WaterlooWorks help: Getting started

How to: Verify your information on WaterlooWorks

WaterlooWorks is our online system created to help students at Waterloo find work. It’s also our main method of contacting you, so be sure to sign in regularly and check your Waterloo-assigned email account for message notifications.

It’s your responsibility to confirm that the following information is accurate and up-to-date on WaterlooWorks:

  • Your co-op status (found in the "Co-op" tab; you must be on a study term and unemployed to apply for jobs through the WaterlooWorks Co-op job board)
  • Profile/contact information (found in the “My Account” section)
  • Study/work sequence (found on the “Co-op” tab)
  • Unofficial grade report (found in the “Documents” tab and updated each night through the Registrar’s Office; check that grades are accurate)
  • Co-op student record (previous co-op job titles/employers, evaluations, etc.)

Some of this information (e.g., grade report, profile) is pulled from Quest, so you may need to contact the Registrar’s Office if you notice any issues.

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How to: Accept terms and conditions and submit your intentions

Before you do anything else, we need you to read and accept the terms and conditions on WaterlooWorks, and set your intentions to let us know how you’ll be looking for jobs.

We need to know if you’ll be looking for jobs on WaterlooWorks, finding your own job outside the system or returning to a previous employer.

To accept the terms and conditions:

  1. Scroll to the “Co-op Sequence - Summary” section on the dashboard
  2. Click “Click Here to Accept” in the section for the upcoming work term
  1. Read the terms and conditions thoroughly, and click “Accept”

To submit your job search intentions:

  1. From your dashboard, scroll to the “Co-op Sequence - Summary” section and select either:
    • Returning to a previous employer: You are returning to an employer that you have worked for during a previous co-op term. You have organized this yourself and do not intend to use WaterlooWorks to apply for the position. Please select the employer name from the drop-down menu, then complete and submit the following form with your employment details in WaterlooWorks:
      • Work Term Employment Offer
      • Returning to Previous Employer
    • Participating in the job search: You are planning to search and apply to jobs through WaterlooWorks. This option is also suitable if you will be conducting a combined search using both WaterlooWorks and searching externally
    • Finding your own job: You are planning to obtain/are in the process of obtaining a job by searching on your own. You do not plan to search and apply to jobs through WaterlooWorks. Select this option then complete and submit the following form with your employment details in WaterlooWorks:
      • Work Term Employment Offer
      • Select the appropriate sub-category based on your work location
    • Other You are not planning to pursue any of the above options this term. Perhaps you are planning on taking a term off or are opting to complete a study term. Please include a brief explanation of your term intentions when prompted in the box that appears next to "Comments"
  2. Click “Submit”
  3. You will need to submit your intentions to access jobs on WaterlooWorks. If your plans change throughout the term, please update your intentions. It is important to submit updated intentions as it helps your co-op advisor understand what kind of support you require

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How to: Contact your co-op advisor

Before you start searching for your first co-op job, your co-op advisor will reach out to introduce themselves. But you can always find their contact information in WaterlooWorks and reach out when you need support. Your co-op advisor will support you throughout your co-op career at the University ─ including when you’re applying and interviewing and throughout your co-op work terms.

Co-op advisors are aligned with each faculty and know about your academic program, co-op journey, transferable skills and job opportunities. Your advisor is a dedicated resource to help you succeed through your recruitment and co-op work terms.

When to contact your co-op advisor?

When you:

  • have questions related to co-op
  • want help finding co-op jobs
  • need support with applications, interviews and rank/match process, or
  • have questions/concerns during your work term

Ways to contact your co-op advisor

There are a few ways you can get in touch with your co-op advisor:

  • Send a WaterlooWorks message by navigating to your co-op Advisor’s name on your dashboard and using the “Send a message” tool (Please note: It may take one to two business days for your advisor to respond).
  • Call the number listed in WaterlooWorks next to your advisor and leave a voicemail if you don't reach them. You can call any time, but keep in mind that co-op advisors have dedicated office hours for impromptu conversations with students from 2-3 p.m. ET, Monday to Friday.
  • Book an appointment using the MS Bookings link listed beside your co-op advisor’s name within WaterlooWorks.

