LINKEDIN VS ALTERNATIVES 2026
Handshake connects students and recent graduates to employers that recruit on campus. LinkedIn offers a broader professional profile that remains useful after graduation.
Indeed and general job boards list entry-level openings that are not tied to a university. LinkedIn becomes more relevant once the person has work experience to display and wants to stay visible to recruiters outside campus channels. In 2026 the useful combination is often Handshake or a university portal during studies, plus a LinkedIn profile that grows with the first roles.
Handshake stops being useful for experienced professionals. LinkedIn stops being the primary discovery tool for purely campus-recruited internships that never appear on the open platform.
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