If you’re a student looking for jobs, internships, or career connections, Handshake is your go-to platform. Whether you’re just starting your college journey or preparing to graduate, Handshake offers personalized job and internship recommendations, relevant employer events, and career-building tools tailored to your specific interests and goals. But are you using it to its full potential?

Here are some tips to help you make the most of your Handshake account:

1. Complete Your Profile

The more information you include, the better your job and internship matches will be. Add your major, graduation year, interests, relevant experience, and skills. Handshake uses this information to recommend jobs and events that are aligned with your career goals.

2. Upload Your Resume

Having a resume uploaded to your profile allows you to more easily apply to opportunities. It also makes it easier for employers to find you during their own candidate searches.

3. Explore and Follow Employers

Handshake gives you access to thousands of employers, many of whom are specifically looking to recruit students from UMBC. Follow companies you’re interested in so you can stay updated on their events, job postings, and application deadlines. Go to the “Explore” tab on Handshake and follow the UMBC collections that are applicable to your interests.

4. Attend Events and Fairs

Career fairs, information sessions, and workshops (in person and virtual) are all listed under the "Events” tab. Attending these not only helps you learn about industries and employers but also puts your name in front of recruiters. You can search and filter events by sponsor — for example, hosted by UMBC or by employers.

5. Use Filters and Keywords

Speaking of filters, you can customize your job search using filters such as location, job type, and industry. Save searches and favorite roles you’re interested in, so you can come back to them later or get alerts when similar ones are posted. This can help reduce the amount of time you spend searching for opportunities in order to fully take advantage of them.

6. Activate Your Profile

Make your profile public so employers can reach out to you with opportunities. You can also create a public profile link and create an email signature to further your reach. Taking these additional steps increases your visibility and could lead to an unexpected offer or new connection.

7. Make an Appointment with Us

Need help with all this and more? You can use Handshake to schedule a 1:1 appointment with the Career Center. Not only can we help you search for jobs and internships via Handshake and other platforms, but we can also help you build your resume, prepare for interviews, apply for graduate school, and explore careers and majors of interest.

Ready to Get Started?

Don’t miss out on the tools and opportunities waiting for you. Sign up for a Handshake account today and start exploring the platform — your future career connections are just a few clicks away!

Virtual career fairs are a convenient and effective way to connect with potential employers from anywhere. With the GCC Virtual Career Expo coming up on March 5, now is the perfect time to prepare so you can make a strong impression on employers and maximize your job and internship opportunities.

Here’s how to navigate a virtual career fair successfully:

1. Register and Research Companies Beforehand

Before the event, register here and explore the list of participating employers. Review their websites, job postings, and company culture to identify those that align with your career goals. Make a short list of employers you hope to visit at the virtual career fair. This should be done in order of priority to ensure you don’t miss out on your top choices.

2. Optimize Your Resume and LinkedIn Profile

Update your resume with relevant experience and skills, and have a PDF version ready to upload when you register. Also make sure that your LinkedIn profile is optimized and polished—employers may check prior to the fair to see who they’d like to speak to. If you need help with either of these materials, you can schedule a 1:1 appointment with a Career Advisor.

3. Prepare Your Elevator Pitch

Have a 30-second commercial ready that highlights your background, skills, and career interests. Tailor it for different employers and practice delivering it confidently. If you want to practice in a more simulated environment, log into Big Interview and practice your pitch in response to the “Tell Me About Yourself” prompt.

4. Dress Professionally and Set Up Your Space

Even though it’s a virtual fair, dressing in business casual attire helps make a positive impression should you be invited to speak 1:1 with employers, and can even help you get into a more professional mindset. Find a quiet, well-lit space with a neutral background to minimize distractions.

5. Engage Actively and Ask Thoughtful Questions

Should you be invited to chat with an employer, be professional and engaged. Have questions ready beforehand and ask about the company culture, job opportunities, and the hiring process. Express interest in specific roles rather than just saying you’re looking for a job. You can review job postings within the fair that you can reference in these conversations.

6. Follow Up with Employers

After the fair, send thank-you emails or LinkedIn messages to the employers you connected with 1:1. Reiterate your interest in their company and remind them of your conversation by mentioning something specific and memorable that you discussed. Don’t forget to include the specific job posting you’re interested in as well.

Ready to Register?

The GCC Virtual Career Expo is an excellent opportunity to connect with top employers looking to hire graduate students, postdocs, and alumni from the STEM, Humanities, and Social Sciences fields. Don’t forget to register today and start preparing for a successful job or internship search!

Internships in the tech industry are highly competitive, but with the right search strategy, you can secure an opportunity that will set you up for future success. Whether you're interested in software development, cybersecurity, data science, IT, or others, here are some key steps to help you land a tech internship.

1. Build a Strong Resume and Portfolio

Tech employers seek candidates with relevant skills and experience. Highlight coursework, personal projects, hackathons, or freelance work that demonstrate your technical abilities. If you’re in software development, create a GitHub profile showcasing your code, add the link to the top with your contact information, and reference aspects of your GitHub throughout your resume. For UI/UX roles, build a portfolio website with your designs and write a narrative about how you completed projects from start to finish.

2. Gain Hands-On Experience

Practical experience is crucial to land a tech internship. If you have yet to land something formalized, consider working on open-source projects, participating in coding competitions, or taking on freelance work. Many companies also offer virtual internships and apprenticeships to help students build experience before applying for formal internships. You can also consider checking out sites like Parker Dewey and Forage. 

3. Network with Industry Professionals

Networking plays a huge role in landing tech internships, as you’re 10x more likely to get a job from a referral vs. a cold application. Attend career fairs, tech meetups, and industry conferences to connect with recruiters and professionals in your field. Engage with alumni on Retrievers Connect and LinkedIn, and join student chapters of professional organizations like the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). You can also find professional associations that are relevant to your interests through our Majors Resources page.

4. Apply Early and Strategically

Many tech companies recruit interns months in advance, so it’s wise to start your search earlier than you may think. For example, you can start searching for a summer internship in the fall semester. To help with this process, first go to Handshake to and review its internship postings. Then, you can also use platforms like Steppingblocks, LinkedIn, and company career pages to find openings. Tailor your applications by incorporating keywords and industry jargon to your materials, emphasizing relevant skills and quantifying achievements.

5. Prepare for Both Technical and Traditional Interviews

Most tech internships require technical assessments or coding interviews. Practice with platforms like LeetCode, HackerRank, or CodeSignal, which have free options for students and junior developers. Review common data structures, algorithms, and problem-solving techniques to improve your chances of success. For more traditional interviews you want to make sure you’re prepared to answer questions about yourself, your work, and the role. Practice your responses using Big Interview, or schedule an Interview Prep or Practice Interview appointment with the Career Center.

Time to Take the Next Step

As previously mentioned, one of the best ways to find a tech internship is by attending networking and hiring events. The Maryland Technology Internship Program 2025 Hiring Event is an excellent opportunity to connect with Maryland-based tech employers. There are also opportunities to meet with UMBC alumni in Data Science and Health Information Technology, as well as our Technology and Engineering Industry Fair as part of Career Month in April. Register now for these events to meet with professionals in tech and increase your chances of securing an internship. You got this!