Hey there everyone!
In this issue I would like to talk to you about WaterlooWorks. Last week I got to take a look at a demo of the new software and it looks really good. In my opinion it looks much better than JobMine. This software will be bestowed upon us in the fine term of winter 2015. I know a lot of you have questions about WaterlooWorks hence this article will give you the information about the software and I will also be clarifying some of the rumours about the changes we will see.
Let’s start off with an introduction to WaterlooWorks. The Co-operative Education & Career Action’s (CECA) purchased the system from ORBIS Communications in order to replace the existing recruiting system (JobMine). During the development stages CECA consulted students, employers and staff before making any process changes.
As all of us have heard that WaterlooWorks is completely different than JobMine and this is because of the new features that are being introduced:
• Jobs can be opened in multiple browser windows
• 24/7 access with planned outages (similar to those on Learn for updates/maintenance)
• Advanced job search/keyword job search
• Save individual job searches i.e. search for jobs and save the list you searched so you can come back to it
• Save a job list that has a particular criteria and get notified when new job is posted that meets your job list criteria.
• Employers have the opportunity to comment when ranking.
• Unlimited PDF resume uploads
• Upload cover letters separate from resumes (upload more than one document when applying for jobs)
• Employers have the option to post the salary in the job description.
• Google Maps is available when looking at the job positing to locate the company and directions from the place of interest.
CECA kept in mind priorities listed by the students and made changes to the new system. Some of the changes and feedback points are in the table below.
| Priorities | Outcome |
| Ability to distinguish between jobs that are new, already applied to, short-listed, etc., e.g., by colour coding or other methods | Each job will have indicator tags identifying if they are new, have been viewed, applied to or shortlisted. |
| Ability to review more than one job at a time, i.e., to do side-by-side comparisons | Jobs can be opened in multiple browser windows to allow for comparing/contrasting of postings. |
| Enhanced filtering/sorting capability, including the ability to progressively apply search criteria to your job results list to further refine it | Will be able to sort search results by location, keyword, work term duration, program or level. |
| Ability to create your own categories to assign jobs to (besides “short-list”) or add notes to jobs | Not included due to level of customization required and associated costs. Can shortlist jobs as well as mark them as not interested (to remove them from search results). Can also save search criteria. |
| Ability to save and re-use job search criteria, plus automate searches to run at prescribed intervals to alert you of jobs meeting your criteria | Included. Students can save search criteria and choose to be notified by email if a job meeting the specifications is posted. Students can also re-run multiple or single saved searches at the same time. |
| Key-word search – easier to use and ability to search beyond what’s currently displayed on the screen | Two separate keyword searches were added, one that searches location based fields attached to jobs and one that searches job details to match inputted keywords. |
| Ability to identify jobs with a potential “best fit” or “score” based on your profile information and desired search criteria | Students will be provided with links to jobs posted by their program. The “best fit” feature is still being explored, and will hopefully be introduced in the future. |
Even though WaterlooWorks is a completely new system the overall co-op process is not changing. The tool used to apply for jobs is different but the posting and application period, interview process, and other co-op processes will remain the same. One of the process changes is the one free “no rank” per term. This gives students the opportunity to decline a position after they have been ranked (a valid reason will be needed and shown to the employer). This can only be done once in a term per student.
We are planning to set up a booth with CECA in the CPH foyer in the first week of July. So look out for that. If you have any questions about WaterlooWorks or any other academic concerns come see me in the orifice or send me an email on vpeducation.b@engsoc.uwaterloo.ca
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