Handshake Launches the First Annual Early Talent Awards to Celebrate the Top 120 Employers Driving the Next Generation of Recruiting

SAN FRANCISCO, March 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Handshake, the leading site for college students to find jobs, is releasing its first-ever annual Early Talent Awards (ETAs) to celebrate the employers who have transformed their recruiting strategies for a digital-first world.

Handshake's Early Talent Awards recognize 120 small- to large-sized companies across 12 industries, including accounting, education, government & nonprofits, insurance, manufacturing, healthcare & pharmaceuticals, technology, transportation & logistics and more. The award recognizes the employers who have excelled in four main areas of their early talent program: student interest, message engagement, brand resonance, and virtual event participation. Together, this list of employers encompasses a group that has successfully evolved their hiring efforts to succeed in the digital landscape.

"We are thrilled to recognize our employer partners and the great work they have done this past year to recruit early talent with our first annual Early Talent Awards," said Garrett Lord, CEO & Co-founder of Handshake. "The pandemic has expedited the shift to digital in all areas of life, but especially in recruiting, where we saw the in-person element taken away. The Early Talent Awards celebrate those employers who have thrived by embracing that shift, extending their reach and connecting with students and new grads at a scale previously unknown."

"The pandemic accelerated our plans to expand our virtual recruiting capabilities. Companies of all sizes are working to provide more personalized interactions and proactive outreach to share our opportunities with students," said Julie Grzeda, Executive Director for Early Career Talent at GE. "Handshake has been a big part of our early career talent attraction strategy. We are honored to be recognized as a part of this year's Early Talent Awards and are committed to continuing to find new ways to build our future leaders."

Employers across Handshake have continued to show commitment to adapting their strategies to this new normal, with almost 7x more virtual events hosted in 2020 compared to the previous year. Additionally, as students approach the job search, a recent Handshake survey of students and young alumni found that an overwhelming 80% prioritize a company's reputation when searching for a job. Also, 29% of students would like employers to be more clear about who they're looking for during the job search process. The winning employers in Handshake's Early Talent Awards have aligned their programs with this rising generation's expectations, and will serve as a guide for college students and graduates as they prepare to launch their career.

To further support employers, Handshake will also be hosting a virtual event on March 25 to provide employers with the insights and tactics to implement stronger recruiting practices. For more information about Handshake's Early Talent Awards and to view the full list of employers that made the list, click here. For additional information about Handshake visit https://www.joinhandshake.com/.

ABOUT HANDSHAKE
Handshake is the number one site for college students to find a job. Today, the Handshake community includes 17 million students and young alumni at over 1,100 colleges and universities—including 180+ minority-serving institutions. We connect up-and-coming talent across all 50 states with nearly 500,000 employers recruiting on Handshake—from every Fortune 500 company to thousands of small businesses, nonprofits, startups, and more. Handshake is democratizing opportunity and ensuring college students have the support they need to find a great job and kick-off a meaningful career regardless of where they go to school, what they choose as a major, and who they know. Handshake is headquartered in San Francisco and has offices in Denver and London, England.

STUDENT SURVEY METHODOLOGY
This online survey of 1,003 US college students, primarily targeting 17-24 years, was conducted by Propeller Insights on behalf of Handshake between January 12 and January 18, 2021. Propeller Insights strives to achieve a statistically significant sample that meets the industry standard of a 95 percent confidence level and a 5-percentage margin of error, based on the population being represented for all online quantitative surveys.

SOURCE Handshake