Keystone introduces new online platforms to connect students and alumni with potential employers

Keystone College has introduced two new online platforms that should go a long way in helping students and alumni make key connections with potential employers.

The College recently introduced the “Handshake” and “Athlete Network” platforms in order to promote opportunities for students and graduates to begin or advance their careers by finding internships and new jobs.

The Handshake platform acts as a type of online job clearinghouse that enables students and companies find each other. In essence, students create a Handshake account and complete a profile describing their skills, academic majors, career objectives, and other relevant information. Based on that information, they learn about jobs and internships that might be right for them.

“Handshake is a wonderful platform that really benefits college students and companies as well,” said Keystone’s Workforce Outreach Coordinator Diane Bubb. “Our students really appreciate the fact they can find possible opportunities in a single location simply by joining Handshake. Employers, including many major national and international companies, have a readily available resource to locate potential employees that will really benefit their organizations.”

Athlete Network is similar in many ways to Handshake except that it exists exclusively for current or former student-athletes. In addition to serving as a conduit to help student/athletes and employers find each other, the platform also enables student-athletes who have graduated to stay in touch by networking with one another.

“Athlete Network provides several features that will really help student-athletes and graduates as well,” said Keystone Vice President of Institutional Advancement Fran Langan, Ed.D. “In addition to the all-important benefits of connecting with many great companies, the platform offers Keystone alumni student-athletes a chance to network, which helps them stay close to one another and to Keystone in the years following graduation.”

Athlete Network comes to Keystone thanks to the initiative and generosity of Keystone alumnus Mikal E. Belicove, ’86. Mikal, who is also a former member of Keystone’s Board of Trustees, is a nationally recognized brand architect, book author, web site developer, management consultant, ghost writer, blogger, and columnist. Among his many accomplishments, Mikal co-authored the book, “The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Facebook.” His latest book, “Strategy: You don’t know what the hell you’re talking about!” is set to publish in 2021.

Mikal fondly remembers his days as a Keystone student-athlete and realizes many former Giants still wish to stay in touch with each other.

“Among the best memories I have about Keystone College are the people I met along the way,” Mikal remembers. “And in my case, as a collegiate athlete, no one had more of impact on the fun I had in college, as well as on my personal growth and development, than the guys on the tennis team. Sadly, as I imagine is the case with a lot of teammates across all men’s and women’s sports, a lot of us have lost touch over the years. That’s why I recommended that the college launch an online network aimed at reconnecting teammates with one another. The Keystone Giants Athlete Network — which I gladly helped to fund — is the first step among many that I hope will lead to more camaraderie among athletes, as well as support for the college so it may continue to offer the same opportunities for generations of athletes to come.”

“Handshake and Athlete Network are two more examples of how Keystone is creating tangible, real-world opportunities for our students and alumni,” said Keystone College President Tracy L. Brundage, Ph.D. “We continue to demonstrate that Keystone really does go the extra-mile in helping our students and graduates develop networking opportunities that will benefit them during their time on campus and in the years following graduation as well.”