Handshake Reviews 53

Scammed. Lost money mad.

I rarely write reviews, but I feel compelled to share my experience. I signed up for Handshake Plus hoping to find qualified candidates for my small childcare center, but unfortunately, the platform delivered zero results. Even more disappointing was being charged over $1,000 without warning due to auto-renewal — something I was unaware of, especially as this was purchased from my personal account, not a business or corporate one.

When I reached out for support, I was told refunds are against their policy, though they eventually agreed to refund just the most recent charge. I appreciate that gesture, but it doesn't change the fact that I'm still out hundreds of dollars for a service that did nothing to support my hiring efforts. As someone who is not a large company but a working professional managing a tight budget, this felt incredibly unfair.

Be very cautious before committing to this platform. Check the fine print carefully and don’t expect flexible or empathetic customer service if things don’t go as planned.

Complete Scam – Do Not Trust This Company

This is a blatantly fraudulent service designed to exploit consumers. Their so-called "support" system is nothing more than a façade—there is no live assistance, no phone number, and all responses are bot-generated emails. These emails are not meant to resolve your issue but to create a paper trail they can later use against you if you file a credit card dispute.

In fact, when I contacted them about serious issues, they encouraged me to dispute the charge with my credit card company—only to then submit pages of misleading automated emails to make it appear as if they had provided legitimate help. Meanwhile, I was completely locked out of my account, with no access to any records or correspondence to support my side.

They intentionally hide critical terms and conditions, never notify you of charges, and don’t send any subscription updates—clearly hoping you’ll forget about an ongoing charge. This is a deliberate tactic, not an oversight.

Please do not make the mistake I did. Do not submit your credit card information to this company under any circumstances. You will lose your money, receive no real service, and be left feeling frustrated, powerless, and taken advantage of.

I tried to create an employer account with them a month ago and they stated that the profile needed further review, and it should only take 1 business day. It's been a month, I've written emails (plural) and have not received any communication from them. I still can't post job opportunities as we speak. They pride themselves on "exceptional customer service" as a customer I can indeed tell you the service is substandard. I would give zero stars if I could.

Reading the reviews my experience is not unique. I paid for a higher tier of membership. After a couple of months of getting useless leads I cancelled but continue to get charged. I disputed the charge with my company at which point Handshake blocked my account. Multiple attempts to resolve the issue were answered with "If the disputes are resolved in our favor, we can discuss reinstating your core account."
I was stunned. Is the customer NEVER right?

PLEASE Do not utilize this platform. They will take your credit card while telling you it is a free membership and then without notice start charging you over $100 a week claiming that they have changed their rules of their subscription. They feel they are justified by the “fine print” in their subscription agreement. At least with other platforms charges are clear. Also, they make it impossible to deactivate your account or cancel your membership. If you don’t believe me, login and try to cancel now. There is no customer service number.

not good at all for student or employer

They are scammers. Be Careful!! Don't use them or send your CV

Repeats job offers from previous pages as we advance.
Doesn't show which ones are quick-apply.

I have intended to use this job search app since the beginning of my search. After completing my profile and setting my preferences, I received numerous generic recruiter emails offering irrelevant opportunities. Many should have bothered to personalize their messages or read my preferences. This modern job search process is frustrating, and these recruiters are getting in the way of finding an excellent job for the long term.

The layout is difficult to find what you want. I have 'booked' appointments then had no confimation and it does not appear in my appointments. Really irritating that this is my universities method of arranging meetings with advisors.

Handshake is an application/site for college students and recent graduates to find internships, co-ops, and full-time jobs. I've been using Handshake for a couple of years and have had a number of problems with the site.

Pros:
* Very user-friendly UI and layout
* Easy to use
* Companies are looking directly for college students which is a market that is not often hit with LinkedIn/Indeed

Cons:
* Companies send out mass email/message chains that everyone on the app gets
* Information on a lot of job postings is completely outdated
* Sometimes you can't even apply to certain jobs due to your major, GPA, year, etc.
* Lack of personalization when finding jobs or using the job fair tools / can't find jobs that are a good fit for major
* Often the information between the Handshake and company posting do not line up
* Military, USPS, UberEats, Doordash jobs that are hourly part-time jobs
* Companies look for previous experience... when this is an application for current or recent college students

Best of luck on the job search!