Interview cycles and methods

Recruitment updates due to COVID-19

To ensure the safety of all students and employers, and limit the spread of COVID-19, all interviews will take place remotely until further notice. 

Reach out to your account manager (for existing employers), or hire.talent@uwaterloo.ca (for new employers), if you have any questions about this process.

 Have questions about how the COVID-19 pandemic affects you as an employer? Read our Frequently Asked Questions about co-op for employers for current information on this situation.
Wondering how to manage co-op students working remotely?  We've connected with co-op employers and students to collect best practices to help transition your co-op students to work from home.

Four ways to interview your candidates

In order to allow employers and students some flexibility, there are four ways that you can interview Waterloo students:

  1. In-person (on campus) interviews (Please note: All interviews will take place remotely until further notice due to COVID-19)
    1. In-person interviews occur at one of our three campuses, depending on which kind of student you're looking to hire (check out the Recruiting dates page for the dates and times we host interviews).
    2. Choose between individual interviews (to learn more about each student on a more personal level, ask questions and clarify the qualifications of each candidate) or group interviews (to save time by explaining job details to all interviewees in one sitting).
  2. WaterlooWorks integrated webcam interviews (webcam/audio-only options) 

    1. With so much of today’s hiring happening remotely, we have launched our WaterlooWorks integrated webcam feature to make it easier than ever to conduct your interviews online, without all the coordination!

    2. With this functionality, you won’t have to set up individual interviews, use third-party software to generate links, or liaise with each student individually to coordinate or troubleshoot your webcam interviews. Instead, you’ll just choose your candidates to create an interview schedule in WaterlooWorks, they’ll select a timeslot from the options provided, and you’ll both be able to join a virtual interview room at the time of your interview. It’s that simple!
    3. To learn more about our virtual interview platform, visit our WaterlooWorks Help webpage.
  3. Employer-arranged webcam interviews 
    1. You will need to provide each student with a link and any necessary instructions prior to their scheduled interview time slot.
    2. Prior to your interview, please contact each student directly using the email address provided on your interview schedule to discuss setting up a webcam interview.
  4. Phone Interviews
    1. Call each student directly during their scheduled interview time slot via the phone number provided on your interview schedule.

Our interview cycles

In response to the global COVID-19 pandemic, we’ve made some adjustments to our hiring process for Fall 2020 (September to December) and Winter 2021 (January to April) work terms.