Build Your Brand

Career Ready Recruits

Career Ready Recruits

Our goal is to ensure that our grads have the skills necessary to enter the workforce as productive additions to your organization. We call this being "career ready."

The National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) developed a definition of career readiness and identified these eight competencies as necessary for a successful transition into the workforce:

  • critical thinking/problem solving
  • oral/written communications
  • teamwork/collaboration
  • digital technology
  • leadership
  • professionalism/work ethic
  • career management
  • global/intercultural fluency

We incorporate these competencies into our work with students and encourage you to do the same in your internship programs.

Step 1: Develop Your Relationship

Create a Handshake Account

The first step to recruiting at Mason is to create a Handshake account. Not only does Handshake house all job and internship postings, it also provides you access to event registration and announcements from University Career Services. Register for Handshake

Post Jobs and Internships

Once you receive a confirmation email with your login information, you may create job and internship postings by following these steps:

  • Login to Handshake
  • Select 'Post a Job' from your home dashboard or select 'Jobs' in the left hand navigation bar followed by 'Create Job'
  • Enter the Job Basics, Job Details, Job Preferences and Schools to post the job to
  • Choose 'Create' on the bottom navigation to create and review your job
  • Your position will be reviewed by a staff member and approved in 1-3 business days

Step 2: Enhance Your Strategy

Fairs and Signature Events

Keep your contact info current in Handshake in order to receive regular invitations to our Fairs and Signature Events. Take part in one or more of these well-established programs annually for campus-wide publicity and broad exposure to students and recent graduates. 

Career Fair Sponsorship

Go a step further in your branding by becoming a Career Fair Sponsor. Sponsorship includes:

  • NEW! Bronze Level Partnership recognition
  • One-day career fair corporate registration
  • Preferred booth location including electrical hook up
  • Additional pipe and drape booth to conduct interviews during the fair
  • Two additional representative registrations and parking passes
  • Recognition at the fair via signage and company logo on floor plan handouts (1,500 per day)
  • Recognition as a Career Fair sponsor on the University Career Services website, Handshake, and on over 30 TV screens across campus
  • Access to our Career Fair Twitter hashtag the week before the event 

Register for the fair or contact, Bernadette Davey, Career Fair Manager, with questions on sponsorship.

Step 3: Maintain Your Presence

Build Your Own Event (BYOE)

Here at Mason employers are given the freedom to think outside the box! With our distributed campuses and large population of working students, we found that traditional information sessions do not attract a lot of attention. So, as a solution, we developed BYOE or Build Your Own Events. Our Industry Advisors work with you to create a unique event to grab student attention. Here are a few examples of what employers have created in the past:

  • Tech Talks with product demonstrations
  • A day in the life of a…
  • Case study competition
  • Ice cream social
  • Giant game of chess on the quad
  • Mock interview day
  • Flight simulation

Please note: Only those employers who have participated in at least one Signature Event during the year are eligible to create a BYOE.

Student Organizations

Connect with students directly by reaching out to student organizations to share your company info or plan an event. Work with your Industry Advisor to connect with students groups.

Employer Site Visit Program

Want to show off your organization? The Employer Site Visit program allows selected employers to host a group of 15 to 25 Mason students to observe professionals in their industry by touring their work site. This event is an opportunity for students to observe various roles and activities within an organization. Participating employers vary each semester.

Step 4: Become a Partner

Partnership Program

We rely on the support of our valued employers to help achieve UCS's mission to educate our students and prepare them for meaningful careers in a global society. Learn more about our Partnership Program.