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Case Studies, Handshake Hacks

How to build a partnership with your Relationship Manager

Framingham State University on why partnering with your Relationship Manager is the key to success

Relationship Managers serve as dedicated liaisons for Handshake partner schools. They hold vast product and career services expertise and can offer schools insights and best practices for streamlining workflows and boosting student and employer engagement.

For Wendy Davis, Office Manager of Career Services and Employer Relations at Framingham State University, building a strong partnership with her Relationship Manager has been one of the highlights of her experience with Handshake.

“I’ve found that Alex [FSU’s Relationship Manager] is the key to being successful and understanding how to get from point A to point B. His product knowledge and his ability to help me find solutions has made everything so much easier and better.”

Wendy believes that every school can benefit from building a partnership with their Relationship Manager. Here are her tips for getting started.

Reach out!

Remember, your Relationship Manager’s job is to help you unlock the full potential of Handshake.

“You don’t have to figure out everything on your own,” Wendy says. “Use your Relationship Manger’s help to determine if there are more things that you could or should be doing to enhance the success of Handshake at your school. They can bring you the resources and insights to expedite your work.”

“I’m at a small school, and I could get lost in so many cracks. My Relationship Manager is like a calming force who supports me in all my Handshake endeavors. Even when my questions or needs seem like I should already know or have the answers, he’s so vested in my success, he really makes me feel like I’m a priority.”

Align your expectations

“Set parameters with your Relationship Manager on when it’s most appropriate for you to go directly to them,” Wendy advises.

For some questions, it might be easier to find answers through the Help Center or the Career Center Blog. You can also tap into the experiences of your fellow career educators by chatting in the Handshake Community.

“When I run into a problem, I first think whether I can find the solution myself. Handshake does really well in terms of having other resources like the Help Center. My Relationship Manager is like an extra bonus. When something is super time sensitive, I know I can email him and get a timely response.”

By working with their Relationship Manager, Wendy says, any school can grow their success on Handshake.

“With Alex’s [my Relationship Manager] support, I feel that we can grow anything — employers, events, student engagement. When you’ve got such a resource that can make your life using Handshake easier, it’d be crazy not to use that!”

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