Over the summer, CareerLAB released Handshake — a replacement to the Brown Student Job and Internship Board, known as JIB — that aims to be a more integrated platform than its predecessor.
Launched on June 15, Handshake acts as students’ entry point for most CareerLAB activities, such as making appointments with career counselors and registering for programs and workshops, said Matthew Donato, director of CareerLAB.
Students can also create profiles and apply for jobs or internships on Handshake. Their profiles can be seen by over 200,000 employers. Handshake provides students with job recommendations based on their concentration, interests, search history and profile, Donato said.
CareerLAB decided to make the switch to Handshake because it provided a more user-friendly and intuitive interface. This made it easier for students to schedule counseling appointments and manage their profile, Donato said.
Abby Draper ’18, a peer career adviser, said that from a student’s perspective, the switch to Handshake would be helpful as there are more job opportunities available and the platform is easier to use.
JIB was discontinued July 1. “This change has been a long time coming,” Donato said, adding that CareerLAB had known for some time that JIB was neither popular nor user-friendly, as it often failed to engage students.
Donato also said he hopes that Handshake’s central database will grant students and alums access to a more diverse group of employers, which will allow students to find more internship and job opportunities.
Another peer career adviser, Josiah Jordan ’18, said that “one very supportive feature is that Handshake allows students to apply for any internship and job regardless of (their) qualifications. On JIB, students had to fulfill requirements like GPA or come from a specific concentration, but Handshake encourages students to explore more opportunities.”
Though many recruiting platforms often have more job listings for highly sought-after sectors like finance, consulting or banking, Donato said that CareerLAB wants to feature employers from less popular areas, such as public service or even museum work.
He also stressed that students who are in less popular concentrations will not be at a disadvantage, as CareerLAB can help guide them toward niche jobs.
CareerLAB had considered launching Handshake in the 2016–17 academic year but decided to postpone the launch, because they were concerned that Handshake would not be able to smoothly integrate with existing CareerLAB programming, Donato said. But in the past year, Handshake has updated its technology to meet the needs of schools, and the University became more confident in the system.
This new platform complements BrownConnect, which provides Brown students the ability to look for internships and make alumni connections. Information on Handshake that relates to internships will be cross-posted on BrownConnect. While students can find internships on BrownConnect, they will have to apply through Handshake, according to CareerLAB’s website.
