By Tasbiha Fatima Hasan 

Writer/Reporter

Handshake, a career platform used by students to search for internships and jobs, now offers another tool to try before pressing “submit”: Sidekick, the platform’s AI-powered resume optimizer.

How Sidekick works

Sidekick allows students to upload a resume, identify the type of job or industry they are targeting and receive suggestions intended to improve wording, structure, relevant skills and applicant-tracking-system formatting.

ATS stands for applicant tracking system, software employers commonly use to collect, organize and search job applications. A resume that is difficult for an ATS to read can create problems even when the applicant has relevant experience. 

Handshake’s new tool reviews a resume and provides feedback intended to help users improve its readability and structure before applying. For students sending out multiple internship or entry-level job applications, the feature offers an additional checkpoint between editing a resume and submitting it to an employer. 

The tool also reflects Handshake’s continuing expansion beyond its traditional role as a job-search platform. 

Earlier this year, The Metropolitan covered Handshake AI, a program connecting students, graduates and professionals with flexible, project-based work related to training and evaluating artificial intelligence. Sidekick takes that expansion in a different direction by focusing on the materials students use when applying for jobs.

AI feedback still has limits

Students should still use the tool with some caution. Sidekick launched in beta, and automated feedback should not replace advice from career counselors, faculty members or professionals who can evaluate a resume with more context.  

An automated review also cannot determine whether someone is the right candidate for a position. Skills, experience, qualifications and how well an applicant communicates those strengths still matter. 

For students wondering whether formatting or resume structure could interfere with an application, Handshake’s new feature offers a quick first review. 

Before an employer’s applicant tracking system sees a resume, students now have an opportunity to see how an automated system may read it first.