Quick Start Guide for Co-op Employers

Download the UC Handshake Quick Start Guide for Employers as a PDF with visuals  — reproduced below with permission for accessibility. 

Employers: If you are already posting active positions in Handshake with UC, no additional action is required from you.

Go to Handshake Employer Registration to set up your personal Handshake account and link it to your company or create a new company profile. You will be asked to access your email to confirm your email address. If you are setting up a new company profile, know that you will additionally need to wait for the company to be viewed/validated by UC before posting your position(s). If you are a new contact within an existing company, your account administrator will have to approve you.

For more details, view:

Once you are logged into Handshake, click JOBS from the left navigation bar, then click the black button CREATE JOB in the upper-right corner of the page.

Bold, italicized directives represent a UC-specific best practice for mandatory co-op programs in DAAP, CEAS, CECH. Following these guidelines increases clarity and will lead to a larger, more relevant pool of UC applicants.

You’ll be asked to enter the following:

  • JOB DESCRIPTION
    Describe student responsibilities in a clear, compelling manner. A relevant description helps to ensure that your job will be seen by the right student groups.

  • JOB TITLE
    For UC Co-op, please use this format: “Spring 2025 Industrial Design Co-op”
    (It is very important to include the semester in which the student will be working in the job title.)

  • POSITION TYPE
    Select Cooperative Education if you are posting a full-time, paid position that aligns with UC semesters.
  • LOCATION REQUIREMENTS
    All options (Onsite, Remote, Hybrid) are valid for UC Co-op.

  • TIME REQUIREMENTS
    For UC co-op, select
    Full-time and Temporary or seasonal.
    Enter estimated start and end date, ideally aligned with UC Academic Calendar.
  • COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS
    Please enter expected pay and anything additional your company may offer. Please know that benefits are not typically offered with co-op employment.
    UC co-op roles with for-profit organizations must be paid. Consult the UC Co-op Salary Survey for typical pay rates by major.

  • CATEGORIZE YOUR JOB
    Add Job Roles or Job Role Groups to help students more easily find your position.Handshake will automatically match your position with Job Roles, but feel free to change to select 3 that best meet your needs.

  • CANDIDATE QUALIFICATIONS
    Skills
    — Add up to 7
    Work Authorization — Indicate whether you can employ students authorized to work via Curricular Practical Training (CPT/OPT). All UC international students in mandatory co-op programs can work in a co-op role with no additional requirements for the employer.
    School Year — Select all school years you are willing to review for this position. Students at all levels are ready to contribute to your organization.
    Major Groups — Select a Major Group for your position or click “Choose majors by school” to choose individual majors from UC. Choosing the most appropriate majors or major groups will ensure that qualified students view the job on their feed or through Collections curated by UC.
    Minimum GPA — Enter if this is relevant for your position.

  • CHOOSE SCHOOLS
    Select
    Post to Specific Schools and search for University of Cincinnati
  • APPLICATION PROCESS
    For UC co-op roles, it is best to have a new position posted for each semester to keep applications and reviews clean and organized.

    Application Open Date — Defaults to today, change as needed
    Application Close Date — Defaults to 6 months from Open Date, can be maximum of 12 months.

    For mandatory co-op in the Colleges of DAAP (Art and Design), CEAS (Engineering), and CECH (IT)* UC recommends the following posting ranges for positions:

    • Fall Co-op Term (Late August to mid-December):
      Open job post by April 1, Close by September 1.
      Students will apply by mid-June.
    • Spring Co-op Term (Early January to late April):
      Open job post by August 1, Close by January 1.
      Students will apply by early October. 
    • Summer Co-op Term (Early May to mid-August):
      Open job post by December 1, Close by May 1.
      Students will apply by mid-February

* Please note that students outside of these colleges (including the College of Arts & Sciences and Lindner College of Business) have more flexibility in the timing of their co-op experiences. 

  • Number of Hires — Not visible to candidates

  • How will candidates submit applications? — Select On Handshake (preferred) or on a separate website

  • Additional Required Documents — Handshake Profile is selected by default. We additionally suggest you select Resume. Based on cyclical and intensive co-op search processes, we recommend you do not select Cover Letter. For applicable student groups, website portfolios will be accessible via resumes and Handshake profile, no need to select Other for this component.

  • REVIEW + POST YOUR JOB!

Once position is approved, you will receive an email from our Partnership Development team. This will include our Employer Agreement, an outline of the policies you agree to by hiring a UC student.

You can promote your positions to students but know that our teams of program specific faculty are working closely with students to ensure that your opportunities garner relevant applicants. If you work closely with a specific college (ex. DAAP) you will receive communications that remind you to post positions, review applicants, etc. The faculty and staff you currently partner with are here to support you.

Looking for a deeper dive? Explore these options:

  1. Review UC’s Handshake Transition FAQs for Employer Partners

  2. Plan to attend a monthly Handshake Onboarding Session with CCPS Partnership Development team members.

  3. For more details on the processes outlined in this document, go to:
    How to Post a Job
    Create an Employer User Account, Join a Company, and Connect with Schools
    About Job Roles and Job Role Groups
    Who is the Owner of my Company’s Profile?
    Confirming Your Job is Posted Successfully
    Understanding Job Posting Approvals

  4. More comfortable connecting with a person one-on-one? Please reach out!