WaterlooWorks clusters

When employers post jobs in WaterlooWorks, the jobs are tagged with ‘clusters’ and you can see these listed at the bottom of every job description in WaterlooWorks (in the “Targeted Degrees and Disciplines” section).

The clusters allow employers to indicate the types of prospective applicants they believe will be a suitable match to fill an opening. It’s important to remember that regardless of which clusters are added to a job, any student can still apply to any job in WaterlooWorks.

There are two types of clusters that can be tagged to a job: Thematic and Academic.

  • An employer can use a thematic cluster to indicate job function (like ‘Business Administration’, ‘Health Care: Therapy and Patient Care’ or ‘Computing: Software’), not specifically the industry or occupation.
  • An employer can use an academic cluster to indicate the academic program they think would be a fit (like ‘Architecture’, ‘Science: Biological Sciences’ or ‘Environment: Geomatics’).

All academic plans are associated with multiple clusters and you can see the clusters associated with your program below. The lists below are based on historical hiring and are reviewed and updated on a regular basis to ensure new trends and new programs are captured.

Clusters can assist you in your job search activities in various ways:

  • Before you consider using clusters in your job search, familiarize yourself with the thematic and academic clusters tagged to your program (Tip: expand all content below and use control+F search functionality to find your program)
  • Remember that when using the quick search 'For My Program' in WaterlooWorks, it will provide a list of jobs that employers have identified might be a fit for your program.
    • But remember, this should just be a starting point for your search as it doesn’t take into account the skills you’re acquiring that might go beyond your program (whether through a specialization, your participation in a WUSA club, or a course you’re taking through LinkedIn Learning). There are additional search functionality tips on the WaterlooWorks search page.
  • If you see a cluster that interests you and it is not tagged to your program, you can use the cluster quick search to provide a list of jobs that are associated with a specific cluster(s).

Thematic clusters

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Academic clusters

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