Letter to the Editor: Wasserman Center director on the Handshake job search platform

The executive director of NYU’s career services center weighs in on Handshake, the center’s job-search platform geared toward students.

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Echo Chen

(Illustration by Echo Chen)

Gracy Sarkissian, Executive Director, Wasserman Center for Career Development

Dear Editor,

Molly Koch’s op-ed (“Handshake is not letting NYU students shake any hands,” Sept. 20) offers an inaccurate depiction of Handshake, a Wasserman Center for Career Development platform that helps thousands of students land jobs each year. This track record is not surprising given the number of opportunities listed. Over the last year, 34,000 employers have posted 80,000 full and part-time jobs on Handshake. But it is much more than a job board — it’s a resource that can help students become better informed about the career paths they seek through a range of experiences. For example, this fall alone, there are more than 400 employer-hosted networking and recruiting events for students to attend, and in the past year, 29,000 internships have been posted.

[Read more: Opinion: Handshake is not letting NYU students shake any hands]

Undoubtedly, Handshake, among the Wasserman Center’s many other resources and services, is one of the reasons why more than 95% of the class of 2021 — the most recent year for which we have data — was working or in graduate school within six months of graduation.

Despite its successes, we understand concerns students have when they don’t hear from employers in a timely manner — or at all — when applying to jobs. This is a challenge across job search platforms, and not one unique to Handshake. That’s why the Wasserman team is here to support NYU students throughout their job searches and, more broadly, their career explorations. Our coaches review application materials to ensure students are putting their best foot forward, as well as help to create the job search strategy that is right for them. We hope students will continue to connect with us and encourage their peers to do the same.

Gracy Sarkissian is the executive director of the Wasserman Center for Career Development at NYU.

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