Interview conflicts

We know that students are busy people and sometimes things just come up. While we expect you to attend all interviews, if you have an interview conflict we’ll do our best to work with you to find a solution.

Some examples of interview conflicts may be:

Scheduled midterms/exams
Mandatory medical appointments
Conflicting interview times
Personal/family emergencies
Important academic/professional events
Time zone differences (requested time must fall within the standard 8 a.m. - 7 p.m. ET)
UW interview site is different from your home campus (applies to Architecture, Architectural Engineering and Global Business and Digital Arts students only)

All interview conflicts are assessed on a case-by-case basis. If you think you have an individual interview conflict, we expect you to follow the steps below to keep us informed and determine the best course of action.

Please note that while we do our best to work with the employer to resolve your conflict, employers may not always be able to accommodate your request. If this occurs, you may be removed from further consideration for the job.

Steps to take for individual and group interview conflicts

Individual interview conflicts

If your interview is today and you have an emergency:

Call 519-888-4026 for assistance. Do not send a message in WaterlooWorks.

If you are an Architecture, Architectural Engineering or Global Business and Digital Arts student:

If your UW interview site is different from your home campus, you can skip straight to Step 3 to request a location accommodation by submitting the interview conflict form.

For all other interview conflict scenarios:

Step 1: Do not contact employers	Do not contact employers to re-arrange interview times or dates! That’s what we’re here for.
Step 2: Try to switch time slots with another student	Try to switch time slots with another candidate listed on the interview schedule in WaterlooWorks by following these steps: Look up other student interviewee names and email addresses Send other student interviewees an email requesting a switch If you’re successful and the interview schedule is open, make the switch in WaterlooWorks If the interview schedule will not let you make the switch, the person who initiated the switch must submit an interview conflict form with as many details as possible. Once this form has been submitted, don’t wait to receive confirmation – you and the other student can now attend the interview at your new stated times. If you have questions about a scheduled interview or interview conflict, click the "Send a message" button in WaterlooWorks and select "Interviews" as the category. This will direct your message to one of our interview coordinators.
Step 3: Submit an interview conflict form if you can't find another student to switch with, or if your UW interview site is different from your home campus	If you can’t find another student to switch with: Submit the appropriate interview conflict form with as many details as possible. If your UW interview site is different from your home campus: Submit the 'Interview conflict - unable to switch times with another student' form with as many details as possible to request a location accommodation. Once your conflict form is received: We’ll work with the employer to resolve your conflict in priority sequence. Please note that this may take more than one business day - please do not submit multiple requests for the same interview. If your request is approved: You will receive confirmation once your conflict has been resolved and the changes will be reflected on WaterlooWorks. If you do not receive confirmation by 4:30 p.m. on the day before your interview: Please contact the CEE Hub at 519-888-4026, email ceehub@uwaterloo.ca or check in in-person at CEE Hub on the main floor of the Tatham Centre. If your request is declined: You are expected to attend your interview as scheduled, or risk facing a penalty. Remember that employers take time out of their day to interview students. Missing interviews is unprofessional and deprives other students from the chance to interview. It may also jeopardize the availability of future jobs. Note: If you have questions about a scheduled interview or interview conflict, click the "Send a message" button in WaterlooWorks and select "Interviews" as the category. This will direct your message to one of our co-op service specialists.

Step 1: Do not contact employers

Do not contact employers to re-arrange interview times or dates! That’s what we’re here for.

Step 2: Try to switch time slots with another student

Try to switch time slots with another candidate listed on the interview schedule in WaterlooWorks by following these steps:

Look up other student interviewee names and email addresses
Send other student interviewees an email requesting a switch
If you’re successful and the interview schedule is open, make the switch in WaterlooWorks
If the interview schedule will not let you make the switch, the person who initiated the switch must submit an interview conflict form with as many details as possible.
Once this form has been submitted, don’t wait to receive confirmation – you and the other student can now attend the interview at your new stated times.
If you have questions about a scheduled interview or interview conflict, click the "Send a message" button in WaterlooWorks and select "Interviews" as the category. This will direct your message to one of our interview coordinators.

Step 3: Submit an interview conflict form if you can't find another student to switch with, or if your UW interview site is different from your home campus

If you can’t find another student to switch with:

Submit the appropriate interview conflict form with as many details as possible.

If your UW interview site is different from your home campus:

Submit the 'Interview conflict - unable to switch times with another student' form with as many details as possible to request a location accommodation.

Once your conflict form is received:

We’ll work with the employer to resolve your conflict in priority sequence. Please note that this may take more than one business day - please do not submit multiple requests for the same interview.

If your request is approved:

You will receive confirmation once your conflict has been resolved and the changes will be reflected on WaterlooWorks.

If you do not receive confirmation by 4:30 p.m. on the day before your interview:

Please contact the CEE Hub at 519-888-4026, email ceehub@uwaterloo.ca or check in in-person at CEE Hub on the main floor of the Tatham Centre.

If your request is declined:

You are expected to attend your interview as scheduled, or risk facing a penalty.
Remember that employers take time out of their day to interview students. Missing interviews is unprofessional and deprives other students from the chance to interview. It may also jeopardize the availability of future jobs.

Note: If you have questions about a scheduled interview or interview conflict, click the "Send a message" button in WaterlooWorks and select "Interviews" as the category. This will direct your message to one of our co-op service specialists.

Group interview conflicts

If you have multiple interviews scheduled at the same time and one (or more) of them is a group interview, you may choose to attend the one you’re more interested in. Please follow the steps below:

Step 1	Submit the appropriate interview conflict form.
Step 2	Attend other interviews as usual.

If you have questions about a scheduled group interview or group interview conflict, click the "Send a message" button in WaterlooWorks and select "Interviews" as the category. This will direct your message to one of our co-op service specialists.

How to submit an interview conflict form

To submit the appropriate interview conflict form for your situation, follow the steps below:

Visit WaterlooWorks > Submit a Form > Recruiting Term Support > Select the appropriate sub-category for your situation:
- “Interview conflict – another student agreed to switch times”
- “Interview conflict – unable to switch times with another student”
Complete and submit the form with as many details as possible.
For tips on how to submit/edit forms on WaterlooWorks, visit WaterlooWorks Help.

If you have questions about a scheduled interview or interview conflict, click the "Send a message" button in WaterlooWorks and select "Interviews" as the category. This will direct your message to one of our interview coordinators.

If you miss an interview

When you agreed to our WaterlooWorks Terms and Conditions, you agreed to attend all interviews for jobs that you applied for in WaterlooWorks. This not only protects your reputation with the company, but also allows you to learn about the position, establish a relationship and contribute to a positive experience for that employer who took time out of their day to get to know you and other Waterloo co-op students.

If you miss an interview, we’ll contact you and ask you to write a letter explaining the circumstances that caused you to miss your interview. Regardless of your reasoning for missing an interview, it’s polite and professional to explain the circumstances and thank the hiring company for giving you the opportunity to meet. This can help to establish a relationship with an employer, and may even open the door to a second chance or other opportunities.

If you miss multiple interviews, you could receive a consequence (assessed on a case-by-case basis). If this is the case, you will still be able to arrange your own job for co-op credit, receive support from your co-op advisor and access resources through the Centre for Career Development.

In the future, if you think you might need to miss an interview you can follow the instructions above to see what is possible for your situation. If your interview is today and you have an emergency, call the CEE Hub at 519-888-4026 for assistance (do not send a message in WaterlooWorks). In addition, if you’re feeling overwhelmed with your interview schedule, you can request relief from one or more of your upcoming interviews.