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Editor's Note

Check out this issue of the sCo-op for some interesting articles on uncommon co-op tips, a brief history of CECS, as well as a stu-dent feature of a work term in Nunavut.

There is a ton of stuff going on within CECS this term so keep your eyes and ears open for some good opportunities to make the most of your co-op experience.

Enjoy, Sarah

Fall 2007 (2nd Edition)

The Inside sCo-op newsletter is published six times a year by the Co-operative Education & Career Services department for students of the University of Waterloo.

Left to Right: Brad Chen, Corinne Carter, Caitlin Cull, Vanessa Brewer, Brenda Fraser and Sarah Uppal. Absent: Kunal Ramdhony

CECS Spring Co-ops

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A Golden Experience In Nunavut

Andre Bodo, a 1B Mechanical Engineering student had a unique position for his first work term. He worked in Goose Lake, Nunavut; mining for gold.

Andre spent a work term he arranged on his own with Dundee Precious Metals. Last year in August, before coming to UW, Andre was given the opportu-nity to check out the Goose Lake operation in Nuna-vut, and this year he was invited back by a project manager. "Technically I was employed as a geotech assistant surveyor, but I was involved with so many other projects and took on a lot more than just my initial position…I worked with carpentry, surveying, and even core sampling projects. I gained such a diverse array of skills."

One of Andre’s main tasks was helping with the soil sampling program which entailed going out on site and taking soil samples on a regular basis and sending the results back to a lab for analysis. These samples are analyzed for a mineral called arsenopyrite; traces of this mineral indicate that gold is present in the soil. Once it has been deter-mined that enough gold is present to dig, the drill-ing process begins; the gold is extracted from the ground and exported by air to another location. This is a lengthy and costly decision process, as Andre points out: "Since we are up north, it costs a lot to export the rock and gravel to get the gold removed…it includes the cost of helicopters, as well as the chemical extraction costs. It really comes down to: Is the amount of gold you find going to be profitable?"

Another project that Andre worked on is core sampling. This is where a sample of soil from the bedrock layer is extracted and then ground into a fine dust, usually referred to as rock dust. Using this rock dust, geologists can reconstruct the area of drilling and, using GIS programs, they are able to develop a 3D view of the ground under-neath the rock to see what kind of minerals can be found.

Other than the rain, Andre really enjoys Nunavut: "Every-one should come up north and experience it…it’s breath-taking! Walking outside your cabin to see the rolling hills which stretch on for miles; it’s a big change when you’ve lived in Toronto." Parts of Nunavut are so far up north that daylight can span nearly the whole day, "Around mid-July, we had close to 22 to 23 hours of daylight."

Andre spent his term living on a campsite of about 80-100 people and as the youngest member and only UW co-op student, he still felt at home "I help out around the camp and do my part…everything runs smoother when you sustain a function in a company. I think that it re-flects the whole as everyone is equally important."

Andre was initially drawn to UW because of its reputa-tion for engineering and its competitive edge over other universities. "[UW] not only educates you in engineering but it prepares you for the real world. The PDEng cours-es help train us to be professional and test us with real world experience."

As a first year student at UW, he explains why he chose Engineering: "I like the whole idea of the problem solv-ing aspect. It’s kind of like a puzzle; you have to put the pieces together to find the solution. Applying that theory to a co-op, it’s how a company runs and what makes it function…digging deeper into things and analyzing situ-ations to come up with some kind of solution which can be useful to mankind."

As a fellow co-op student, Andre is proof that UW truly possesses the "leaders of tomorrow." The future looks brighter with students like Andre around; I can’t wait to see what’s next for UW.

Working out on the sampling field can be a mud-dy job depending how the weather treats you. "Although last month the weather was great, lately it’s been raining and storming and when you are out in the field in full rain gear for 8 to 10 hours a day, it can be taxing" says Andre.

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Blast from the Past: the Evolution of Co-op

Pieces of this article are from the Iron Warrior March 14, 2007 article: Canaries in the JobMine – A Look at Co-op over the Years by Dan Arnott

As the current students of co-op we often have a few things to complain about when it comes to co-op; the weird interface of JobMine, the 20 minute logout rule, and the overall instability of JobMine.

