Design an Impactful Handshake Profile

This section lets you share the types of opportunities you want — like job roles, industries, or locations. Filling it out helps Handshake recommend better jobs to you and makes it easier for employers to find you, and of course, allows CPD to send you personalized messaging.

About Job Roles:
Handshake offers more than 380 job role groups, carefully identified using data such as career interests, courses, user research, and job details. Because these roles don’t appear in a drop-down menu, it can sometimes feel tricky to navigate. To get started, begin typing keywords into the search field and suggested roles will appear. You can also view the full list of job roles here to explore all available options. You can also learn bout the different job role group here.

Note: depending on your profile visibility, this section is displayed on your profile if at least one prompt is filled out.
TIP! Update your “Looking For” section each semester (or at least once a year) — your goals and plans will change over time.

Use this section to make a strong first impression. Highlight key strengths, career goals, and your personality. A clear, engaging summary with relevant keywords can boost your visibility to employers.

In the pop-up, type a skill into the search box and select from the dropdown (up to 25 options shown alphabetically). Add both technical and non-technical skills—employers search by keywords. Include languages, software, and variations of the same skill (e.g., marketing, social media marketing, digital marketing).

TIPS!
When you click in the search box, you’ll see up to 25 skills listed in alphabetical order. To find a specific skill, just keep typing in the box until it appears and keep typing to narrow down and find the exact skill you want. Use terms from job descriptions.
Choose skills that match your career interests.
Mix technical skills (Excel, Python) with transferable ones (Leadership, Communication). Employers look for a balance.
Don’t overload the list. Keep your list focused — only include skills you can back up.
Update each semester as you gain new experience.

Click the + icon, located to the right of Work experience, to add jobs, internships, or research roles to your profile. You can import details from your resume or LinkedIn, or enter them manually. Start each entry with a short, clear summary of what you did — and be consistent with your verb tense.

First-year students: If you don’t have college experience yet, include recent jobs or activities from high school that show your transferable skills and interests.

TIPS!
Align with your goals. Highlight experiences that connect to the types of opportunities you’re looking for.
Include more than “jobs.” Add internships, part-time jobs, research, leadership roles, or volunteer positions — anything that shows your skills and experiences.
Use action verbs. Start bullet points or summaries with words like led, created, analyzed, supported, designed, or organized to make your role sound active and impactful.
Stay consistent. Use the same tense (past or present) across all entries and format descriptions in the same way.
Keep it short. Aim for 2–3 bullet points or a short summary per role. Highlight your main contributions, not every task.
Show transferable skills. Even if a job wasn’t directly career-related (like babysitting or retail), focus on skills like communication, problem-solving, teamwork, or time management.
Quantify when possible. Numbers stand out! Example: “Trained 5 new team members” or “Increased sales by 10%.”
Make it current. Keep your entries up to date — remove outdated high school jobs as you gain more college-level experience.

Your primary education is automatically filled from OPUS, showing your current school and major.

You may edit your School Year and GPA (optional).
Please do not change your education start and end dates, as these are synced with OPUS.
If any information is incorrect, update it first in your OPUS account. Handshake pulls directly from OPUS, so changes must be made there.

TIPS!
Use the Description box to highlight your program, department, or—if undeclared—your intended major and interests.
You don’t need to list your high school in Handshake. As an Emory student, your college education is the most important thing to highlight — it shows employers your current academic path and career preparation. Focus on showcasing your Emory experience!

Use the edit pencil to add classes that align with the roles you’re targeting or showcase your academic interests.

TIP! Don’t overload the list with every class you’ve taken — especially core requirements. Highlight courses that connect to your interests and career goals.

Click the + icon, located to the right of Organizations to highlight your involvement in student groups, affinity organizations, or interest-based clubs. Use the description to showcase responsibilities and transferable skills relevant to your career goals.

TIPS!
Be Selective: List organizations and clubs that best reflect your interests, leadership, or career goals — you don’t need to include every group you’ve ever joined.
Show Involvement: Highlight your role (member, officer, team captain, etc.) so employers see your level of engagement.
Add Achievements: Include accomplishments such as events you organized, initiatives you led, or awards your group earned.
Connect to Skills: Think about what you gained — teamwork, leadership, communication, project management — and emphasize those transferable skills.
Keep It Current: Remove old or inactive memberships that no longer add value, and update your section as your involvement changes.
Quality Over Quantity: Two or three meaningful organizations with clear details are stronger than a long list with no context.
Professional Tone: Use concise, resume-style language (action verbs, impact statements) rather than casual descriptions.

Click the + icon next to Projects to highlight the work that shows off your skills and interests. Adding projects helps employers see what you can do — not just what you’ve studied. Projects can include academic or personal work such as publications, presentations, photos, pitch decks, websites, and more. Use this section to connect your experiences to the roles you’re targeting or to showcase your academic passions.

TIPS!
Be Relevant: Choose projects that align with the careers, industries, or roles you’re most interested in.
Show Variety: Upload different types of work (papers, decks, photos, sites) to give a fuller picture of your abilities.
Provide Context: Briefly explain the project’s purpose, your role, and the outcome or impact.
Highlight Skills: Connect your project to transferable skills like research, teamwork, problem-solving, or creativity.