The Engineering Alumni Forum is an excellent platform for gaining insights from professional engineers on everything from school and co-op placements to careers and personal life. We are fellow Engineers who have dealt with the questions and challenges you are now facing, and we can offer strategies for success. Our volunteers range from last year’s UW Engineering graduates to seasoned professionals who will link with you on-line and discuss all of your questions; whether your question is of the most personal concerns, the proper steps in building up academic excellence, or handling job interviews.
This is the response given when we asked one of our volunteers why he got involved in this project:
“As a University of Waterloo Engineering Alumni, I have participated in the PD Eng program, and one of the most beneficial things from those courses was the Alumni forums. I gained a lot of insight from speaking to them, and I was able to get a feel of what I could possibly do with my degree after graduation, such as what kind of jobs I get, and what opportunities to pursue after graduation. In brief, I appreciate the benefit of being able to talk to a future self that has much wisdom to offer, and now I would like to provide the same service for the current students attending University of Waterloo.”
Here is an exchange found on the forum on the subject of “The working world – co-op jobs.”
Q: “How important are co-op term rankings after you graduate? What are some distinguishing features that would make an Outstanding coop student stand out from say an Excellent student? Naturally, it will vary depending on the job, but what sort of approach should I be aiming for?”
A: “Good rankings and good grades can be a noticeable differentiator. I am very likely to hire someone who consistently got high rankings on work terms because they tell me something about how they fit in. If someone regularly finds a way to stand out over a 4 month period, they must be able to adjust to their environment very quickly. I like people who can seamlessly fit in and add value.
For me to rank a co-op ‘outstanding’ they would have to clearly show an understanding of issues beyond their formal domain and have taken positive action based on that understanding. Basically I could rate someone ‘excellent’ for doing extremely well in what they were hired for. They would have to step outside of that to be rated ‘outstanding’…..I can’t think of any cases where I ranked someone “outstanding” where I didn’t also communicate to the student that I would want a chance to hire them when they graduated. That doesn’t mean they are the only co-ops I would hire as graduates, I just wanted to make sure the seeds were sown and try to get myself to the top of their list of places to work in the future.”
Visit www.askanengalumni.uwaterloo.ca today and post a message, a question or a story with your concern and one of our volunteers will engage you in a conversation that might change your life!
Editor’s note: This is a sponsored article.
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