But believe it or not, the current system is a won-der compared to what existed prior to JobMine, and the Tatham Centre.

It all started long ago, on the east end of cam-pus, when Needles Hall was home to UW’s co-op program. As present day students, when we think of Needles Hall, we recall the long lines to get our OSAP, or waiting to sort out our class schedules. But to co-op students before us, this was "Needles Hell".

Also, there was no privacy for anyone; you could hear interviews going on in the next room over, and the room beside that one! There were no change rooms, waiting room, or paging desk; stu-dents would just hang around in hallways waiting for their interviews.

Before our highly criticized JobMine came to be, CECS had developed a number of different ways for students to apply to jobs.

...”A newspaper would be published and distrib-uted among students, in which employers would post the positions they wanted filled. The papers would be distributed on a Friday, and over the weekend, students would take a look at the jobs they wanted.

As UW’s co-op pro-gram grew, there was simply not enough room in Needles Hall to accommodate the growth. During inter-view time, staff would do anything they could to create some form of interview rooms; they would va-cate their offices, set up dividers or curtains for walls, absolutely anything was done so interviews could take place.

The following Monday, they would submit a sheet which indicated their top 15 choices of jobs, along with one copy of their résumé. Co-op would then pho-tocopy and package each student’s résumé and send it to each of the 15 employers se-lected. This process took about two weeks, and had to be discontinued due to huge budgeting problems."

..."In the early 1990s, the bulletin-board/résumé -bin system was introduced. All jobs would be posted on a bulletin board in Needless Hall along with a bin num-ber. Students would read the jobs, select which ones they wanted, and photocopy their own résumé pack-ages to distribute in numbered bins, one correspond-ing to each employer. These bins resemble those into which we deposit our assignments today...This system was much less expensive, but also resulted in crowd-ing of bulletin boards and bin rooms, and if the photo-copier wasn’t working when you needed to copy your package, well, woe to you."

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..."When CECS moved from Needless Hall to the Tatham Centre, the bulletin-board/bin system was retained for one term before the switch to an electronic system called ACCESS (so you could access job postings on-line, but résumé packages still had to be dropped in the bins)."

As present day co-op students, we have encountered our fair share of technical glitches and co-op mix-ups. But imagine the confusion of past co-op students when they were called for a job which they did not apply for. One bizarre glitch with the résumé bins was a small gap be-tween bins; if positioned in some uncanny way, a résumé would slip into the bin above or below the bin a student chose (and we thought JobMine glitches were bad.)

The University’s co-op program has seen its worst and in time, it will see its best. Five years down the road, there will be great changes to the co-op process; there will be a new JobMine in place and as students of the 2007 co-op program, we will look back and reflect on our "hard times". Students of the future will no doubt, be utterly amazed at how we still managed to land such great jobs.

Do you like to write? Are you interested in spreading the co-op word? Want to share what you've learned throughout your years as a co-op student? Do you want to brag about your employers? Talk about any difficulties you've expe-rienced?

Submit your co-op stories now! If you think that you have had an experience worth sharing, send it to olaf@uwater-loo.ca with the subject line "Inside sCo-op Story."

If your story is selected, not only will you be overcome with fame and glory, but your story will be published in the Inside sCo-op and you will receive a thank you gift in appreciation.

Don't feel like writing it all down? No problem! Make a 20 minute interview appointment with us, and we'll write your story for you!

Have You Had a Co-op Experience That You Want To Share?

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A CECS Improvement: Job Classifications

As students, we are well aware that UW has one of the most reputable co-op programs in Canada. This is one of the reasons why many of us chose to call UW our home.

CECS is continuously improving the employment process and procedures to ensure that the quality of UW’s co-op program remains high.

One of the ways that CECS has been improving the co-op process is by incorporating two nationally-used coding systems to classify job industries and types of jobs within those industries. These codes are the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) codes and the National Occupational Clas-sification (NOC) codes.

