Handshake

Handshake is a career services system and job-posting database provided to SSU students and alumni.  All users of Handshake agree to:

• Provide accurate information about qualifications and work authorization in any documents, such as a resume or other application materials, that are uploaded to a user's Handshake profile.
• Understand that furnishing false information is a violation of conduct standards and may result in being blocked from using Handshake.
• Refrain from posting material that is inappropriate or irrelevant to the purposes of Handshake.
• Keep all login credentials confidential and notify the Career Center immediately of any unauthorized use of a Handshake account.
• Authorize the Career Center to release their resume to employers via SSU Handshake when they have opted to publicly display their profile and actively submitted their resume to an application process.

Depending on the contents of your profile and uploaded documents, your personal information, such as name, address, telephone number, major, GPA, and academic history may be shared. Employers and/or recruiters using Handshake may not share this information for commercial purposes. The default setting of all Handshake profiles is set to public. Users can change this by adjusting privacy settings

The Career Center monitors all employers registered on Handshake and their job postings. Due to the large volume of job postings, the Career Center cannot deeply screen each individual job posting for legitimacy. The Career Center, its staff, the CSU System, and the State of California assume no liability for the accuracy of information provided in job listings and do not represent or act on behalf of the hiring authority. Users are urged to validate job postings and use caution when applying.  

A job posting might be fraudulent if:

• You are asked to provide personal information, such as social security or bank account numbers
• The pay is unrealistically high or if payment is sent prior to working
• The position requirements are simplistic or vague
• You are asked to provide payment for an opportunity, training, or equipment
• The posting appears to be from a reputable employer, yet the domain in the contact’s email address does not match the organization's website
• You are offered contract work without a written contract
• The posting appears on a list maintained by the Internet Crime Complaint Center

Students who believe an employer has misrepresented themselves or their organization, violated non-discrimination or harassment laws, posted an illegally/unethically structured position, or generally have not complied with Career Center policies should contact the Career Center immediately at careercenter@sonoma.edu or (707) 664-2198.

The Career Center requires that all employers who post jobs via Handshake, attend an on-campus event, or collaborate with the Career Center in any way adhere to federal, state, and local employment laws as well as campus policies. No employer working in collaboration with the Career Center shall portray signs of discrimination and/or harassment of job candidates and/or employees on that basis of race, color, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, marital status, pregnancy status, or a physical or mental disability. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission provides detail on how to recognize and protect yourself against discrimination and harassment. The SSU Career Center reserves the right to refuse to work with any employer, company, or organization who does not work in congruence with these values.

The CSU system provides a complaint process for instances of discrimination and harassment associated with on-campus employment. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission provides a complaint process for all other employers. 

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has given the following instructions to individuals who have responded to fraudulent postings:

• The student should immediately contact local police.
• If a student has sent money to a fraudulent employer, the student should contact their bank or credit card company immediately to close the account.
• If the transaction occurred over the internet, the student should file an incident report with the Department of Justice Internet Crime Complaint Center.