Letter From the Editor: An Ode to the Job-Searching Student

Hello, my good fellow! Now, that I’ve settled into my awesome-sauce chair (it’s not really that awesome), I feel comfortable in saying “This is a message from the desk of the Iron Warrior.” Before I embark on the topic of this editorial, let me apologize to the readers who actually read my editorial last issue and were dissuaded from reading any future installments due to my failure at being interesting.
It should follow that I refrain from getting personal but, instead, talk about co-op and the different ways to go about finding the right job for you. If you’re not blessed in having a plethora of job interviews (through JobMine) as you are a first year or you don’t have many job postings that are related to your program, then don’t fret. There are other ways to make sure that you have a job once you have finished exams and are ready to go on your respective co-op terms.
If you’re a first year, I’m not going to lie to you: getting your first job is going to be tough and will be especially so if you don’t have work experience prior to coming to university. If you are using JobMine, don’t be discouraged if you don’t get an interview during the first round; there is still a continuous phase in which plenty of jobs will be posted, some of which are more interesting than those in the former round. I will, however, warn you about one thing when it comes to finding a job in the continuous phase: there are infinitely more postings in this round and you will have to check every three days for any interviews as there is no definite timeline. With that said, expect to spend a lot more time on JobMine than you have already.
If you are in a program that doesn’t have any job postings due to its inherent nature (Nanotechnology and Geological Engineering are good examples), then you are going to find job hunting tough because of the stiff competition for those positions. If you’re a first year in this type of program, then that’s a double-whammy! Not only do you not have enough job postings but, more likely than not, you’re going to fighting a bunch of upper years for those jobs who have more relevant work experience than you.
At this point, co-op job hunting sounds like a nightmare but I’m here to give you a couple of alternative processes in procuring your co-op job and provide some tips to make your life a lot easier.
If you’re a first year and you’re looking for a job in your town that pays well, then you have set your expectations too high. You need to be open to moving away from home (or within commuting distance of home) as this will greatly increase the number of job options you have. With that, lowering your expectations to the type of job you are looking for also helps, especially if you don’t have the experience to take on the tasks that the more interesting positions require. Your best option in this scenario is to exploit any connections that you or your family has to acquire a semi-engineering job. Another way to get a job would be to ask your professors and administration on campus for a job for the duration of your first co-op term. For instance, working in the residences at the front desk will allow you to develop technical skills as well as soft skills that will be very useful when looking for co-op jobs in subsequent terms.
If you’re in a program with a less-than-satisfactory helping of postings, unlike Computer, Electrical or Software Engineering, I’m sorry to say but JobMine hunting is not going to get that much easier as you go through university. As I said before, if you’re a first year, then, unfortunately, your luck might just run out because you’re going to be competing with upper years for those jobs. While this would require more time spent on JobMine, you could try applying for jobs outside your program which better fit the skills you have in your repertoire. If all else fails, where there are three category columns to input your engineering program under Job Inquiry, add Engineering “everything” as another category or another engineering program that is similar to you in terms of its applications. For instance, a Software Engineering student could apply to Computer Engineering or Computer Science depending on whether your interests are research-oriented (for which Computer Science would be the right choice) or not.
Now here’s something that Career Services won’t tell you; using JobMine is not mandatory – in fact, it shouldn’t even be deemed highly recommended. Some (including yours truly) have found that looking for a job outside of JobMine is a lot more fruitful than going through the process set up by the university. On top of that, more freedom comes with your job description because there has been no precedent set for co-op students; this could be a great opportunity to show your potential by assisting on bigger projects and taking initiative. Think of it this way, you’re less likely to do repetitive work that other co-op students have done before if the employer won’t know what to expect from a co-op student.
While this editorial is about co-op job hunting, don’t discredit the usefulness of honing your interview skills and updating your résumé. Keep in mind, getting job interviews isn’t as hard as getting job offers
While I did say that this editorial was not going to be personal compared to the former, I have decided to break that rule (already!) by recounting some of my own co-op experiences as I feel they are for the betterment of the point I’m trying to make. Let’s start with this fact; this is the first time I’ve applied to JobMine since the beginning of my university career. I now invite you to move your gaze towards my byline to fully grasp what the above statement means. Yes, I’ve been at UWaterloo for three years and this is the first time I’ve used JobMine.
Now you ask, “How did you manage to find a job without JobMine?” I’m going to tell you now that it wasn’t easy. For my first job search, as a product of being a nano student, my JobMine prospects were already dismal to begin with not to mention the two upper year cohorts of nanos that would be vying for the same jobs I was interested in. At that point, I very quickly realized that my efforts would be wasted on JobMine and that my time would be better served if I asked professors in my program to take me on as a Research Assistant. While I risked being unpaid, I recognized that I would gain technical skills that other students in the same boat as me would be hard pressed to find. Moreover, with the skills I obtained, I was hopeful that my next job would pay me enough such that I could pay off the debts I would incur in that term. Two terms later, I was ready to seek a job again. This time, I vowed to get a paying job within commuting distance of my home in order to pay for school without suffering the overhead of arranging for accommodation. Again, with the Nano program, using JobMine was not worth the effort when I knew that contacting researchers in the heart of Toronto would be a better use of my time. After emailing twenty-odd researchers, I found a job at the Hospital for Sick Kids conducting my own research on tissue engineering. Needless to say, after that resume-booster, finding my next job was a cinch I had demonstrated that I’m someone to be coveted in the job market. With that, my next co-op term was arranged, without the assistance of JobMine, at the University of Toronto with an affiliated start-up company that worked with semiconductors, solid-state lighting, and photonics. This position was unique as I got to start my own project again while experiencing the environment of working in industry (and having to deal with the red tape that comes with it).
Now that I’m in 3B, I decided to give JobMine a shot since there are some jobs available to me that I’m qualified to take on (as compared to my former first year self). However, I’m still going to use my own method of getting a co-op job in conjunction to JobMine as I know what I want to gain out of my last co-op experience before I graduate. If you want to learn more about my way of job searching, need someone to critique your résumé, or just need some insight as to what to expect co-op-wise, then don’t hesitate to come by the IW office or stop me in the hall to have a chat.
With that, I’ll sign off now by telling you to hang in there now that university life is more chaotic, to wish you luck on your upcoming midterm exams, and, of course, happy job hunting!