The NAICS codes classify organizations into indus-trial sectors in Canada and the United States. For instance, as a Canadian organization, Research in Motion would be part of the Communications, Equip-ment, and Manufacturing industry.

The NOC codes categorize the type of job within a company. For example, Company X may be a law firm; however, not all of the people employed in the company are lawyers. Each position, ranging from the custodial staff to the paralegals, may be classified using a different NOC code.

These codes enable CECS to analyse what kinds of jobs and industries students from a particular pro-gram are employed in during any given work term.

Let's consider an example analysis of this data in-volving the 18 Arts English students employed dur-ing the winter 2007 term. The following represents the NAICS Industries that English students obtained employment in:

Also, CECS can see the type of jobs which students were obtaining from the NOC job type classifications:

As this is a relatively new system for CECS, there is still much to be explored and learned. In it’s current state, the system provides CECS with valuable new information to assist with learning about the jobs and key industry sectors available for UW co-op students.

According to Rocco Fondacaro, the director of Stu-dent & Faculty Relations at CECS, "The data obtained from incorporating these codes into the co-op sys-tem will enable CECS to monitor the employment of co-op students in terms of job categorization and job fit as well as help us to develop and manage qual-ity jobs, moving us closer to achieving our mission: "More students in more relevant jobs, earlier in the employment process."

The data obtained from this new system has also sparked an interest in current co-op students. When explaining the concepts of the coding system to Brenda Fraser, a 3B Arts and Business, Psychology major, she replied "It would be great for CECS to have access to this kind of information because it will help them to show students what kinds of jobs are available for a particular program, and what kinds of industries will be hiring when we graduate."

Submit Your Funny Work Term Photos to The In-side sCo-op to WIN!

The Inside sCo-op is looking for YOUR funny work term photos!!! To submit photos, send them to olaf@uwaterloo.ca with the subject line "Inside sCo-op Photo Contest."

If your photo is chosen to be featured in an up-coming edition, you will win lots of cool UW themed swag!

Send your pictures in NOW!

FROM CECS NEWS...

Universities- 23%

Communications Equipment Manufacturing– 17%

Computer Systems Designs & Related Services

– 12%

Post Secondary Teaching/Research Assistants

– 28%Authors and Writers

- 24%

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Working for the Largest Employer

The University of Waterloo hires approximately 180 students per term, making it the largest employer of UW co-op students. With a wide variety of positions available from research assistants, to web developers, to working on the solar car project; it’s hard to pin-point what exactly interests students to work for UW.

Here are three stories of students who worked on campus during the spring 2007 term.

Laura Sloboda: 1B Mechanical Engineering

The event, which will take place in October, allows the girls to visit campus to work on different engineering activities, such as developing a prototype of a bridge meant to withstand an earthquake. This year, Laura is developing newer and more appealing activities for the girls to participate in. She is prototyping a musical keyboard which she describes as, "simple circuit using different resistances to get frequencies. I need to cre-ate a log book and notes so the event leaders under-stand the activity and potential problems well enough to teach the girls." Other activities keeping Laura busy include a mini solar car as well as a "Yak Bak" (a toy which when you press a button records your voice then plays it back distorted.)

What does Laura enjoy most about working at UW?

"This is the first time I’ve seen the campus in the sum-mer and I really like it…it’s much nicer and quieter. Also I feel more relaxed coming here and not being a student…I get to work with professors and PhD stu-dents who I would not normally communicate with."

Laura’s advice in regards to working at UW:

"When you’re a student, you come to campus to go to classes, but [working at the UW] allows you to inter-act with professors and staff and work on a different level. Working at UW really gives you more rounded perspective of how the university works."

Laura is the assis-tant for the Wom-en in Engineering Committee. One of her main proj-ects this term is helping out with an event called Go ENG Girl which is a one-day event for girls in grades 7 to 10 who are interested in Engi-neering.

Vanessa Brewer: 3B Honours Arts and Business Major: Anthropology Specialization: Human Resources Management

Vanessa is working at CECS as the marketing and field services associate. She has spent much of her time at CECS assisting with the 2017: The Workplace Con-ference which will bring together researchers, CECS employers, and leaders of businesses to examine the factors facing the future of the workplace. During the conference, some topics of discussion will be: an examination of the rapid pace of changes anticipated in Canada over the next 10 years; the movement of knowledge out of the country; the impact of technol-ogy adoption in the workplace; and the globalization of the economy.

