Choose the tool for the part of the search you are doing
This guide is published by InternshipDeadlines, one of the sites in the comparison. It is a task-based comparison, not an independent test of which service gets students hired.
| Source | Useful purpose | What still needs checking |
|---|---|---|
| Employer careers site | Read the named role and its application instructions | That you are on the legitimate site and the correct intake |
| Handshake | Discover roles and employer or campus events | Access to the particular event or vacancy, plus employer requirements |
| Simplify | Find roles and use its advertised application-assistance tools | Every submitted field, current feature terms and the original vacancy |
| InternshipDeadlines | Read internship and program guides while narrowing your search | The linked employer's current dates, requirements and application route |
Run one small comparison using your own target role
Choose a real constraint set, such as IT internships within commuting distance and a graduation year you satisfy. Open several plausible results on each source. Count the distinct roles for which you meet the essential conditions, not the number of search cards.
Fictional example: Site A returns ten cards covering six distinct vacancies. Three match your location and graduation requirements. Site B adds four cards, but three repeat those vacancies and the fourth is closed. Site B added no usable opportunity in this sample. That is a result for this search, not proof that Site A is universally better.
Repeat when your target changes. Campus events, local employment and technical internships may be served by different sources.
Follow the vacancy back to its named employer
Match the employer, role, requisition ID, location and term. A company can use a separate applicant-tracking service; establish the relationship by following a link from the employer's official careers site rather than treating every unfamiliar domain as fake.
Read the employer's instructions before choosing where to submit. A legitimate campus process may have its own required step. Keep the original requisition and confirmation so you can tell a completed application from a saved listing.
The FTC notes that scams also appear on ordinary job sites. A request to deposit a check and forward money is a warning sign regardless of where you found the advertisement.
Sources[3]
Treat a repost as an update until you establish a new role
Record one application per identifiable vacancy. Save its employer, requisition or application URL, role, location, term, date submitted and next required action. Add a second discovery link to the same record rather than creating another application.
Two postings with different requisition IDs may be distinct; a matching title alone does not prove a duplicate. When the employer explicitly opens a new intake, create a new record for that intake. This keeps reminders and follow-ups attached to the right application.
Keep a source only while it earns its place
Use the source that supplies relevant new roles, an employer event you can attend or a tool that removes a real task. Read any generated or autofilled answer before submission, especially graduation dates, work permission and experience.
Once you have a few suitable vacancies, work on the applications. Adding another board is useful when your search is missing opportunities, not when it only postpones writing or checking the applications you already found.