Employers

Here’s a clear, step-by-step guide for employers to post jobs on Handshake: 

1. Create or Log in to Your Employer Account 

• Go to Handshake. 

• If you don’t already have an account, click “Sign Up” and fill in your organization’s details. 

• If you already have an account, simply log in. 

2. Navigate to the Job Posting Section 

• Once logged in, go to “Post a Job” from your employer dashboard. 

• You may see a prompt to choose a school; select Columbus State University (CSU) 

3. Enter Job Details 

• Job title 

• Location (on-site, remote, or hybrid) 

• Job type (full-time, part-time, internship, co-op, etc.) 

• Job description – make it clear and compelling 

• Application instructions – how students should apply 

4. Set Posting Visibility & Preferences 

• Decide if the job should be visible to all students or only specific majors, graduation years, or career pathways. 

• You can also set an application deadline 

5. Review and Submit 

• Double-check all information for accuracy. 

• Click “Post Job” to make it live. 

6. Promote Your Job After posting, you can notify the CSU career office so they can push it to students in relevant programs. 

💡 Tip: Handshake is free for posting jobs. Extra features, like highlighted posts or premium campaigns, may cost money, but you can post and reach students without paying. 

By Christine Y. Cruzvergara, Forbes — Published March 27, 2025, 3:59 PM EDT

Internships are just as valuable for employers. They help companies build brand awareness and craft a proactive long-term strategy of identifying, recruiting and hiring best-fit early talent. New data from Handshake reveals that more than 80% of students say their internship experience influenced their interest in working for a particular employer and in a specific role and industry. Even more encouraging for employers, more than half of interns (56%) would “probably” or “definitely” accept a full-time offer from the company where they had their internship.

Without a doubt, internships are unmatched for preparing college students for careers. Summer and during-the-academic-year internships help students gain workplace skills and experience, build professional networks and shape their long-term career goals so they can succeed in their first job — and every job that follows.

Understanding the internship landscape can give forward-thinking companies an edge. Here are six tips for building a powerful internship program to attract and retain the best early talent:

Pay your interns fairly

Increasingly, most internships today are paid. But it matters to students whether their internship salary or stipend is meaningful — or merely a token gesture. Intern pay can set expectations for how they would be treated as full-time employees.

When deciding intern pay, employers should consider industry benchmarks and the cost of living for the locations where they assign interns. Handshake survey data shows paid and unpaid interns consider full-time offers from their internship employer at roughly similar rates. But 82% of interns who feel they were paid fairly would consider a full-time offer compared to just 63% who didn’t believe their internship pay was fair.

Mentorship is key

Internships can be stressful because college students find themselves in unfamiliar territory alongside more experienced coworkers. Interns often need support from a more senior colleague who can answer their questions, listen to their concerns, offer career guidance and help them have a positive internship experience.

Robust mentorship is central to the comprehensive internship program at United Airlines, for example. The company pairs interns with mentors outside of their department so they’ll gain different perspectives and learning opportunities and a broader and deeper understanding of how the company operates.

Mentorships definitely make a difference. Nearly 60% of students say the mentorship opportunities they received (or didn’t) had a significant effect on their interest in pursuing a permanent role with their internship employer. Handshake data also shows that students who connect with a mentor during an internship are more likely to accept a job offer.

Team culture leaves a lasting impression

Internships represent a “try it before you buy it” experience for a specific company role and an employer’s work culture. Nine in 10 students say team culture and their interactions with colleagues played at least some role in their decision to pursue full-time work with a company.

Food manufacturer General Mills converted nearly 90% of its interns to full-time employees in 2024. One key pillar is its annual National Intern Summit, which brings together interns from around the country to its corporate headquarters for networking and development opportunities. By enabling interns to meet and socialize with leaders and other interns, the company signals that it offers a welcoming and supportive environment.

Offer a wide range of experiences

Just as companies use internships to scout out prospective talent, interns are getting to know the company. Employers that allow interns to work in multiple business units can give them valuable hands-on experiences and teach them much about a company and the industry.

Textron, a Global manufacturing company, exposes its interns to a wide range of teams, functions, industries and locations so they can make more informed decisions about their potential career paths. That approach has helped Textron — whose talent strategy is based largely on promoting from within — hire former interns for more than 70% of its entry-level positions.

Build pathways for the best interns

Internships don’t have to be one-off experiences. They can be the starting point of a dedicated pathway to advancement within a company.

At cosmetics company L’Oréal, the most successful interns can qualify for the Seedz Management Trainee program, which provides new college graduates with mentorship, leadership and development opportunities and experience across multiple business units over their first two years with the company.

Financial software giant Intuit partnered with national nonprofit Education at Work to create a corps of college students who work as paid part-time tax specialists to help address the shortage of entry-level tax and accounting workers. Participants earn money to pay for college plus the experience needed to work as seasonal employees immediately after graduating.

The best time to start is now

Demand for internships is surging. As of January, 41% of the Class of 2025 had already applied to at least one internship on the Handshake platform. Compare that to the Class of 2023, where only 34% had sought an internship by the time they graduated.

Internships can be transformative not just for interns but for the companies that hire them. While internships let students expand their horizons and gain experience that can guide their working lives, they also allow employers to locate the early talent to help them grow and be profitable in the years to come. When companies provide learning opportunities for students before they launch their careers, they’re helping to build a stronger workforce.

