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      Handshake

      Engaged Employer

      Handshake reviews

      3.1

      43% would recommend to a friend

      (290 total reviews)

      Garrett Lord

      44% approve of CEO

      37% positive business outlook

      Ratings by category

      3.2

      Diversity & inclusion

      3.2

      Compensation and benefits

      3.1

      Work/Life balance

      2.8

      Career opportunities

      2.6

      Culture & values

      2.3

      Senior management

      Handshake has an employee rating of 3.1 out of 5 stars, based on 290 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The Handshake employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Education industry (3.7 stars).

      Ratings by demographic groups

      Reviews by job title

      290 reviews
      1.0
      Jan 27, 2024

      An honest review

      Software engineer
      Recommend
      CEO approval
      Business Outlook

      Pros

      If you are stuck working with an old tech stack at some random non-tech company, handshake could be your way into modernizing. The engineering team is so small you’ll be able to get hands on with a lot of the stack. Some of the engineers are very talented and you can learn a lot from them. For now there is no RTO.

      Cons

      The previous reviews that are negative are not exaggerating. The recent positive ones are very misleading and are probably mandated. CEO is not inspiring. I get founded this company and gets emotional but he needs to move on. The new CTO probably wants RTO because he seems to dislike zoom and needs people around him. I have mixed feelings about the CTOs direct reports. Some managers are good. Current manager is the the type to throw you under the bus. Code quality standards are very low. Some senior engineers have never worked in proper large scale projects. I think a lot of people join with the intention to use Handshake as a proving ground to move on to something better. Documentation is confusing, you basically search Slack. The push to only hire in SF for the core teams is dumb and probably driven by fear. Who ever had that idea is probably trying to show the CEO “look we are here working hard”. Wild West when it comes to planning. Some teams do it well, others just do it by word of mouth and random Google docs (guess jira doesn’t exist). Since joining over a year ago I have never felt stability and worried about being laid off constantly.

      avatar
      Handshake Response
      2y
      Thank you for sharing your feedback; we appreciate all insights, whether positive or critical (and we promise: we’ve never mandated that anyone write a positive review!). Our new CTO joined Handshake a few months ago and is committed to making improvements across the organization – no one wants code quality to be low, or documentation to be confusing. Our Leadership Team takes internal surveys and data very seriously, which is why we encourage employees to be candid in their responses and comments. We appreciate the honest feedback that employees have provided through these mediums, and it’s helped us focus our efforts on key areas for our people.
      5.0
      Jan 25, 2024

      Optimistic for the future

      Staff software engineer
      Recommend
      CEO approval
      Business Outlook

      Pros

      I've really enjoyed my time at Handshake and am proud of the business we've been able to build. I've been on several different teams throughout my time here. What these teams all have in common is that they are full of smart, kind, and hard working people. The team is top notch and I look forward to working with and learning from my teammates every day. I have been very pleased with the work life balance at Handshake. I've definitely had some long days/weeks and a couple weekends, but everyone I've worked with understands that my family comes first for me. As far as the business outlook, I'm optimistic. The business is continuing to grow, especially some new segments that we've started to invest more heavily in. I'm hopeful that we made it through a somewhat hard 2023 but are setup for success in the future. I've also really enjoyed the technical challenges at Handshake. I've grown tremendously in my time here and have been able to work on some projects with really large impact.

      Cons

      We went through a time where, especially on engineering, there was a lack of trust in leadership. Steps have been made, and are continuing to be made, to improve that. For some, I don't think that trust will be restored. It is very fast paced and can be high stress. I personally enjoy this environment, but it is not for everyone.

      avatar
      Handshake Response
      2y
      Thank you so much for taking the time to share your feedback. Like you, we think that our people are our best asset, and we know how important it is for employees to be able to prioritize their lives outside of work. We recognize that the company – and engineering in particular – underwent a lot of change in 2023. We’re looking forward to more stability in 2024 as we commit to the work directly related to our strategic priorities. Again, we appreciate you sharing your experience.
      1.0
      Jan 25, 2024

      Not great

      Sales development representative
      Recommend
      CEO approval
      Business Outlook

      Pros

      There's just not that many.

      Cons

      The company lacks leadership, healthy culture, and direction.

      Viewing 106 - 108 of 290 Reviews
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      ReviewsHandshake reviews

      Glassdoor has 462 Handshake reviews submitted anonymously by Handshake employees. Read employee reviews and ratings on Glassdoor to decide if Handshake is right for you.