Five tips from career advisors for a successful job search
By: Emily Totzke (she/her)
Waterloo career advisors provide practical tips to help you confidently navigate your co-op job search.
Landing a co-op job can feel overwhelming, especially when you’re balancing academic responsibilities and trying to make a strong impression on potential employers. Vanya Gnaniah and Laura Ashfield, career advisors in the Centre for Career Development (CCD) in the University's Co-operative and Experiential Education (CEE) unit, offer practical advice to help you navigate the process with confidence.
1. Highlight transferable skills
Even if you haven’t had paid work experience before, you’ve likely developed valuable skills through coursework, extracurriculars and personal projects. Employers care about what you can do, not just where you’ve worked.
“Transferable skills like problem solving, communication and teamwork are hard to train in the workplace,” Vanya explains. “You can teach someone how to use a new software or tool, but it’s much harder to teach someone how to collaborate effectively or think critically under pressure.”
Think about times you’ve collaborated on group assignments, led a club initiative or taught yourself a new tool. The key is to connect these experiences to the job requirements and show how your background prepares you to succeed in the role.
Vanya Gnaniah, career advisor
2. Search by skills, not job title
Job titles can be misleading or overly broad, making it hard to know exactly what a role involves. Instead of limiting your search to specific titles, look for opportunities based on existing skills or ones you would like to strengthen or develop. This approach opens a wider range of possibilities and helps you find roles that match your strengths.
Search based on the skills you want to use or develop. You might find roles you hadn’t even considered before.
By focusing on skills, you can uncover hidden opportunities and apply to roles that may not have been on your radar.
3. Tailor each job application
One of the most effective ways to stand out in a competitive job market is to customize your résumé and cover letter for each position.
Laura Ashfield, career advisor
Instead of listing tasks, focus on achievements and use keywords from the job description to show how your experience aligns with the job you're interested in. Employers are looking for applications that clearly show why a student is a good fit for the role.
“The key is to connect your skills to what the employer is looking for,” Laura says. “For example, if a job values collaboration, talk about how you worked with others on a group project or organized an event with your club.”
A tailored application demonstrates that you’ve taken the time to understand the role and shows employers how your experiences directly relate to what they’re looking for.
4. Prepare for interviews
Interviews can be nerve-wracking, especially if you’re new to the process. Practicing your responses out loud helps you feel and sound more confident and natural. Whether you rehearse with a friend, a career advisor or an AI tool, speaking your answers aloud allows you to refine your delivery and build your confidence.
AI can be helpful for interview preparation, but employers want to hear your authentic answers in the interview. While you shouldn’t rely on AI during the interview itself, it can still be valuable by explaining how you use it in your work, how you evaluate its outputs and how you integrate it responsibly.
Preparation also includes researching the company and preparing thoughtful questions for the employer that show genuine interest. These steps help you make a strong impression and demonstrate your enthusiasm for the role.
“Skip the generic questions and go for ones that show you’ve really thought about the role,” Laura says. “Ask about team structure, challenges in the role, how success is measured or something specific you read about the company."
Show you’re thinking beyond just getting the job and that you’re thinking about how you’d thrive in it.
5. Seek out additional resources
CEE offers a wide range of resources to support your job search. From résumé reviews and mock interviews to LinkedIn workshops and employer information sessions, these services are designed to help you succeed.
CareerHub is an online guide developed by the Centre for Career Development that provides advice, examples and templates to support your job search. For career planning advice, job search strategies or graduate and professional school preparation, book an appointment with a career advisor for support.
There are also a variety of ways to find and secure your next co-op job. Consider using the WaterlooWorks job boards including Full-Cycle Service and Employer-Student Direct to connect with employers that are specifically seeking out Waterloo students. Additionally, JADA (job aggregator and digital assistant) is an AI-powered tool in UWaterloo Portal that provides an additional way for you to search for potential co-op-eligible jobs and answer your questions about co-op.
If you have questions about the co-op process, you can reach out to your co-op advisor, who has in-depth knowledge of your faculty and can help you navigate the process.
Bringing it all together
Your co-op job search is more than just submitting applications. It’s about being strategic, reflective and resourceful. By tailoring your materials, focusing on your strengths, practicing interviews and using the resources available to you, you’ll be better equipped to find a role that aligns with your goals. Remember that not all careers are linear, and each step you take is part of a broader journey of growth and discovery.