Types of appointments

Quick discussion

Available for all co-op students on either a recruitment or work term.

  • 15-minute or less conversation (if you need more time book a Co-op Support Meeting)
  • For quick questions about co-op processes, WaterlooWorks, etc.
  • Virtual via MS Teams or by phone
  • Registration through your co-op advisor’s booking link
Co-op support meeting

Available for all co-op students on either a recruitment or work term.

  • 30-minute conversations
  • For questions or concerns about co-op processes, job search support, work term support, etc.
  • Virtual via MS Teams or by phone
  • Registration through your co-op advisor’s booking link
Work term consultation

Only for co-op students on a work term who have been asked to book a work term consultation by their co-op advisor. Please complete your eCheckIn form in WaterlooWorks before this meeting.

  • Approximately 30-minute conversations
  • Discussion topics may include projects/tasks you are working on, what you’ve learned, short-term and long-term career plans, other available resources, etc.
  • Virtual via MS Teams (preference) or by phone
  • Registration through your co-op advisor’s booking link
Ranking consult

Available for all co-op students on a recruitment term.

  • Quick conversations related to rank/match
  • By phone
  • Call your co-op advisor using the number listed in WaterlooWorks

How to book an appointment or find your co-op advisor’s phone number

  1. Log in to WaterlooWorks using your WATIAM credentials
  2. From your Dashboard, view your Service Team
  3. Select the "Book a meeting" link or call the number beside their name
    1. When booking a meeting, a new tab will open to on your co-op advisor’s MS Bookings page.
    2. After you have booked your appointment, you’ll receive an email confirmation including an attachment called "booking.ics" which allows you to add the meeting to your calendar (we highly recommend that you add this to your calendar).

How to reschedule or cancel an appointment

From your confirmation email: Select the Reschedule button. This will take you to your co-op advisor’s bookings page with options to reschedule or cancel the appointment.

From the calendar meeting invitation: Open the meeting invitation, in the body you’ll see "Manage Booking" with a link that will take you to your co-op advisor’s booking page with options to reschedule or cancel the appointment.

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How to: Understand WaterlooWorks key terms

Term Description
AOJ The term "AOJ" refers to the Arrange Own Job process, where students find co-op jobs outside of the WaterlooWorks Co-op job board.
CCD The Centre for Career Development (CCD) has a team of career advisors who work with ALL students - co-op, regular, undergrad, grad, postdocs and even alumni - to help them achieve their career goals.
CEE The Co-operative and Experiential Education (CEE) portfolio encompasses a number of co-op and career services for students (e.g., Co-operative Education, the Centre for Career Development, WatPD and the Work-Learn Institute (WxL)).
Co-op sequence A student’s co-op sequence is the prescribed layout of study and work terms.
Dashboard The dashboard is the first page all users are brought to when they log in to WaterlooWorks.
NAICS North American Industrial Classification System: a recognized national listing of industries used in WaterlooWorks to categorize our employers
NOC National Occupation Classification: a recognized national listing of occupations used in WaterlooWorks to categorize the jobs our students fill
Recruiting term A student is on a recruiting term if, according to their co-op sequence, their next term is a work term. A student may be on both a recruiting and work term simultaneously if they are on the first four months of an eight-month work term
Released Students must be released in order to apply to jobs. To be released, the student must accept the terms and conditions and submit their job search intentions. Get help with accepting terms and conditions.
Student status codes Student status codes appear throughout WaterlooWorks to indicate whether or not a student is employed for a work term. Review student status codes.
Work term A student is on a work term if, according to their co-op sequence, they are currently scheduled to be on a work term. A student is technically on a work term regardless of whether or not they are employed. A student may be on both a recruiting and work term simultaneously if they are on the first four months of an eight-month work term
Work term record A work term record is created as soon as a student is employed for a work term and details key information about the work term. On the work term record, students will be asked to provide information such as eCheckIn and contact info.
HPS Hiring Process Support: this service team role supports employers with the job posting process by approving job postings and ensuring they are written to attract the most qualified applicants.
AM Account Manager: this service team role manages the relationship with employers and is accountable for job development with existing Waterloo employers.
PA Process Administrator: this service team role supports employers with interview scheduling and the interview process and helps resolve interview conflicts.

