How to make the most of your information session

How to make the most of your information session

Students at work collaborating on a projectCo-operative and Experiential Education (CEE) hosts many Employer Information Sessions (info sessions) for students each term. Each info session complements an employer’s recruiting strategy, provides an opportunity for an employer to connect with students and discuss upcoming co-op and graduating job opportunities, and promotes an employer’s brand on campus. Alternatively, info sessions accompany a student’s job search strategy by providing an opportunity to network with employers of interest and learn about an organization and its job opportunities, in order to help make a well-informed decision in the job search process, and increase job fit and job match success.

Facebook has been holding Information Sessions at Waterloo for several years and the results are awesome! We meet great students at our open information session each term and get to interact closely with our active interview prospects during the closed sessions.  Highly recommended if you want to hire from Waterloo!

-Mike Castor, University Recruiter, Facebook

Info sessions are more than strict, formal, sit-down presentations. Employers host pub-style or tech talk type info sessions that are engaging and allow ample time for networking. Info sessions are two hours in length, usually beginning with a presentation, followed by a networking component, or just pure networking. A lot of info sessions also provide students and employers the opportunity to mix and mingle over food. CEE offers employers on-campus promotion for their info session.

I love getting to chat one-on-one with employers. You get a better idea of what the company is all about and the type of people who work there. It’s also awesome to see what companies are working on behind the scenes. Sometimes they bring their current co-ops to talk about the job and it’s great to see firsthand what they’ve worked on and how they liked it.

- Environment and Business student Victoria de Luna

Here are some of the most common and most interesting foods served in the past, as well as notable info session giveaways: 

Most common foods: Most interesting foods: Notable giveaways:
Pizza Shawarma wraps Hot sauce
Assorted hors d'oeuvres Burritos Slinkies
Wraps Sushi Sunglasses
Sandwiches and vegetable trays Chinese food Colour-changing coffee travelers
Cookies Bacon-wrapped scallops and mini-quiches iPads
Pop Coffee and tea Nintendo Switch

In one year (May 1, 2014 to April 30, 2015), around 331 info sessions were hosted on campus. In an effort to continuously improve the info session experience, a survey was distributed to students for feedback in fall 2014 and winter 2015. Overall, students rated their satisfaction level with the info session experience as an 8 out of 10. The number one thing students want to gain from info sessions are opportunities for professional experience and networking with employers.

Facebook has been holding Information Sessions at Waterloo for several years and the results are awesome! We meet great students at our open information session each term and get to interact closely with our active interview prospects during the closed sessions.  Highly recommended if you want to hire from Waterloo!

-Mike Castor, University Recruiter, Facebook