NATCHITOCHES – Northwestern State University’s Career Center, the Office of Economic Development and University Advancement and the Natchitoches Area Chamber of Commerce have partnered to expand career connections for students and alumni through Handshake, the nation’s leading early talent network.
Handshake is a three-sided marketplace linking students, universities and employers. Serving as the official career services platform for more than 1,500 academic institutions, Handshake reaches 75 percent of the U.S. university student population. More than one million employers from Fortune 500 companies to local businesses actively recruit talent on the platform.
The Natchitoches Area Chamber of Commerce is working closely with the partnership to recruit employers within a 100-mile radius of Natchitoches to join Handshake. This initiative is designed to create more regional opportunities for NSU graduates and help retain talent in Louisiana after graduation.
“Our alumni are one of NSU’s greatest assets,” said Tiffany Killion, NSU’s director of Career Services. “Handshake allows them not only to benefit from the network themselves, but also to give back by opening doors for the next generation of Demons. Combined with the Chamber’s regional outreach, this effort will keep more of our talented graduates here at home, building stronger communities and businesses.”
For alumni, this collaboration opens two doors:
- Career Growth: Alumni can register for Handshake with a non-academic email address to explore job opportunities and build connections across industries.
- Recruiting the Next Generation of Demons: Alumni business owners, managers and recruiters can easily post internships and full-time roles, directly supporting NSU students while strengthening their own workforce.
Killion said that alumni who didn’t provide a personal email address on Handshake before they graduated should contact her at the Career Center for access to the platform.
“By bringing together students, alumni, and employers, this initiative creates a powerful pipeline that fuels both career success and regional economic growth. It ensures that the Demon family remains connected on campus, in the workplace and throughout communities in the region,” Killion said.
“The Chamber and NEDA are thrilled to get this initiative off the ground with a keen focus on connecting our amazing home-grown talent with the ample career opportunities right here in the Natchitoches region,” said Chamber President Laura Lyles. “It is our hope that local employers will take an active role in the recruitment of our higher-ed graduates through Handshake to join us in the effort to retain talent in Natchitoches Parish.”
For details on how alumni can join Handshake as users or employers, visit https://www.nsula.edu/student-resources/career-center/. Employers can also connect to Handshake and other workforce connection opportunities at the Chamber’s new Workforce & Career Hub page at https://gonatchitoches.com/live-and-work-here/workforce-career-hub