Handshake
In addition to connectSC, Handshake is a supplemental job-listing portal available for USC students and Alumni. Through this online portal you may connect with employers hiring for full-time positions. Please read the important notice below before utilizing Handshake.
IMPORTANT HANDSHAKE NOTICE
connectSC is the primary platform for USC students and alumni to access on-campus opportunities, career fairs, full-time jobs, on-campus interviews, Trojan Talks, and many other services and resources. In addition to connectSC, Handshake is also available to help connect you with additional employers hiring for internship, part-time, and full-time roles. This platform also allows you to explore jobs and industries to narrow down your career interests. Handshake uses AI to recommend new jobs based on your previous views and applications.
Before creating your Handshake account and logging in, we want you to be fully informed about the personal information that will be stored in Handshake and how you can control what data is shared with whom (if at all). To ensure full transparency, review the following information to understand how your student or alumni information can be shared in Handshake.
To use the Handshake platform, you must agree to their Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. We strongly encourage you to read them thoroughly before proceeding.
For your convenience, the following are excerpts from the Handshake Privacy Policy. If you have any questions, contact the Employer Engagement Team.
Handshake Privacy Policy (Abbreviated)
From the very beginning, our goal has been to design privacy into our platform in a way that respects the rights of students, the obligations of Universities, and the needs of employers. We understand that student data privacy is a hot topic these days so we want to make clear the very basic privacy principles that guide our policies and practices:
Students/Alumni are in complete control of what data they make public
We give students control over whether they want to make their profile public to employers and what information they share on it. No student data uploaded to Handshake is ever viewable by any employer until a student has chosen to make their profile public.
Universities choose the student data they share with Handshake
We respect the rights of students regarding their own personal data, and we are proud to work with Universities to find the best ways to maximize their career center’s value without compromising student privacy.
Handshake will never sell personal student data
We have never done it and we never will! Our business model is based on offering valuable tools for our student and employer users that enhance the career discovery process. Your email address and personal data will never be sold to any third party.
For more details on this Privacy Policy, view Handshake’s Terms of Service. By using Handshake, you agree to both their Terms of Service and this Privacy Policy; if you do not agree, do not use Handshake.
For additional information on what information is collected, how it is used, and your individual rights, review the addendum below.
Before accessing Handshake, you must first agree to the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Note that you may choose not to activate your Handshake account:
You will also be given the opportunity to decide if you wish to receive marketing messages from the system. These messages can be job digest emails, recommended opportunities, and other resources. Receiving these messages is optional.
Next, you will have the option to make your profile visible to the Handshake community (employers, students, and alumni), just employers, or not at all. You decide whether you want to keep your profile private or public. As stated in the Privacy Policy, making your profile public is entirely optional, and you have the capability to change your privacy settings at any time. We recommend you begin by setting your profile to Private. Once you have updated your profile and ensured there are no errors, you can then share it with the community and employers, if you prefer.
To get the most out of Handshake, we will be populating the platform with certain student information. This data will never be shared or used unless you choose to activate your account and make it public. This information is much like what is shared with Symplicity, the platform that powers connectSC and includes:
Personal/Institutional Data:
- Your first name and last name
- Basic academic information (school year, major, minor, and graduation date)
- Your USC credentials (to be used for your login)
You, the user, control who sees your information via the privacy settings described above. Internally, we will use the information to facilitate better (i.e., more targeted and relevant) communication and understand student needs, engagement, and outcomes. Importantly, the use of your information garners the same federal privacy protections that currently exist (i.e., FERPA).
If you have any questions about how Handshake can supplement your job search, contact the Employer Engagement Team. As always, we are here to support you.
