Advisor meeting with student

Alumni Career Advising and Events

Get Started By Setting Up Your Alumni Handshake Profile

Handshake is USC’s university-wide career services management platform where you can access advising, search for jobs, and view online career development resources.

While not required we recommend using an Alumni Association email to access Handshake and career resources. If you’d like to sign up for an @alumni.usc.edu email please refer to the USCAA FAQs page

Review your alumni status below for further instructions:

If you are a member of the Class of 2026 and still have access to SSO, please read and follow the instructions below carefully.

Current USC students access the Handshake platform using SSO authentication. Graduating students may lose access to SSO in as little as 3 months following their official graduation date. Please follow these steps to avoid losing access to Handshake, USC’s premier job and career services platform.

  1. All current students can turn their accounts into alumni accounts without having to sign up again.

    As part of the transition, it’s crucial to update your primary email address on your account to a non-usc.edu email. This is because alumni eventually lose access to SSO and need to log into their student accounts. Ensuring this step is done will help you stay connected to the Handshake platform. 

    Step-by-step instructions for Students can be found here: https://support.joinhandshake.com/hc/en-us/articles/4409142959511-Update-Your-Primary-Email-Address-in-Handshake
  2. Graduating students will also need to create a manual password to log into their Handshake account in order to sign in without SSO. This needs to be done before they lose SSO login access. 

    Step-by-step instructions for Students can be found here: https://support.joinhandshake.com/hc/en-us/articles/226794227-Log-In-as-an-Alum-Set-your-Handshake-Password

If you have lost access to SSO and cannot access your Handshake account using SSO please complete this form. Do not request an alumni account through Handshake.

Request an Alumni Handshake Account

If you have lost access to SSO and cannot access your Handshake account using SSO please complete this form. Do not request an alumni account through Handshake.

Request an Alumni Handshake Account

To request a USC Alumni Handshake Account, use the link below. Follow Handshake’s alumni request process. You must use your USC Alumni or personal email address. Do not use your student email address.

Class of 2020 and Prior Handshake Request
A computer monitor with a page titled Alumni Career Resources is in the foreground. A cityscape with winding road is in the background with signs indicating Industry Exploration, Resume/Cover Letter, Networking, Job Search, and Interview Prep

Explore Online Career Resources for Alumni

We’ve curated a library of alumni resources* which can be accessed using Handshake.

*The following resources are only accessible to currently enrolled students: VMock, Vault, Management Consulted, and LinkedIn Learning (USC subscription).

From the home screen click the Career Center tab (found in the left hand tool bar) and refer to the resources icon to view the following index of career tools reproduced in the links below.

The Career Center tab is shown as the last option listed in the student navigation toolbar found on the left side of the screen

Learn more about the career management platforms available to you. These resources are available to help you manage your career, create a competitive job search strategy, make connections, and more!

Your Next Step: a 24/7 on-demand career management tool that provides career assessments and job opportunities, helps you clarify career goals, and guides you in developing professional resumes and cover letters. This resource offers you access to career opportunities, prepares you for interviews, and assists you in executing a strategic job search. Watch the Your Next Step Video Overview

O*Net Interest Profiler: a vocational assessment providing you with an accurate, reliable profile of your vocational interests that helps you identify your work-related interests and focuses career search activities. Results link to occupational data compiled by the U.S. Department of Labor.

Resume/Cover Letter/CV Guide: Review strategies for formatting and composing commonly used applicant documents.

Downloadable templates tailored towards alumni. are also available below:

USC Alumni Resume Template 1Download Resume 1
USC Alumni Resume Template 2Download Resume 2
USC Alumni Resume Template 3 (multi-page format)Download Resume 3

Trojan Network: USC’s online professional networking and mentor platform where alumni share their career and industry-related experiences and information with current students and fellow alumni.

CareerShift: Winner of the prestigious Career Innovator Award, CareerShift breaks the cycle of waiting for employers to contact you and puts you in control of your job search. CareerShift provides a powerful set of job search, organization, and management tools to enable job seekers to find the companies, jobs, and contacts that will advance their careers.

Interview Preparation Guide: Review strategies for preparing for different types of interviews and view practice questions.

Big Interview: a powerful AI-enhanced interviewing tool providing modules and mock interviews tailored specifically to your industry, job, and experience level.

In addition to the central USC Career Center, alumni may also be eligible for advising and events hosted by a college-specific Career Services unit.

Alumni are encouraged to leverage networking opportunities and events offered by the USC Alumni Association.

Learn more about School-based career centers at USC.

The following departments currently offer alumni career advising:

Preparing for a post-secondary degree? The following departments are open to all USC alumni:

The USC Alumni Association career page has information on affinity/industry networks, webinars, and digital networking tools.

Check out the annual Trojan Connects global networking week held in February.

Get Connected With An Advisor

Click Here To Schedule Your Appointment (Handshake)

Before booking your session, check your profile settings to ensure that the school year in your profile is set to Alumni.

Need Help?

Eligibility

Recent graduates may request four quarterly 30-minute appointments per year during the three years following graduation. Appointments are offered by telephone, Zoom, or in person in the Student Union on the University Park Campus.

Individualized services include:

  • Career transition
  • Job search strategies
  • Networking
  • Resume, cover letter, curriculum vitae, and LinkedIn profile consulting
  • Mock interviewing
  • Job offer negotiation

The USC Career Center and Alumni Association provide specially-priced phone and virtual career advising services for USC alumni worldwide.

Career advising is personal, and unique for each individual. The professional advisors listed below are experts in the field; however, the USC Career Center and Alumni Association do not represent the nature of the services they will provide you.

  • Introductory Career Advising (one 50-minute appointment) $150
  • Resume or LinkedIn Critique (one 50-minute appointment) $150
  • Career Advising (two 50-minute appointments) $300

Jobs and Events

Handshake combines dynamic profiles, intelligent job matching, and interactive skill-building to connect talent with opportunity and help the workforce stay ahead in the AI economy. Tutorial: View Searching for Jobs

CareerShift provides access to millions of active job postings, aggregated from thousands of public and private sources. Users can also research companies, create a target list, and build a network. The platform has 220M+ professional contacts with 150M+ direct email addresses.

Your Next Step is a 24/7 on-demand career management tool that provides career assessments and job opportunities, helps you clarify career goals, and guides you in developing professional resumes and cover letters. This resource offers you access to career opportunities, prepares you for interviews, and assists you in executing a strategic job search.

12twenty is available to alumni from Marshall School of Business graduate programs

Symplicity is available to alumni from the Gould School of Law

Alumni Career Events Hosted By USC Career Center

  • Graduating Senior and Recent Graduate Career Fair (held annually in April)
  • Financial Literacy

Webinars and Events Sponsored By Alumni Association

Additional Information

Why seek career help? Learn about working with a career advisor:

Please note the USC Career Center does not provide recent graduates or alumni psychological counseling, therapy, or other mental health services.