Life Experiences

[1:51]

Ben first worked as an assistant with his dad in a machine shop. He was nine at the time, and one particular task that he remembered he did was helping get a crank. He also recalled a nice lady who used to give him some candies whenever he worked long shifts.

[2:43]

Ben had a hard time deciding which major was fit for him. Thus, he ended up switching to several majors in college. He took Computer Science, Computer Security, Psychology, and Spanish before ending up studying Computer Networking and Security, focusing on Computer Science.

Creating Handshake

[3:57]

The idea of Handshake originated from a personal problem they were facing at Michigan Tech. Many challenges, such as gender, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status, prevent students from having access to opportunities. Ben realized that a single problem of a student becomes bigger when multiple people experience the same thing.

[5:52]

Handshake helps early-career seekers to get access to opportunities. People often think there are many hindrances and inequality for opportunities. Handshake's goal is to help level that playing field. Ben and his workmates help connect employers and students, find students more effectively, and help students find jobs more effectively.

[7:11]

Universities, employers, and students were all essential parts of their three-sided marketplace. Yet, their main person remains the students. The value of their company is prioritizing their students and making sure to bring their students upfront. While its students being at the core, it is also essential for them to build premium partnerships with employers and universities.

[10:22]

Ben stated that what started to unlock things for them was knowing how they connect with the people that are the big movers and shakers in career services. Ben and his friends handwrote a letter to every single prospect. The handwritten letter is a full-page talking about Handshake and why they were passionate about it and some other things.

The Journey and Motivation

[13:48]

Ben and his other co-founders had different initiatives in creating Handshake. Jared focused on helping customers understand the vision; Scott is an engineer who prioritized building out unique architecture that helped them stand out. In contrast, Ben focused on engineering the security background. As Handshake grew larger, they started to evolve and scale things out.

[17:19]

For Ben, knowing the company's values and culture helps the employees be constant and hold the organization together. He makes sure that their culture evolves and grows as they add more people and bring more perspectives. Yet, as they grow, he wanted the company to be consistent with its values.

[24:16]

He believes that companies should analyze what is happening on different team levels and ensure they are consistently correct. 

Future Opportunities

[30:23]

Ben believes that as people look to their future, many opportunities are waiting for them, but what's hard is getting access to that opportunity. He wanted Handshake to be a platform for students to access that opportunity that every people deserve. Ben encourages people to remove the mindset of needing to have a network of people and connections to find better job opportunities. 

[32:20]

Ben urges people to ask as many questions as possible and not worrying about sounding stupid. He believes that there is so much to learn, and for us to understand, we must be vulnerable. Reach out to people, build excellent connections, and learn from amazing mentors. In being vulnerable, you will find growth.

Go to https://joinhandshake.com/ to know more about how you can get the chance to build the career you want.

You can also follow Ben on social:

Twitter | LinkedIn