.
   • Note: There are some Handshake profile components, like GPA, that have their own privacy settings. So you can make your profile public but your GPA private, for example. Your profile can’t be seen by other students or by Career Services Centers at other schools.
   • If you make your profile private, it can only be seen by you and UWF Career Development and Community Engagement staff members.
   • You can switch your privacy status at any time, from private to public or from public to private.
5. Once you’ve completed these steps, you’ve successfully activated your account are can begin using Handshake.

Alumni

Alumni may need to create a Handshake account and connect with UWF. Go to MyUWF and search for Handshake. Follow the instructions on How to Log In as an Alumni to view step-by-step instructions.

• If you are alumni who graduated from UWF in 2012 or later, you will access Handshake as previously described for students.
• If you no longer have access to your MyUWF account, you can call the ITS Helpdesk at 850.474.2075 to reactivate your account.
• If you are alumni who graduated from UWF prior to 2012, request an account by contacting the Office of Career Development and Community Engagement at career@uwf.edu or 850.474.2254. Once you have been granted access, you may follow the student instructions for activating your account.

If you want to increase your career marketability and visibility to employers, you should complete your profile and make it public.

• University-approved employers can search and contact students who have made their profiles public.

Some of your information will already be in your Handshake profile. Check to be sure all pre-loaded information is correct. If you find an error in any of your profile data, contact career@uwf.edu to correct it.

• Select My Profile from the drop-down menu that appears when you click your initials in the menu bar to make changes.
• Upload a professional headshot or a good photo of yourself dressed professionally and looking at the camera.
• Fill out your Education Section!  Click the pencil next to your name and make sure your Major and Start/End Dates are correctly filled out.
• Complete the Work and Volunteer Experience section. Make sure to include the Job Title, Employer, Time Period and Location. Use bullet points to describe your accomplishments, impacts, and duties for each position.
• Add Organizations and Extracurricular activities. These may include student and community organizations. Be sure to include any leadership positions you have held while a member.
• List the relevant courses you have completed. Typically this will be your 3000 or 4000 level courses or something that heavily emphasizes skill development, like public speaking or other special courses. 
• Then, add any skills you’ve acquired through school, work, or other meaningful involvement. Make sure you list technical skills or “hard skills”—these include specific computer applications (i.e., Java, C++, etc.), foreign languages, writing styles, or other career-specific knowledge.
• You may also add class projects to your Handshake account. This shows employers how you’ve applied the skills and experience you’re listing in your profile.
• Don't forget to upload documents like your resume and cover letter. CDCE will automatically provide feedback on the first document you upload.

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How to Manage Your Privacy Settings in Handshake

When you are ready to apply for career opportunities including, Co-ops, internships, full time or part-time jobs, you’ll need to have some documents uploaded to your Handshake account. Follow these steps to add documents to your account. Note: document uploads have a max of 20 MB.

1. Select Documents from the drop down menu under your name in the top menu bar.
2. Select Add New Document.
3. Once you drag or choose a document from your computer, you can name it and select the document type. This could be a résumé, transcript, cover letter, or another document type.
4. Click Add Document.
5. Voila! Your document is stored in your Handshake account, and is ready to be added to your first Handshake job application!

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About Pending Documents

Handshake is the best way to schedule appointments for career coaching and assistance from the Office of Career Development & Community Engagement. Follow these steps to schedule your next appointment!

1. Click Career Center.
2. On this page, under the "What can we help you find?" section, select Appointments.
3. On the following page, you’ll see any past or upcoming appointments you have scheduled. To request a new appointment, click the blue Schedule a New Appointment button.
4. You will see the option to pick a category and type of appointment. Select the category and type of appointment you are interested in scheduling.
5. ​You will be taken to the next available appointment times once you have selected an appointment category and type. If you are unsure, please refer to the description below each appointment option, or call our office at 850.474.2254.
6. Click on a time that works for you or click on Staff Member to see the availability of different staff members. Be sure to check your class schedule for your availability!
7. When you’ve chosen the best time and date for you, please give us more information in the Help Requested section. This ensures we are prepared to help you prior to your appointment and can spend our time together efficiently and effectively!
8. Click the green Request button at the bottom of the screen to finalize your appointment.
9. You will be taken to the overview of the appointment where you can cancel the appointment or add comments before the appointment.
10. You will receive a confirmation email once your appointment is confirmed by your career coach. You will also receive a reminder email on the day of your appointment.
11. Make sure you check your notifications for updates on the status of your appointment.

Note: Please add your appointment to your personal calendar or agenda, as students who miss two or more appointments without rescheduling lose career coaching privileges for the semester. We require 48 hours advance notice to cancel your appointment to ensure availability to other students needing assistance.

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How to View Scheduled Appointments

One of the most exciting components of Handshake is that it provides so many awesome opportunities for jobs, co-ops, internships, part-time jobs, and on-campus employment. This section will give you strategies and tips to help in your search.

1. Click the first box labeled Jobs (you can also click the Jobs link in the menu bar at the top of the screen.)
    You will be taken to the Job Search page.
2. Next, you may explore opportunities by job or by employer--—just select the Job Search or Employers tab to begin.
3. In the Job Search section, search for job titles, employers, or keywords. You may also filter jobs by type (on-campus, internship, full-time, etc.), location, industry, and more. You’ll notice the option for additional filters on this page also. Clicking on Filters will open up additional advanced filters you can use to narrow your job search even further.
4. Handshake also suggests jobs for you based on your responses to the career preferences questions when you activate your account. If you opted not to respond in the beginning, you may return to those questions anytime by selecting your own name in the top right corner and then selecting Career Interests.
5. In the Employers tab, you can explore employers by industry, size, reviews, company size, location, and more. Be sure to explore employers’ reviews, Q&A, interview information, and current job openings.