The conference is a three day event which takes place in October (14th – 16th). In preparation for this big event, Vanessa has been working behind the scenes on tasks such as creating mailing lists, pricing promo-tional material, as well as assisting with the advertis-ing campaign to promote the event. One of her main tasks was to find organizations interested in attending the conference by checking different media outlets for organizations which have been reflected positively in the media and inviting them to the conference.

What does Vanessa enjoy most about working at UW?

"This is my third work term working on campus and I really enjoy the atmosphere of the university. Working here gives you a better understanding of the amount of work that goes into each specific department of the university. There is a lot of hard work that goes on which most students wouldn’t necessarily be aware of."

Vanessa’s advice in regards to working at UW?

"There are so many benefits of working on campus...you can attend classes while on a work term, it’s close to home so you don’t need to move around, as well, you can keep in contact with your peers. Most importantly though, because it is UW, there is a great-er understanding of how important co-op is, so there is a certain level of respect given to UW co-op students on campus.”

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Seema Mutti: 3B Honours Arts and Business Major: Psychology Specialization: Human Resource Management

Working for the Largest Employer

The Act aims to limit Ontarians’ involuntary exposure to second-hand smoke, as well as strengthen the current laws governing the sale of tobacco to minors and restrict the display of tobacco products in retail outlets.

Seema has been researching the effectiveness of this Act in terms of limiting Ontarians exposure to second-hand smoke and the impact it has had on restaurants and bars with patios. Also, she has been conducting experiments with PhD students to compare the impact different smoking regulations across Canada have on the air quality of enclosed patios, as each province has different regulations. These experiments are done by pumping controlled quantities of smoke into different patio configurations at various intervals and measuring the quality of the air.

What does Seema enjoy the most about working at UW?

"I enjoy being on campus when I’m in school because I like the academic environment, so naturally I enjoy work-ing here as well…it is something I can relate to. More spe-cifically, the Psych lab and the research being conducted is geared toward advocacy more than anything else. I like to be a part of something which strives for change and this project allows me to work on improving health in Ontario."

What advice does Seema have in regards to working at UW?

"The UW community is really supportive and people tend to look past that, as everyone wants to get a great job in downtown Toronto. Good opportunities are closer to home than we may realize sometimes, and you can’t always look at the location to judge the quality of the position."

Seema spent her work term in the Fong Lab of the Psychology De-partment as a Project Manager. She was conducting research in regards to the Smoke Free Ontario Act. The Act, which came into force in May 2006, bans smoking in all en-closed workplaces and enclosed public places in Ontario.

Student of the Year:

Did you receive an Outstanding evalu-ation on your last work term? CECS is now accepting nominations for the 2007 UW Co-op Student of the Year award and looking for students who have made an exceptional contribu-tion to one or more of their work term employers in the year 2007. In order to be considered for these awards, stu-dents may apply on their own behalf or be nominated by a co-op work term employer, a fellow student, faculty, or UW staff.

Jobmine Confidentiality:

CECS would like to remind all JobMine users that any information regarding available job positions gained through JobMine is confidential. This includes all job descriptions, employer contact information, and other pertinent facts regarding employment. This informa-tion is solely for University of Waterloo students and alumni who are seeking employment and should not be shared with anyone else. Employers entrust this information to CECS and sharing this information could potentially dam-age the competitive advantage that UW co-op students have over other university co-op programs.

FROM CECS NEWS...

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Some Unordinary Co-op Tips

Wearing clean clothes, having a firm hand shake, and taking it easy with the fragrances. These are all inter-view tips that most students already know, or that we can usually figure out on our own. But what about tips on the impact of your fingernails or how to answer some of those tricky questions? Here are some less-commonly-known tips which can really help you step up your interview game.