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How to: Understand your student status in WaterlooWorks

All co-op students have employment statuses assigned to them throughout the duration of their co-op degree to help us track where they are in the co-op process and what supports they have access to. This way, we know who is employed (including how they found their job) and who might need some extra help.

For a full list of possible student statuses, consult the co-op roles and responsibilities.

Note: All co-op students are subject to this same suite of statuses regardless of whether they find a job on WaterlooWorks or arrange their own job.

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How to: Complete your skills profile

We use the details in your Skills Profile to send you information about additional job opportunities that you may be interested in.

Please keep your Skills Profile and job location preferences up-to-date each term to help us target these opportunities accordingly.

To complete your skills profile:

  1. From your dashboard, click the blue “Update Skills Profile” button
  2. Click to expand the various skills headers and choose your skill level where appropriate
  3. Click to expand the Locations section and select all the countries and locations you are willing and able to work in
  4. When you’re finished, click “Save” at the bottom of the page

To opt-out of receiving additional job notification messages:

  • You can opt-out of receiving these additional job notification messages at any time
  • To do so, update your preferences within the "Contact me about additional job opportunities" section of your Skills Profile

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How to: Submit/edit forms on WaterlooWorks

Throughout the co-op process, you might need to submit forms as you work to find employment and complete your work terms. Remember that forms can take some time to process, so be sure to read carefully, include all necessary details and review all details for each specific form below.If you have questions, select "Send a message" from your WaterlooWorks dashboard and select the appropriate category for your situation:

  • For Arrange Own Job forms, select "To my advisor" and your message will be directed towards your dedicated co-op advisor.
  • For interview conflict forms, select "Interviews" and your message will be directed to one of our interview coordinators.
Submit a form
  • Login to WaterlooWorks > Select "Submit a form" > Select appropriate category and sub-category based on your situation.
  • Use the “Save as Draft” button to save until you are ready to submit the form.
  • Fill out the form with as many details as possible.
  • When you're ready to submit the form, select the "Submit" button.
    • Please note: Your form will not be visible to staff or considered officially submitted until you select the "Submit" button.
Edit a form
  • Login to WaterlooWorks > Select "My forms" > Click "View" to open the form you want to edit.
Screenshot of the 'view' and 'new tab' buttons highlighted in a red box
  • Click the menu icon to expand your action options.
Screenshot of the menu button highlighted in a red box
  • Select "Edit form"
Screenshot of the 'Edit form' button highlighted in a red box
  • Make any necessary edits to the form and click "Submit" when you're done.
  • NOTE: If the "edit form" option doesn’t appear, your form has already been claimed by a staff member and is locked for editing. Select "Send a message" from your WaterlooWorks dashboard and select the appropriate category to see if it is possible for a staff member to make the change on your behalf.
Check the status of a form
  • Login to WaterlooWorks > Select "My forms" > Review the category and sub-category to view the status of your form.

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How to: Submit feedback on your recruiting term and work term experiences

Tell us about your experience and overall satisfaction with the co-op process while you were searching for jobs or on a work term! Your anonymous feedback will help us to better understand your overall experience and improve our services and supports.

To tell us about your experience and overall satisfaction with the co-op process while searching for a job:

  • Fill out our Recruiting Term Co-op Student Experience Survey (optional and confidential)
  • From your WaterlooWorks dashboard, click “View Work Term Record” and then “Recruiting Term Experience survey”

To tell us about your experience and overall satisfaction with the co-op process on a work term:

  • Fill out our Work Term Co-op Student Experience Survey (optional and confidential)
  • From your WaterlooWorks dashboard, click “View Work Term Record” and then “Work Term Experience survey”

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