Co-op in the time of Covid

This is a challenging time for university students seeking employment as co-op students or interns. We understand that the $$$ is important and so is the ability to ‘add’ to your resume - developing skills, knowledge, experiences that will help you with employment when you graduate. The work terms also provide valuable networking opportunities. We get this. So, what strategies can you use to improve the odds of getting a job?

One strategy is to take matters into your own hands. For example, you can contact previous employers (another reason for always giving it your best shot, shooting for outstanding no matter what), the family/business network, your social media network (their family, business contacts), alumni networks, neighbours, etc. Do not just rely on the co-op system!

Another strategy is to re-think the types of jobs you are applying to. For example, it is wise to think of the work term not just as an opportunity to earn $ but ultimately as an opportunity to skill up for future work term searches. What sets universities like UW apart from most other schools is the richness of the ecosystem that offers reams of ways to get experience that employers will value and that will help students launch their career.

And, if you cannot get a job, make the most out of the situation. From past years, we know that if a student remains unemployed for their work term they can still make sizeable investments into their own future employability / value to future employers by not only taking more academic courses (which won’t likely on their own set them apart from others) but also acquiring and practicing some employment related skills and networks, etc as per some of the suggestions in Waterloo’s ‘skill up’ linked page above.

Resume

Make sure your resume is targeted for the job you are applying to - that the ‘money-shot’ resonates immediately with the employer as soon as they get past your name. The ‘money-shot’ is how you explain the value you can provide to the company if they hire you. What hard skills and knowledge can they leverage!

Make the resume easy to read and easy for the employer to see what you have done, what value you have been to past employers, what you have learned, and what your potential is - be concise, do not overstate the obvious, and be careful about tone and attitude (phrasing and adjectives used).

Remember that employers like to hear about any work experience and engaging with the workforce is a big step forward. At Waterloo, help with your resume in general and in explaining your experience can be obtained from the Centre for Career Action.

Highlight whatever skills and experiences relating to online work you have and how you can function and provide value with remote supervision, little face-to-face, few opportunities for praise.

The technology you have used, are comfortable with (e.g., Msft Teams, Slack, WebEx, Zoom, etc.).

Your work ethic, self-motivation, engagement.

Your time management, ability to work in a remote-team situation.

Your ability to figure it out, get it done, know when to ask questions, when not to do so.

Applying

Focus on getting ANY eligible job that fits your program requirements that will be fair and offer you opportunities for new experiences, connections in the workplace, or skills practice and development. Do not be picky over cosmetic points, do not worry about the bling-bling reputations, do not worry so much about the money, do not worry about perks and how the ‘name’ will look in your social media posts.

Any job will do because you can turn any lemon into lemonade:

You can learn the most from challenging situations, smaller organizations where you have decision making and accountability (versus being a small cog in a big machine).

Watch, observe, reflect and use these insights to improve yourself and for added-value on your resumes.

Use these moments in your resume and interviews in a constructive, professional way.

The Job Hunting page has additional good tips. And, as we point out there, some students assume that all of the good jobs are posted early in the term. This is not generally the case - lots of cool jobs come up mid-term and later. This year (time of Covid) we have been told that some employers are recruiting later than usual. So, don't give up and keep looking. At Waterloo there are flexible co-op pathways which will give you new options. They can be found here.

It is possible in these strange times that processes and timings related to job applications and hunting will be fluid and dynamic. We suggest that you keep an eye on dates and such. You will have to manage your time wisely. Waterloo's key dates are here.

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