By Tiffany Liu
I’ve been in this scenario many times and I imagine you have too. You have a question or concern about co-op so you log in to WaterlooWorks and see the list of contacts on your menu page. There’s a person’s name beside each job title but the title is abbreviated and you don’t know what any of them stand for. You pick one and hope for the best.
Here’s a brief description of those mysterious abbreviated roles and when you should contact them.
Account Managers (AM)
AMs do their absolute utmost to make sure that each of their employers is hiring as many and diverse range of UW co-op students as possible in valuable job experiences.
What they do: AMs are primarily responsible for enhancing relationships with existing employers and growing the number of co-op opportunities those employers have for students. AMs constantly identify areas in companies that may be under-serviced and suggest adding co-op student positions.
When to contact: Never directly. AMs interact face-to-face with employers, they rarely meet with students.
How it is relevant to you: AMs do their best to ensure you have a valuable employment experience and are not underutilized by your employer. They also strive to keep Waterloo front and centre for an employer’s hiring goals by counteracting any hiring biases they may have for other universities.
Hiring Process Support (HPS)
From posting a job to filling a job!
What they do: HPS is responsible for approving and posting jobs, ensuring employers have reservations for interviews, solving interview conflicts and everything in-between. HPS then ensures employers follow the interview process and all rankings are submitted before the employer deadline.
When to contact: No need to contact directly, questions about the job or employer can be routed to the Process Administrator.
How it is relevant to you: HPS makes sure you have a smooth application and interview process.
Work Term Support (WTS)
I just want students to know that they need not be nervous, all questions are good questions, just ask.
What they do: WTS wants to be the best support for you they can. They are here to answer all questions related to job search, rankings, initial interview problems, issues in the workplace, preparation for the next job, everything! WTS also visit you at your employer on your first and second last work term.
When to contact: All co-op related issues. They are your first point of contact at CEE.
How it is relevant to you: There is someone at CEE that is always looking out for you. Whenever you have a question or a concern regarding co-op, reach out to your WTS through the ‘Send A Message’ button at the top of your WaterlooWorks dashboard. They are here to help you.
Process Admin (PA)
If students have questions about job postings: reach out to a PA!
What they do: PAs have the same job responsibilities as HPS from posting to filling a job, but have a few less administrative duties than HPS.
When to contact: If you have questions regarding a job posting (for example, application requirements, vague additional document requests from the employers or the status of a job status near the end of the term).
How it is relevant to you: They are here to support and answer your questions as well! Talk to them if you have questions regarding a job posting.