Hiring an F-1 International Student (can be a paid or unpaid internship or job)

Curricular Practical Training (CPT) is a work authorization that allows F-1 students to accept practical training in their academic field after one year of full-time study. Internship programs are some of the most common types of CPT opportunities for international students. Students can choose to work full or part-time during their internships, depending on the institution’s CPT policy. In some cases, graduate students who are required by their academic program to participate in an internship in the first year do not have to complete one full academic year before they are eligible.

Duration:12 months of full-time CPT eliminates eligibility for OPT. Part-time CPT employment does not affect eligibility for OPT. Note: Graduate students can accept CPT on Day 1 of their full-time study, if required by their program.

Employer Role: Applying for CPT is solely the responsibility of the student and therefore requires no action on the part of the hiring organization. (The employer will issue a letter to confirm the internship offer.)

Student Role: The student must be enrolled in a for-credit course that requires the internship/practicum.  After the student has been offered an internship, he or she submits an online application to the sponsoring school providing the internship start and end dates as well as the organization’s name and complete physical address. The student also needs to provide the job title and a detailed job description. This process is facilitated by the student’s International student services office. In accordance with U.S. immigration regulations, students who engage in part-time or full-time CPT must still be full-time students during the academic year. They do not need to be enrolled full-time during official vacation periods (such as summer).

Cost and Processing Time: There is no cost to the employer. The processing and approval time for CPT is usually within 5-10 working days.  There is no cost to the student, except for tuition/fees for the course in which the student is enrolled.

Hiring an F-1 International Graduate for a Full-Time Internship or Employment — Initial 12 month OPT

Post-completion Optional Practical Training (OPT) is work authorization that allows F-1 status students who have graduated to gain practical work experience related to their major field of study.

Duration: 12 months for F-1 students (Please note, any approved pre-completion OPT will be deducted from the 12 months OPT period.)

Employer Role: Applying for OPT is solely the responsibility of the student and therefore requires no action on the part of the hiring organization. OPT can be granted to the student with or without an offer of employment.  The employer, however, must issue the student an Employment Offer Letter.

Student Role: Obtaining OPT work authorization is a two-step process. First, the F-1 student submits a request for an OPT recommendation which is processed and approved by an international advisor at the student’s international services office. Second, the F-1 student completes the application for OPT with supporting documentation via the USCIS website, and pays required fee to USCIS to secure OPT work authorization. Once approved, USCIS issues an Employment Authorization Document (EAD) card as proof of work authorization for the 12-month period. The fee is $470, which is paid by the student.

Cost and Processing Time: There is no cost to the employer. The USCIS processing time for OPT takes an average of 60 days but can take up to 3-4 months during peak OPT processing season (starting in February each year); therefore, students are encouraged to apply as early as 90 days prior to graduation. The student must have the EAD card in hand before they are allowed to start work.

Hiring an F-1 STEM Graduate for Practical Training—24 Month STEM OPT

An additional 24 months of OPT work authorization (for a total of 36 months) allows F-1 student status holders who have graduated with an approved degree in Science, Technology, Engineering or Math (STEM) to gain extra practical work experience related to their STEM field.

Go to the DHS STEM Designated Degree Program List  to see the eligible STEM fields.

Duration: 24 months for F-1 graduates

Employer Role:

• Be enrolled and in good-standing with E-Verify.
• Prepare and implement a form I-983 Training Plan for STEM OPT Students to support the student’s academic learning through practical experience. The form I-983 Training Plan for STEM OPT Students is signed by both the employer and student and submitted to the international student services office for approval. A report of the student’s progress is submitted to the student’s international student services office mid-way and at the end of the 24-month program.
• Report termination of employment to the student’s international student services office within 5 business days.
• Be prepared for a government agent worksite visit to verify STEM OPT program requirements are being met.
• Provide an employment opportunity similar to U.S. workers in duties, hours, and compensation. Attest that:
  • The company has enough resources and trained personnel available to appropriately train the student;
• The student will not replace a full- or part-time, temporary or permanent U.S. worker; and
• Help the student attain his or her training objectives.

Student Role: The student submits the completed I-983 training plan as part of their STEM OPT request to the international student services office, which processes the STEM OPT recommendation for the student. The F-1 student completes the application for STEM OPT Extension with supporting documentation via the USCIS website, and pays required fee to USCIS to secure OPT work authorization. Once approved, USCIS issues an Employment Authorization Document (EAD) card as proof of work authorization for the 12-month period. The fee is $470, which is paid by the student.

Cost and Processing Time: There is no cost to the employer. The international student services office processes the student’s STEM OPT recommendation within a few working days. The USCIS processing time for STEM OPT takes an average of up to 3-4 months, with some cases taking 5-6 months. The STEM OPT Extension must be filed prior to the expiration of the initial OPT period. If students file their STEM OPT extension applications on time and their OPT period expires while their extension application is pending, their work authorization is automatically extended for 180 days. (USCIS does not have to do anything, the regulations allow for the automatic extension of the work authorization if the student timely files their STEM OPT application.)

For employers wishing to hire a J-1 status holder, there is no fee involved or action to be taken, except that they need to issue an Employment Offer Letter. The J-1 student simply obtains authorization from his/her program sponsor to work for up to a total of 18 months. PhD. students can work for up to 36 months. It is the sole responsibility of the student to complete the application process with the program sponsor and approval is generally granted within 5-10 working days. The work must be directly related to the academic degree program and is certified by the academic institution’s J-1 responsible officer.