Report Co-ops/Internships in Handshake

 Printer-Friendly Instructions (PDF)

• Determine whether you are taking a department-based internship/co-op (examples: ACC 396, CIT 396, CMGT 301, MIN 396, PRE 396) or the campus-wide co-op (CEP 300, CEP 600).  Select the semester that corresponds to both the timeframe of your experience and the course you wish to take.
• Have your supervisor's name, title, address, phone and email address available.
• Get a copy of the job description from your files (or from your employer).  If you cannot locate a copy, type a paragraph or two to describe the position.
• Create three student learning objectives (major- or minor-related educational goals) for this position. You will discuss them with your supervisor and your faculty coordinator prior to completing the online form. Be prepared to…
  • Describe the educational goal:
  • Describe how you plan to accomplish this goal:
  • Describe how and when the goal will be evaluated:
• Once you begin the Co-op/Internship form, you must complete it; the system does not allow you to save for editing at a later time.

1. Login to Handshake: https://nku.joinhandshake.com/
2. Select Northern Kentucky University Login
3. Next, login using your NKU Username (ex: VikingV1) and Password
4. On the Handshake Homepage, select Career Center
5. On the Career Center page, select Experiences
6. If you have previously used Handshake to report a co-op/internship, they will be listed on this page. Select Request an Experience to report a new co-op/internship experience.
7. Experience Type – This is the course you plan to enroll in.
   The questions you answer on the form will be based on the course you select and you will have to start this process over if you choose the incorrect course. If you are unsure which course you wish to take, please contact your Academic
   Advisor before completing this form. Some majors have multiple options and you want to ensure you select the correct one. Again, selecting the wrong course will result in needing to fill out a new form.
   • Tip: You can search in a textbox with a drop-down menu by typing key words. For example, typing “Stats” in the search bar on Experience Type will show me the “Mathematics & Statistics Co-op” option.
     
8. Term – Enter which semester you wish to take the course you
   selected.
   
9. Employer – Provide information about the organization you
   are working for. When entering the name of your employer, Handshake will search its database for the organization’s name. If the organization has a Handshake profile, it will show up in the list of options. If they are not in the system, you will be able to enter and select your organization and fill out the
   requested information.
   Note:
   • If the employer is already a Handshake contact, the system may pre-populate with your employer’s address and Industry. If the location doesn’t match the location where you will be working, this is fine, you can leave the pre-populated location, which is likely an address for the national headquarters or the location that manages the organization’s Handshake account.
   • If you are adding the company address in this section, the Handshake system will search Google for the address as you begin to enter it. Select the correct address from the options provided.
10. Job – Provide information about your specific position
    including title, department, beginning and ending dates, salary information,
    and about the offer you accepted.
    Note:
    • If you do not know the exact offer date, it is ok to estimate this date.
    • Handshake will automatically update your profile with this new experience. If you do not want this update, uncheck the box marked "Add experience to profile?”
      
11. Approvers – Enter your supervisor’s email address. If your Supervisor is already an NKU contact in Handshake, the system will populate with their name, indicating it already has the needed information for this contact. If the name that populates is not your supervisor’s name, please email careerservices@nku.edu and include your supervisor's name, email, and organization and indicate this discrepancy. If your supervisor is not yet in the system, you will be asked to provide their name, title, and phone number.
12. General – This section is customized to each specific
    course, making it vital you selected the correct course in the first question, Experience Type. This section will have multiple pages and asks you a variety of questions including but not limited to: enrollment details, company information, supervisor information, and learning objectives. You will also be required to read and agree to the terms of the NKU Co-op/Internship Agreement. Complete the form fully, advancing to the next section by selecting the Next Page button as prompted. Select Request Experience to submit your form.
    Note:
    • Some of the questions will be duplicates. The forms are intentionally designed this way to group needed information for the review process.
    • When you select Next Page, the top half of the form will remain the same and only that under the General Section will change.
    • If you select “Other” when completing the form, you will need to type a response in the provided textbox to advance to the next page.
13. Once you have completed the form in Handshake, it will be processed by Career Services and/or your College/Department. This is a manual process and can take 3-5 business days to review and begin the approval process (Note: approval processes vary based on the course you selected). Follow the steps on the next page to see where you record is in the approval process.
    

You are responsible for ensuring that all information is filled out correctly so that the approval process is completed in a timely way. It is key to remain in good communication.

Once the application has been received, your Experience Manager will initiate the workflow. This will generate a system email (from an @joinhandshake.com email address) to your supervisor and your faculty coordinator, requesting approval from both parties.  Once approved by both, your Experience Manager will communicate with you about the next steps.