Your employment search
If you're in a graduate-level co-op program that is fully supported by Co-operative and Experiential Education (CEE), you have access to the WaterlooWorks co-op job board to find your co-op position.
You'll also have access to services from the Centre for Career Development and support within your faculty/department. Learn more about these resources below.
WaterlooWorks
Your contact: Your co-op advisor
For: Any co-op-related support
You'll be job searching alongside peers who may have had relevant work experience during their undergrad. You'll also be job searching with current undergraduate students who may already have several work terms under their belt. This can sometimes leave graduate students feeling frustrated. You will have access to many supports from Co-operative Education, The Centre for Career Development and your faculty/department to navigate through the various challenges of co-op.
Graduate co-op students with access to the Full-Cycle Service and Employer-Student Direct boards on WaterlooWorks also have access to our graduate professional development course, WIL 601: Career Foundations for Work-Integrated Learning. This online course is meant to help you identify, evaluate and articulate your current skillsets and the competencies you are developing in graduate school. You'll also learn strategies for networking and the job search process, and how to cultivate meaningful career development during and after your work-integrated learning (WIL) experience.
If you're having difficulty securing work for the next term, you can access resources through the Centre for Career Development.
Note: Graduate students in CEE supported programs can also arrange their own co-op job.
The Centre for Career Development (CCD)
Your contact: CCD career advisor
For: Skills development, job search support
The Centre for Career Development supports all students at the University of Waterloo as well as post-docs and alumni.
Visit CareerHub to learn about what employers want in a co-op student and how to hone those skills for a competitive job search.
You can book an appointment with a career advisor or attend drop-in hours for a variety of specialized job search supports.
You can also attend workshops and events for graduate students, which are catered toward academic or non-academic career development.
Your faculty/department
Your contact: Departmental graduate coordinator/officer/administrator
For: Questions about academic/co-op sequencing, fees assessed, work reports
Some faculties have developed co-op supports in partnership with Co-operative Education and the Centre for Career Development. For example:
- The Faculty of Arts often holds Co-op Information Sessions in the fall or winter terms for Master of Arts students.
- Some Faculty of Mathematics students are required to participate in a co-operative education preparatory workshop series.
Speak to the graduate coordinator in your department for more information on faculty/departmental co-op supports available to you.
If you have questions related to co-op that aren't covered above and you are in a Co-operative Education supported program, you can drop in to the Centre for Career Development (Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. - 4 p.m.) to speak with a career advisor.