How to find a job and other ways to skill up this spring term
How you spend the spring 2023 term may be different than originally planned, and that's okay. Any time you spend gaining new experiences and learning skills is valuable, whether that's through volunteering, exploring a new hobby, or taking a course. What happens in the next few months doesn’t define the rest of your professional career. Consider using this time for self-discovery and finding creative ways to build your résumé.
There is still time to find a job this spring, whether you’re looking for a co-op job, an EDGE work/community experience or other employment. Consider expanding your work search, reaching out to your own network, and adapting your search based on current labour market trends. Tune in to the upcoming webinars, connect with career advisors and explore these resources to learn more.
Work search strategies
- Keep your network alive. Tell people you know that you are searching for a job
- Connect with alumni on LinkedIn
- Reach out to your professors
- Use your hometown advantage
- Contact employers. The chances of successfully reaching an employer improve if you can connect through an alumni from your university or someone else you know in common.
- Job boards. Look on job boards tailored for students or other seasonal/contract workers. If you’re looking for a co-op job, you may be able to find a position (or combine a few different opportunities) to meet the criteria for a flexible work term.
- WaterlooWorks: Other Jobs for part-time, casual, seasonal, summer, volunteer, contract/temporary opportunities and potential co-op jobs
- WaterlooWorks: External Job Boards, including CampusConnect
- TalentEgg
- Service Canada Job Bank
- Indeed
- Update your skills profile. If you are a co-op student, make sure that your skills profile on WaterlooWorks is up to date. Co-op advisors can use your skills profile and default résumé to identify jobs that you may be interested in applying to. For tips on updating your skills profile, visit the co-op website.
- Make informed and safe employment decisions during COVID-19. It is important to have enough information to make informed, safe and confident employment decisions. For sample questions you might consider asking an employer before and during an interview, visit Questions to ask when job searching during COVID-19.
Skill up
If your plans for working this spring change, there are lots of other ways you can use your time to continue building your résumé, including learning new skills, working on projects, or volunteering your time.
- Enroll in the Digital Skills Fundamentals course. Learn the skills most needed in business today and tomorrow through mini-courses that will introduce you to the fundamental concepts of website development, digital and video marketing, and problem analysis.
- Identify and articulate your skills. Enroll into the Skills Identification and Articulation Workshop to learn how to identify the skills you are developing in an outside of the classroom and develop strategies for expressing these skills to target audiences, such as potential employers.
- Enroll into a career development course. All students can enroll (for free!) in PD1: Career Fundamentals. In PD1, you will learn how to refine your résumé writing and interview skills, and explore how career goals align with your values, skills and interests.
- Consider virtual volunteering. You can build your skills and add accomplishments to your résumé through volunteering. There are organizations who are looking for volunteers to help remotely.
- Take an online course. Whether this is part of your academic programming or pursuing a personal interest, it’s always good to expand your knowledge base. Check out the listing of free ivy league online courses.
- Enhance your study skills. The Student Success Office offers resources on how to adjust to online learning and how to study more effectively in university.
- Learn on LinkedIn. LinkedIn Learning is available to Waterloo students at no cost.
- Join a Meetup group. Grow connections in your areas of interest within relevant networks through Meetup groups that pique your curiosity.
Resources
- CareerHub. Explore CareerHub for helpful tips on applying and interviewing, work search strategies, and success at work.
- Working remotely. If you’re new to working from home, set yourself up for success. See these tips for working remotely as a co-op student from Co-operative Education.
- Co-op consults and appointments. Connect virtually or in-person with a career advisor for support with a variety of career preparation topics including résumé, cover letter, interview, work search and further education planning.
- CCA drop-ins and workshops. Explore online workshops and drop-in sessions. All workshops, events and drop-in sessions are currently offered virtually.
- Connect with other students.
- Join the Co-op Connection group for your area.
- Reach out to your faculty student society to learn more about the peer-to-peer supports they’re offering.
- WUSA Peer Support Services including MATES, Glow Centre, The Women's Centre, and RAISE are offering one-on-one online peer support sessions throughout the term.
- Check out the ENGWellness blog.
- MyWorldAbroad. Explore virtual ways to connect with international experiences:
- Learn a language: Increase your career potential and expand your personal horizons by building your language skills.
- Build international skills: Enhance your international skillset.
- Top international blogs and podcasts: Learn about new countries and listen to engaging stories about the world around us.
- MyWorldBuzz: COVID-19 and new projects.
- International student resources. The Student Success Office offers immigration consulting, information pertaining to immigration documents and more.
- Food Support Service. Food hampers are currently available from the Turnkey Desk and a number of other campus locations, or find a Food Bank near you.
- Wellness.
- Campus Wellness - Counselling Services provides service by phone and video from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday to Friday. Workshops and seminars are also available online.
- Good2Talk, a phone and texting service, offers confidential support to post-secondary students.
- BounceBack is a free, evidence-based cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) program that offers guided mental health self-help supports for adults and youth 15+ using workbooks, online videos and phone coaching.
- Empower Me, a confidential mental health and wellness service, connects students with qualified counsellors 24/7.
- Wellness Together provides free online resources, tools, apps and connections to trained volunteers and qualified mental health professionals when needed.
- WUSA Commissioners. Here to help in a variety of areas that students may be experiencing during this time. For more information, contact:
