Important dates

WaterlooWorks co-op employment process at a glance

This webpage will give you a sense of what your recruiting term will look like if you're using the WaterlooWorks Co-op board to search for jobs. For any jobs found outside of this board, you can follow the arrange own job process!

Who should use the calendars on this page:

  • All co-op students except those in Pharmacy and Architecture (your calendars are linked above). 
  • Architectural Engineering students can apply to both Co-op ARCH and Hire Waterloo Co-op jobs on WaterlooWorks, and should refer to the important dates for Architecture students calendar when applying to jobs on Co-op ARCH jobs. 
  • All students can access the WaterlooWorks “Other” job board which may also contain jobs that could be eligible for co-op credit (learn more).

Updates to our Winter 2021 work term hiring process

In response to the impact that COVID-19 has had on the job market, we’re piloting a change to our hiring process for the Winter 2021 work term to maximize the amount of choice, flexibility and convenience for students to search and apply for jobs, and for employers to hire candidates. We hope this will encourage more employers to post jobs and make it easier for students to apply and find out their results faster!

Remember: employers will be posting jobs in ALL of the cycles below, so keep applying until you have a match! Whether you end up finding a job in Cycle 1 or later in the recruitment process, great jobs will be available and we’re here to support you every step of the way.

If you have any questions, please send a message to your co-op advisor via WaterlooWorks.
Learn more about preparing for your Winter 2021 work term.

Here's an overview of what's new for the Winter 2021 work term hiring process:

• Extra employment cycle added before fall reading week to help you solidify matches faster (does not apply to Pharmacy and Architecture students, who follow their own hiring processes)
• Interviews arranged through WaterlooWorks will be conducted remotely to maximize flexibility 
• Application limits will increase by increments of 50 with every new posting to allow you to apply to more jobs
• You can keep applying for jobs all the way until March 8, 2021 if you need extra time!
• Please note: We're changing our wording to better reflect the fact that employers post jobs in various "cycles" throughout the recruiting term, so you'll see the word "cycle" replacing previous terms like "first interview cycle" (or "main round") and "continuous interview cycle."
  App limit Job postings open Apps due Remote interview period Employer rankings available  Student rankings due  Match results available
Cycle#1 Posting#1 50 apps Sept 14—18* Sept 22 at 9AM (ET) Sept 25—
Oct 7		 Oct 8 at 12PM (ET) Oct 9 at 2PM (ET) Oct 9 by end of day
Cycle#1 Posting#2 50 more apps (100 total) Sept 23—25 Sept 29 at 9AM (ET) 
October 10-18 Reading week = no interviews – focus on your academics, plan ahead and take good care of yourself! 
Cycle#2 Posting#1 50 more apps (150 total) Oct 13—16 Oct 20 at 9AM (ET) Oct 23—
Nov 4		 Nov 5 at
12PM (ET)		 Nov 6 at
2PM (ET)		 Nov 6
by end of day
Cycle#2 Posting#2 50 more apps (200 total) Oct 21—23 Oct 27 at 9AM (ET)
Cycles
#3-6
(continuous format)		 App limit increased to 500 apps in total Nov 9—Dec 1
New jobs posted daily
(job postings are live for 2 business days, so check back often!)		 Nov 17—
Dec 10 
Interviews every Tuesday-Thursday		 Nov 19—
Dec 10
Every Thursday at 8PM (ET)		 Nov 20—Dec 11
Every Friday at 10AM (ET)		 Nov 20 – Dec 11
Every Friday by end of day
Direct offers Following the last match on December 11, you can continue searching for jobs until March 8, 2021 if you’re still looking for a job for the Winter 2021 work term. Employers will contact you directly to arrange interviews and discuss any offers.
*A small number of jobs may be posted a few business days prior to September 14 on the WaterlooWorks Co-op job board as some employers have longer recruitment cycles. Feel free to start checking this board as early as September 9 and follow any instructions within the job description.

For a full list of dates and deadlines, check out the monthly calendars below!

Fall 2020 Calendar

Winter 2021 Calendar

Spring 2021 Calendar

Note: a small number of jobs may appear before the first posting and/or may expire prior to posting close date, as some employers have processes with recruiting timelines that do not follow our cycle. In all cases, a special note will be included in the job posting.

Suggested co-op work term start and end dates

  May - August 2020 September - December 2020 January - April 2021 May - August 2021
Start date           May 11 September 8 January 4 May 3
End date   August 28 December 23 April 23 August 20

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