Keeping up with Appearance

Nails: Believe it or not, your finger nails say a lot about your overall appearance and your personal hygiene. Guys: Make sure your nails are trimmed and clean.Girls: If you decide to wear nail polish, check to see if it is chipped and avoid wearing loud colours.

Avoid a lot of jewellery: Preferably wear one ring per hand, and small earrings for both guys and girls so they won’t be distracting. Keep your outfit simple.

Try to conceal tattoos and avoiding dying your hair that lovely fuchsia pink during interview period. Tat-toos and non-traditional hair colours can be a distrac-tion for employers.

Avoid hiding behind your hair and keep those bangs out of your eyes. Stay away from any hairstyles which will have you pushing your hair out of your face.

Answering those tricky questions

"Tell me about your weaknesses"

The employer is generally trying to find out if you have a sense of your own weaknesses so answering you don’t have any is both unappealing and wrong…”to err is human” after all. Refer to your weaknesses as “my areas for improvement” and discuss weaknesses which will have no impact on the job applied for. Keep your answer short since it is a negative topic and the goal is to keep the interview atmosphere positive.

Brushing up those Interview Skills

Smile, Nod, and Eye Contact. These three things can make a lasting and enthusiastic impression on your employer.

Prepare several questions to ask at the end of the interview. This shows you have been listening intently throughout the interview and that you are genuinely interested in the position and organization.

Research the organization: A short summary about the organization can be found under the Employer descrip-tion on Jobmine, but, it would be a good idea to do more research on your own, such as finding out what the organization’s mission statement is, their business philosophy, etc. Impress your interviewer by express-ing your knowledge about the organization during your interview.

Have small talk prepared for the beginning or end of your interview, but avoid talking about the weather. It makes the situation more relaxed for both you, and the employer. Avoid conversation about controversial top-ics or negative happenings occurring in the news.

"Tell me about your strengths"

Choose strengths relevant to the job. The employer does not need to know that you are good at volley-ball if the interview is for a technical writing position. When answering questions about your strengths it is a good idea to provide specific examples of when you applied your strengths in previous work terms. “Why should I hire you over the next student interviewed today?”

Saying you “really want the job” is an enthusiastic answer, but don’t stop there. Your objective with this question is to prove to them that you offer what they need and ‘then some.’ Inform the employer of your skills and experiences that could enhance your ability to perform in the position that another student may not possess.

“Where do you see yourself in 5 years?”

If you don’t know what your plans are for the future…that is okay as long as you don’t come across as hav-ing absolutely no idea or directions with your life. Try to describe new experiences or responsibilities you'd like to add in the future that build on the current job you are applying for. Also, be sure to make some connections between the job and a possible future direction

“Tell me about yourself”

This question is tricky because the employer doesn’t usually ask for specifics. Don’t go into detail about your childhood friends or where you grew you; re-member the employer is mainly interested in things which are relevant to their position. Give them ex-amples of things you do which provide you with skills which will be relevant their positions such as a new sport which taught you how to work well as a team.

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“Who was your most difficult boss and why?"

With this question the employer is usually look-ing for how you will get along with your future supervisor. It is never a good idea to say anything negative about a previous employer; this is a bad reflection on yourself as it may appear that you do not work well with others. Be honest and use posi-tive terms when discussing difficult bosses as well and emphasize what you learned from the experi-ence which may be helpful in the future.

Phone Interview Tips

Smile! Smiling changes your tone of voice and will let the employer know you have a positive attitude towards the position.

Speak slowly and enunciate your words clearly.

Clear communication: Let the employer know you can hear them and ask if they can hear clearly as well.

You do not have to fill in silence; take your time to answer questions. You want to make sure your responses are well thought out and relevant to the position.

The employer cannot see you so use this to your advantage. Bring prepared material to the inter-view such as point form answers to questions, your résumé, and your research about the organization.

Want more tips and advice?

Attending the Career Services Workshops on Inter-view Skills will make sure you perform at your best during interviews.

