Handshake reviews

3.1

43% would recommend to a friend

(289 total reviews)

Garrett Lord

44% approve of CEO

37% positive business outlook

Handshake has an employee rating of 3.1 out of 5 stars, based on 289 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The Handshake employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Education industry (3.7 stars).

Reviews by job title

289 reviews
5.0
May 29, 2018
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

- Open, transparent - Always pushes for honest feedback, giving and receiving, both in people and product - Turns feedback into action (they just don't say it, they apply it) - Flexibility in time-off, "unlimited vacation" (quoted because people tend to take less in fear of taking too much, but *they now provide a suggested minimum*) - Strives for diverse culture, in both gender and ethnicity but also in background, thought, etc - The company is always growing, teams are growing, process, product, skills, everything is growing. If you're someone of a growth mindset, this is a really cool opportunity.

Cons

- It's harder to shine when you've been around for years. We're hiring stellar people, who shine no matter what, but it puts older employees at a bit of a disadvantage when it comes to output on new, innovative projects or ideas because they've got many other responsibilities to maintain - to keep things running and not break; More in the weeds. This is also kind of a pro because it just makes us strive more and grow in ways we wouldn't have otherwise. - Work/life balance, mostly seasonal but some it's year-round - Remote life can sometimes be rough due to lack of comms/not being in office, but we're always working toward improving communication and creating more of an inclusive environment all-around. These cons are very much a "me-thing", so don't let this dissuade you from applying. This is a phenomenal company, with a world-changing vision. It's a great opportunity to do something meaningful, to be a part of something much bigger than yourself, while also having the opportunity to grow more than you may have thought possible.

1.0
May 11, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Pros used to be great people and great learning opportunities. Now it’s just rich kids telling everyone what to do and vibe coding over everything

Cons

Too many to list. CEO, toxic culture, little opportunity for growth unless you are a favorite or friend of someone in charge.

5.0
Nov 27, 2023

Solid mission and lots of opportunity

Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Early career recruiting is one of very few marketplaces where everyone is aligned on good outcomes. Access to opportunity is a social justice issue AND efficient talent allocation is worth a lot of money. It's exciting to work on a problem where doing the right thing and doing what's right for the business feel pretty well aligned. Usually you have to choose between stability and impact when thinking about the stage of a company's growth. Handshake is at this very exciting moment where we're building on top of a stable business that has seen very healthy growth, but it's also at an inflection point where the things that got us here aren't the same things that are going to help us succeed at the next level. That means that there's an unusual amount of opportunity to make a big impact for this stage of company.

Cons

There's been a lot of changes this year, which has been particularly tough on some of the people who have been at the company for a long time and were settled into their way of doing things.

avatar
Handshake Response
2y
Thanks for sharing your experience and insight! We’re so proud to be able to impact the lives of the job seekers on Handshake. We agree that Handshake is at something of an inflection point – it’s been a phenomenal journey since we started the company in 2014, and there’s still so much we want to accomplish. In looking toward the future, we’ve chosen to make some changes this year that we feel will better position us for success down the road. We know that change is not always easy, and while we may have room for improvement in how we communicate some decisions we make at the leadership level, we remain confident in the direction of the company and in the team we have in place to help us get there. Lastly, we’re thrilled to hear that you want more special events and programming in the office! We loved the cultural connections that our offices provided pre-pandemic, and are constantly looking for opportunities to do more in-person to build and rebuild these connections between our employees. Stay tuned!
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Glassdoor has 459 Handshake reviews submitted anonymously by Handshake employees. Read employee reviews and ratings on Glassdoor to decide if Handshake is right for you.