Land Hands-on Experience

Get real-world experience that builds your résumé. Apply early — many opportunities open 3 to 6 months in advance.

• Choose résumé-building experiences that match your needs: Internships, part-time jobs, on-campus jobs, fellowships, or micro-internships.
  • Search in Handshake: filter by internship, fellowship, on-campus, or part-time.
  • Use keywords that match your interests (e.g., community outreach, public policy, research assistant, program coordinator, or media production).
• Use the Career Action Plan to set next steps and target dates.

Customize your application for each opportunity.

• Use our Résumé & Letter Builder to get started.
  • Use our College Résumé Sample in the builder.
  • Get feedback with the AI Review or Submit for Human Review feature.
  • See formatting tips in our College Résumé Guide.
• Write your cover letter with our Cover Letter Guide.
  • Use our cover letter samples in the builder.
  • Use the AI Review or Submit for Human Review to improve your letter.

Show up with confidence.

• Use our Interview Practice System
  • Choose a mock interview; select general, industry, or admissions.
  • Get step-by-step feedback using the AI Review feature.
  • Explore 10,000+ practice questions by industry and career level.
• Visit the Career Clothing Closet to dress confidently for interviews in your field.

Meet employers and learn what they’re looking for. Use Handshake to find career events and employers who are ready to hire college students. 

• Go to the Handshake Events tab; attend events labeled employer info, hiring, or career fair
  • Dress professionally; visit the Career Clothing Closet.
  • Prepare your professional intro; use our Professional Brand Worksheet and Brand Review.
• Go to the Employers tab in Handshake; filter by industry (e.g., movies, social assistance, biotech & life sciences, or healthcare).
  • Follow employers you’re interested in to get updates on job postings and career tips.

• Add class projects to your Handshake profile.
• Get a free professional photo for your profile at our Career Photo Booth.
• Build your LinkedIn (external page) profile using the LinkedIn Profile Checklist.
• Write your About section using our Professional Brand Worksheet.