Employers

Why Recruit at Sonoma State University?

Our students are resilient change-makers, many of whom are first-generation students and professionals, coming from a wide diversity of backgrounds. Our campus is self-identified as almost 45% students of color. We are a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) and one of the 23 campuses in the California State University system. 

Employers and organizations who wish to recruit and retain employees from Sonoma State have several options for engaging and building relationships with our students. Our students seek internships, paid and unpaid, part-time jobs during the year or the summer, full-time jobs while they are students, and post-graduation employment as young professionals. Our annual recruiting events include:

• Fall: Part-Time Job and Internship Fairs
• Spring: Careerfest including our annual career fairs, and other unique curated opportunities for our sponsors and employer partners.

We offer tabling, employer resume reviews, a career closet, along with our portfolio of career development tools and resources for our students and alumni. 

Employer Quick Start Guide

Post a Job, Internship, or Opportunity

Handshake is SSU's primary job posting board for students and alumni. Employers can post available jobs, internships, and volunteer opportunities on Handshake.

Employer Handshake Registration

• Complete all required fields and agree to the Handshake Employer Guidelines. 
• Join your existing company on Handshake, or create a new one by clicking the blue button that says "Create New Company" and request to connect with Sonoma State University.
• Allow 1-2 business days for your company to be approved. Once approved, you'll be able to post jobs, manage applicants, and more. 
• Businesses are only approved if they are licensed to do business and hold insurance. Please use your business address when creating your account.
• Unfortunately, this excludes local families needing in-home support. Students use sites like care.com and sittercity.com to identify local child care opportunities.

Consider creating an internship opportunity or program. If you haven't offered an internship before, reach out to learn more about how to develop one: careercenter@sonoma.edu You can also consider creating micro-internships utilizing the Parker Dewey platform!

Become DEI Approved

Often our employer partners (you) ask to be connected to our students of color, first-gen and low-income. Although we want to support our underrepresented students in getting a job, we want to be careful how we do so. We want to ensure that our students are not further marginalized by these efforts but rather supported. We will encourage you to message all students and not a specific group, but you can use this label as an effective way to demonstrate your commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.  

As an institution, our core values are diversity and social justice. We want to find an authentic way to connect with employers who are prepared to support our underrepresented students' transition into the workforce. Additionally, Gen Z students are highly committed to equity and inclusion. As an employer identified with Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) practices that are culturally responsible, you will be able to use this as a recruiting practice at Sonoma State to connect with our students.

What this provides employers:

1. Handshake label or highlight “Sonoma State DEI Approved.”
2. Any emails you send to our students will get a banner saying “Sonoma State DEI Approved.”
3. If you attend an in-person event, an email will go out to students informing them that a “Sonoma State DEI Approved” employer is on campus. 
4. At the events, you can label your table with a “DEI Approved” logo. 

Employers interested in participating as a “DEI Approved” employer at Sonoma State’s Career Center must undergo a screening process to determine their vested interest in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. If you are interested in this program, please complete this survey, and we will contact you about your status in the program. 

Residential Job Postings

“Jobs taking place in residential households such as baby-sitting, moving services, tutoring, house-sitting, and in-home care services are prohibited” per our employer policy. We do not formally post in “in-home” jobs on Handshake or in other locations on campus.

We recommend that students and community members use Care.com to find an appropriate match. Care.com does background checks which protects both our students and our community members. 

Check out students and post in-home jobs on Care.com. 

Employer Recruiting Policy

To ensure the quality of our service and to limit the risk to Sonoma State University students, alumni, and other users of our services, SSU Career Center establishes policies and guidelines for all employer recruiting activities permitted by our office. Please read more on our Employer Approval Policy page or inquire with us at careercenter@sonoma.edu. 

Data Privacy Policy

The Career Center at Sonoma State University is committed to maintaining strong privacy practices regarding electronic personal information for our community. Our employer recruiting and event system is provided by Handshake. See the Handshake Privacy Policy for more about how to protect your personal information.