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Located in the University of Waterloo Research and Technology Park, Sybase, the largest global enterprise software company exclusively focused on managing and mobilizing data is committed to offering one of the best work term experiences for students. Sybase hires approximately 30-40 co-op students each term, and being part of that co-op community allows stu-dents to interact and support each other, as well as socialize at co-op events. No matter what you’re inter-ested in - engineering, marketing, human resources, product support, product management or technical writing - you’re likely to find an exciting co-op oppor-tunity at Sybase.

While Sybase recruits from several local campuses, about 95% of the Sybase co-op community are Uni-versity of Waterloo students. You'll immediately notice the young and enthusiastic full-time work force, many of whom are University of Waterloo alumni and began their careers with Sybase as co-ops themselves. And, when it’s time to go back to school, you will continue to see Sybase regularly on campus in the form of stu-dent scholarships and various other sponsorships.

Every other semester, we leave our campus for another slice of the working world. We pack up and move for the best positions, segregating our working self from our academic self to have the most valuable co-op expe-rience possible. But what if we didn't have to? What if we could work for one of Canada's Top 100 employers, keep our leases and favourite roommates, and remain just steps from the campus we love?

Hi-tech Never Looked So Good

At Sybase, co-ops have their Cake and eat it too, literally!

The relaxed work environment at Sybase is reinforced by casual dress and free drinks, which help immense-ly when you’re working late to meet a looming dead-line. Flexible work schedules means that students are even able to take a class during regular work hours! For students who want to stay fit or keep up with their sports, proximity to the University’s athletic facilities serves as an added bonus.

The multiple-week-long training session aimed at co-op newbies is the first indication that you won’t be doing fluff work at Sybase. Projects assigned to co-ops regularly involve high customer visibility and are of critical importance to the company’s ongoing ini-tiatives. Just ask Bryan Baker in Marketing Research, what his favorite thing about working at Sybase is.

"Definitely the diverse projects I have had and the various roles I have taken on in completing them. Working with the cutting-edge technologies here keeps every task exciting to work on, and taking on full ownership of high profile yet challenging projects has been very rewarding."

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You won’t find peering-over-your-shoulder or missing-in-action managers at Sybase. Co-ops are given plenty of leeway to take the initia-tive on projects, but if you’d rather a little more guidance, the managers are friendly and ap-proachable. Charlie Han, who works with the Product Management team says, "My manager has also been very open to suggestions for new projects that I am interested in. Working on something you’re passionate about goes a long way for job satisfaction."

Indeed, the environment that encourages con-stant communication between all levels of the company continues right to the top. Company executives regularly visit to hold all-hands meet-ings, outlining the progress of the corporate vision and welcome feedback from employees, including co-ops.

Additionally, co-ops are always included and encouraged to participate in regular company events. Monthly cake day celebrations for birth-days and employment anniversaries are always a hit with co-ops, as are the annual company pic-nic and charity golf tournament. In fact, a team of co-ops took home the prize in this year’s golf tournament. Co-ops can also join a company softball team in the summer or play hockey against their mangers in the winter.

The real-world work experience Sybase offers is enticing, but the social life is also a big draw. From Taco Tuesday to big-screen Wii action, co-op at Sybase comes with all the perks. "I love that there's lots of other co-ops here, so there's always fun things to do around work, from a Foosball World Cup to Guitar Hero to delicious barbeques and pierogi parties," first-time Syb-ase co-op Niall Wingham explains.

These events are organized by a co-op social committee, which meets every other week throughout the term, and the Sybase Co-op Connection newsletter, written by co-ops, keeps students filled in on past and upcoming events. Both the social committee and the newsletter give students the chance to add a new dimen-sion to their work portfolios.

English major Emily Ballantyne says, "The newslet-ter provides a great opportunity to write about fun and relevant co-op experiences and, along with the social committee, is an amazing opportunity to stay involved and get to know a really diverse group of people."

Sybase’s open, cross-platform solutions securely deliver information anytime, anywhere, enabling customers to create an information edge. The ex-perience at Sybase takes it one step further, pro-viding a highly skilled, competitive edge for all UW co-ops. Not only will you have a lot of fun, but in the end your résumé will be packed with immedi-ate, relevant work experience and your portfolios will shine with a co-op term that couldn’t exist anywhere else!