Prentus
HandshakeComparison
Prentus vs. Handshake: Which Does Your Institution Need?
The short answer: probably both. Handshake connects students to job postings. Prentus builds the end-to-end student experience - getting them hired and tracking outcomes automatically.
TL;DR
Handshake is a job board platform that connects students with employer job postings. It's excellent for employer recruiting and job listings.
Prentus is a comprehensive AI career platform that covers the entire student journey — from AI-powered career advising and mock interviews to resume building, job search tools, and automated outcome tracking via LinkedIn integration.
Most institutions use both: Handshake for employer connections, Prentus for everything else.
Better Together
Most institutions use both. Handshake for employer recruiting, Prentus for everything else.
Handshake is excellent at connecting students with employers and job postings. But getting the interview is only half the battle. Students need preparation, advising, and ongoing support. That's where Prentus comes in — building the complete student career experience.
- Handshake focuses on employer job postings. Prentus builds the ENTIRE student career experience.
- Prentus provides every tool students need: AI advising, interview prep, resume building, job tracking, and community.
- Prentus tracks outcomes AUTOMATICALLY via LinkedIn integration — no surveys needed.
- Prentus gives advisors AI leverage so they can support more students without hiring staff.
- Prentus is modular — start with the modules you need and expand.
Feature comparison
AI Career Advisor
Scale your advising team without hiring
Every student gets a personal AI career advisor available 24/7. It builds weekly career plans, sends proactive nudges, and drafts follow-up emails — scaling your advising team without hiring.
- 24/7 personalized guidance
- Proactive nudges keep students engaged
- Drafts follow-up emails for advisors
AI Mock Interviews
Role-specific interview practice
Voice-based interview practice with role-specific questions pulled from actual job descriptions. Students get instant feedback on their communication skills.
- Voice-based realistic practice
- Questions pulled from real job descriptions
- Instant feedback on communication skills
Job Search Tools
Everything needed to land the job
One-click tailored resumes, a Chrome extension for tracking applications, and a full job board with employer posts, custom scrapers, and web search mode.
- One-click tailored resumes
- Chrome extension for tracking applications
- Job board with employer posts & web search
Outcome Tracking
Automated outcome collection
Automated outcome collection via LinkedIn integration. No more chasing alumni for surveys. Get compliant data for NACE, OBBBA, and gainful employment reporting.
- Automated LinkedIn integration
- No more manual alumni surveys
- Compliant data for NACE and OBBBA
Advisor Suite
AI leverage for career advisors
A dashboard that shows every student's engagement, at-risk alerts, and action items. Advisors can support 3x more students with AI doing the heavy lifting.
- Student engagement dashboard
- At-risk alerts and action items
- Support 3x more students
Proven results when institutions add Prentus
3x
Student engagement vs. Handshake alone
$617K
Annual savings (Fullstack Academy)
54%
Faster time-to-hire
75%
Day-30 retention
Which platform is right for your institution?
Handshake is best for:
- Institutions primarily focused on employer recruiting
- Schools that need a large employer network for job postings
- Career centers with dedicated staff for manual student support
- Organizations satisfied with survey-based outcome tracking
Prentus is best for:
- Institutions needing AI-powered career advising at scale
- Programs requiring automated outcome tracking (NACE, OBBBA)
- Schools with limited counseling staff (1:1000+ student ratios)
- Programs wanting to consolidate multiple tools into one platform
Common questions
Can I just add the modules I need?
Yes. Prentus is fully modular — add AI career advising, outcome tracking, or job search tools independently. You don't have to adopt the entire platform at once. Start with what you need and expand over time.
Do I need to replace Handshake to use Prentus?
No. Most institutions use both. Handshake handles job postings and employer connections. Prentus handles the end-to-end student career experience, AI advising, and automated outcome tracking. They complement each other.
Does Prentus have job postings?
Yes. Prentus has its own job board where employers can post directly, schools can build custom scrapers to pull jobs from across the web, and students can use Web Search mode to find any opportunity.
How does Prentus track outcomes better?
Instead of chasing alumni for surveys, Prentus uses a LinkedIn integration to automatically track career outcomes. This gives you compliant data for NACE, OBBBA, and gainful employment reporting without the manual effort.
What if we want to consolidate to one platform?
Some institutions, like Fullstack Academy, consolidated from 4+ tools to Prentus alone and saved $617K annually. Book a demo to discuss your specific situation.
Book a demoSee how Prentus complements your career services stack
Whether you use Handshake, 12Twenty, or manual processes, Prentus adds AI-powered career advising and automated outcome tracking. See it in action.