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How to Identify Potential Employment Scams

It’s important to gain experience while in college and start applying to full-time jobs a few months before your graduation date. Let Handshake help in your job search by following the next steps.

1. Click the first box, labeled Jobs (you can also click the Jobs link in the menu bar at the top of the screen.)
2. Search for jobs that interest you.
3. Select the job that you are interested in applying to by clicking on View Details.
4. Review the details and qualifications for the job to make sure it is a good fit. You can favorite a job if you’re not quite ready to apply yet. This will all you to find the job again easily, in your favorite jobs.    
5. If you are ready to apply, you will either apply using an internal application or an external application.
6. Select the documents you would like to upload from your document library or upload documents directly from your computer.
7. Click the green Submit Application button when you are ready to submit your application.
   ⚠ NOTE: ​If this job has additional application instructions, you will see a message with directions that you will need to follow to complete this application. Click any links provided to be directed to the external site in another browser tab.
8. Once you’ve successfully completed your external application, go back to your browser tab and click Finish. You will see that your application has been submitted

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About Your Application Status

Handshake is where you can find information about upcoming events hosted by the Office of Career Development & Community Engagement.

1. Select Events from the main menu to get started. Upcoming events are listed on the landing page.
2. Use the Search Events, search bar and Find Career Fairs tab to find other upcoming events and to narrow your search.
3. Like jobs and employers, you can also add events to your favorites to keep track of events you’re interested in attending.* Don’t forget to share these events by email or social media to let your friends know you’re going!
4. When you’ve decided to attend an event, simply RSVP for the event by selecting the +RSVP for Event or +Join Event buttons.

Note: Not all events require you to RSVP; however, please update your RSVP if you learn you can no longer attend an event you previously registered for or joined.

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How to View Employers Who Will Attend an Upcoming Career Fair

The University of West Florida (UWF) Office of Career Development and Community Engagement (CDCE) posts internships, cooperative education opportunities, volunteer and service experiences, as well as full-time and part-time jobs for UWF students and alumni. These opportunities, which shall be referred to as “employment” for the purposes of this agreement, are listed through Handshake.

By using Handshake, you are agreeing to the following terms and conditions. Please contact CDCE at 850.474.2254 with questions or concerns.

• UWF CDCE makes no particular recommendation regarding off-campus employers or agencies.
• UWF students and alumni are expected to represent themselves accurately through Handshake and any documents uploaded.
  • Student demographic information is provided through the Office of the Registrar.
  • If you feel as if your information is incorrect, please contact CDCE at 850.474.2254.
  • Misrepresentation or presenting false information in Handshake could result in a violation of the UWF Student Code of Conduct.
  • Alumni providing false information could be prohibited from using CDCE programs and services.
• Job seekers are responsible for researching and investigating job leads for themselves.
• UWF is not responsible for the relationship between the student/alumni and the employer/agency and does not perform background checks on students, companies, and/or contacts.
• UWF is not responsible for the safety, security, wages, working conditions, or other aspects of off-campus employment or work/service-based experiences of the student/alumni.
• All hiring, scheduling, and compensation is handled directly between the applicant and the employer. 
• CDCE reserves the right to refuse to post jobs that do not support the educational mission of the University.
• All job listings and volunteer opportunities are posted at the discretion of the UWF CDCE Staff.
  • We will not post jobs that appear to discriminate against applicants on the basis of age, color, disability, gender (including gender identity and sex), marital status, national origin, race, religion, sexual orientation, and veteran status.
  • The Office of Career Development and Community Engagement at the University of West Florida follows the NACE, National Association of Colleges and Employers, Principles for Ethical Professional Practice. Visit the NACE website to review the Principles for Ethical Professional Practice.   
• UWF is committed to ensuring that each member of the University community is permitted to work and study in an environment free from discrimination or harassment. For more information on the University's policy prohibiting discrimination, harassment and retaliation, visit Confluence. 
• If you believe you may have been subject to discrimination, harassment or retaliation at the workplace, you are encouraged to report this information to one of the following persons at the University of West Florida: the Director of Career Development and Community Engagement, Any vice president, the Associate Vice President for Human Resources, the coordinator for Equal Opportunity, the Dean of Students, the Director of Housing and Residence Life, or the office of the General Counsel. The Director of Career Development and Community Engagement can be reached by calling 850.474.2254.

Protect Yourself: Job Postings of Concern

• Report any causes for concern to the Office of Career Development and Community Engagement at career@uwf.edu.
• Beware of job postings offering to send money for a student to purchase items or pay bills on another’s behalf.
  • These postings typically state money will be deposited in advance for the student “to complete tasks and make purchases" or "to pay bills on the poster's behalf."
  • Typically a large sum is sent by check, and the student is instructed to deposit the check into their account, keep a weekly fee for themselves (usually a few hundred dollars), and then withdraw and transfer the remaining amount through MoneyGram or Western Union. 
  • These checks typically bounce, resulting in loss of funds and/or loss of access to their bank account.
• Job postings that request the student reply with an application to include name, full address, cell phone number, age, occupation, gender, and banking information.
• Initial e-mails from perpetrators often contained a mixture of standard type and text in all caps.
• Something seems odd in the job posting or in your communication with the company.
• Trust your instincts. If something doesn't seem quite right, it probably isn't.
• Always research the company before submitting your resume or personal information.
• NEVER send money or process money orders.