Warm, fun, and inspiring - Director of Strategy & Operations Handshake Employee Review

5.0
Mar 11, 2024
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

I've been at Handshake for a year and it's been an amazing experience so far. Every day I'm learning something new and I actually feel like I'm a part of building a business. I've found the leaders to be very personable and actually value what I have to say. It's a culture of debating to get to the best answer as a group. Our CEO is super passionate and the more I hear him talk about the vision for where the platform is going, the more hyped I feel. It's been a rough year+ with the broader economy but I'm actually feeling optimistic about where the company is headed. I also have loved the people I'm working with. The company is actually mission-driven -- that's not just something said on the career page. People care deeply about the mission and I think people want this company to succeed so that more students are getting good jobs. Almost everyone I come across at Handshake has their own "Handshake story" as to why they are here. This is something you get everywhere, trust me. This move quickly here. High velocity, high impact. I get that not everyone wants to work at a fast pace so perhaps this isn't for everyone, but I've enjoyed working with people that value high pace and getting sh*t done.

Cons

It can be intense. Some people consider this to be a downside, I guess. Leadership is also involved a lot in the work. Definitely feels like a start up

Explore other reviews about Handshake

5.0
Jun 12, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Work at your own pace.

Cons

Task limit when new to project.

1.0
May 22, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Challenging, interesting position in the short term.

Cons

The company has implemented a new timer policy that has “active” and “inactive” time on the backend that makes up for the total time. We were getting paid by total time (as you should), but HAI has changed it to only pay contributors for the time marked “active.” Time is “active” when scrolling, typing, and clicking within the specific task tab. Time is “inactive” when none of the previous actions are happening; i.e., when reading the task without moving the mouse or pressing keys, researching in another tab, etc. It sounds like they have changed the rules to only pay for active time, which has caused huge pay discrepancies. The percentage of inactive time is usually way more than active time on these timers due to the amount of reading, visual analyzing, thinking, and research required for some tasks. This behavior is unacceptable because time that seems “inactive” is still important to the quality and completion of tasks. They keep throwing accusations like “time thieves” around to justify it. If you respect yourself, pack it up and go somewhere else. I know most people who work at these places are desperate for income, but that’s exactly what they’re hoping for. They’re hoping you will be desperate enough to be taken advantage of.

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