About us
The career network for the AI economy
Handshake is the best place to learn, earn, and grow your career.
Handshake is the career network for the AI economy. As the only three-sided job marketplace connecting 20 million knowledge workers, 1,600+ educational institutions, and 1 million employers, Handshake powers career discovery, hiring, and upskilling—from first internships to full-time roles, freelance work to gig work, and beyond. The platform 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.
Letter from the CEO
In 2014, we founded Handshake to change how, where, and why the next generation of talent builds their career—starting from their first day of college. I believed then, as I do now, that talent is everywhere and shouldn’t be limited by who you know or where you go to school. That belief helped fix a broken and selective recruiting system.
Today, we’re building something even bigger: the career network for the AI economy.
AI is reshaping all aspects of work and what careers look like. We’re connecting job seekers with work that matters now—the roles, industries, and skills needed in the new economy. And we’re building the matching engine and AI-powered tools to make Handshake the most effective, trusted place to discover, explore, and land jobs—whether it’s your first internship, next step, or big leap forward.
Handshake started by giving students a better way in.
Now, we’re helping all job seekers thrive in the AI economy.
Garrett Lord
CEO, Handshake
Leadership
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Our story
Handshake was founded to transform how students launch their careers.
Partnering with colleges, we connected students to employers who wouldn't have otherwise visited their schools.
