Students
What's in it for you?
Today's new workforce faces challenges requiring practical skills and a variety of experiences to adapt to changing labour market needs. By participating in Work-Integrated Learning opportunities, you'll be exposed to different experiences and workplaces. Through these placements, you'll build your portfolio of skills and connections to successfully prepare you to tackle real-world problems and become competitive in your job search.
"My learning with this organization was phenomenal. Each day was a new experience and something new to learn. As a finance major, half way through the major, I was constantly challenged and forced to learn outside of my comfort zone. I consider all the information, advice and lessons I have received from my supervisor and co-workers at CCM to be extremely relevant and helpful."
Michelle Smith, student at University of Manitoba
"This past term was filled with valuable information with regards to life in the accounting profession, and the variety of opportunities the career opens up for individuals. The co-op program has been beneficial in clarifying any hesitations I had of my career choice. "
Nyasha Mukumba, student at University of Manitoba
"What I learned from my on-the-job experience will benefit me in the classroom as it provides me with real-world experiences to apply to new concepts I learn in class. It is always easier to comprehend a certain theory or idea if you have a real life experience to relate to it. These co-op experiences will provide me with these opportunities to link the working world to the academic world."
Courtney Thomson, student at University of Manitoba
Two thousand, eight hundred. That’s about how many culverts Sydney James inspected during a summer that saw her driving all around Saskatchewan. As an engineering technology student at Saskatchewan Polytechnic, much of Sydney’s classroom work related directly to the experience she gained through her work placement at the Department of Highways.
“After a summer studying culverts and learning about how water flow impacts land stability, we began studying hydraulics in class,” she said. “I was able to see the impact of engineering in the real world, and then learn the science behind it.”
Fo...
After winning a high school robotics competition, Bo Chiasson knew that his future would involve technology – he just wasn’t sure what, or where. Now in his final year in the Instrumentation and Engineering Technology Program at Saskatchewan Polytechnic, Bo says that the hands-on experience of multiple work terms have helped hone his skills.
“When I started the program, I wasn’t sure what I was getting into. Having work terms means that I’m not going into the industry or career path blind – I’ve built up hands-on experiences.”
During his work terms, Bo has worked alongside journeymen and...
A marketing class in her third year at the University of Waterloo had Amy Zhou wondering, “Is this actually how they approach solving problems in the real world?”
During a co-op term at Microsoft, she found the answer. “You learn so much when you’re thrown into an environment where instead of having a professor hand your assignment back, you’re responsible for setting something loose into the world.”
During her four-month work placement, Zhou created communications products for small and medium businesses, tracked key performance indicators and assisted with social media campaigns. “If...
For Matthew Rosenfeld, a student in the Primary Care Paramedic program, the experience was a great way to apply concepts and procedures learned in the classroom into a real life scenario.
“The interaction with the other agencies was an incredibly beneficial experience. Inter-agency communication can be difficult, and this scenario allowed us to identify and correct some issues,” says Rosenfeld.
Primary Care Paramedic student Jenna Gliddon says the experience helps her and her classmates prepare for a career in emergency services.
“We do lots of practice scenarios throughout the...
Here are some tips to help you prepare and destress before an in-person networking event:
- At the event, find a way to make a large group smaller by joining a table or a cluster of only 1-2 people.
- Ensure that you have a list of questions you’re genuinely interested in having answered in order to appear natural in your conversations.
- Remember that listening is a noteworthy skill. People love to talk about themselves; just provide them with thoughtful and impactful questions to answer.
- Finally, give yourself a goal: whether it be to stay for a certain amount of time, to introduce yourself to a number of people, or to leave with a number of business cards.
If you prefer to network virtually, check out “How can I network virtually?”
Start by preparing a few talking points before meeting your supervisor to discuss the possibility of future employment. List your achievements and accomplishments to refer back to, and explain how you’ve grown or what you’ve learned. Relate these back to your career goals and explain why working full time for your supervisor would benefit not only yourself but the organization. Outline how your values align with the organization’s, and show gratitude for the experience thus far. If the answer is negative, be respectful and appreciative for the experience you’ve had so far.
Communication is key when it comes to finding a solution to a problem. Before initiating a conversation, think about your goals and the issue that needs to be addressed. What are you hoping to come out of this conversation? What are the facts of the situation? How might your supervisor react? How would you react? When you decide to initiate the conversation, be clear about the intentions and remind yourself and your supervisor that you are both solution-oriented and have shared goals in mind.
During the discussion, you may want to use the STATE methodology:
Share your facts
Tell your story
Ask for their view
Talk tentatively
Encourage testing
Through this methodology, you are staying calm in your explanation, staying solution-oriented, and accountable. At the end of your meeting, summarize together what you have discussed and outline next steps as applicable.
Before deciding to leave a co-op placement or internship, think about contacting your Coordinator. They will be able to help you problem-solve the situation or give you guidance on what options are available to you.
Some FAQs at a glance
A resume’s main goal is to get you an interview with the employer. The two basic principles are to keep the resume brief and to be formatted correctly. A standard resume should be 1-2 pages in length (if you have limited experience, keep to 1 page), and in reverse chronological order (most recent on top) when listing your education and work experience. When describing work experiences, use bullet points to list accomplishments (both qualitative and quantitative). Each bullet is a full sentence using action words listing the outcome of that action.
Sections to consider including (Order can very):
- Education
- Work Experience
- Volunteer Experience
- Personal Projects
- Skills
- Hobbies and Extracurricular Activities
- Awards
For a full resume guide with templates and examples, see University of McGill’s How to write a CV.
Cover letters are about convincing the employer that there is a match between your skills and qualifications, and the employer’s needs. The goal should be to answer the following questions:
- “What do you want the employer to know about you and your experiences?”;
- “Why do you want to work for this organization and work in this role?”, and
- “Why should they hire you?”
The cover letter should fit on one page, and should be tailored to each position, employer, and industry you’re applying to. To customize your cover letter, demonstrate knowledge of the organization and relate your skills and experiences to identify how you can help them accomplish their mandates.
Extra note: Spend some time researching who to address your cover letter. This shows commitment to wanting to go the extra mile, and can help make you stand out from more generic cover letters.
For a full guide with templates and examples, see McGill’s Cover Letter Guide.
The first thing to consider is whether you meet the ‘core’ requirements. If you are able to meet the basic requirements to do the job, then it may be worth applying to. The next step is to consider if you are able and willing to obtain the remaining skills on your own. Although an employer will know that you are missing a requirement, if you have a plan to fill that gap, it may be enough for the employer to give you a chance. Remember that you don’t know who else applied for the role, and you have nothing to lose by trying.
Resume:
It is important to note that unrelated work experience is still work experience; it shows you’ve reported back to a supervisor, worked as part of a team and followed a work schedule. These past experiences have taught you skills that you can highlight for the position for which you’re applying. For example, human skills such as communication and teamwork are always relevant and in demand.
Other skills can come from different types of experiences:
- Volunteer experience → development of soft skills in a work-like setting, teamwork, etc.
- Education → courses in which you’ve written essays, developed your writing and communication skills; labs or other projects which developed your research and analysis skills, etc.
- Personal projects → websites created, apps developed, blog, podcast, etc.
Cover Letter:
Your cover letter is your time to shine and showcase how your experiences have taught you the skills to excel in this new position. Draw from your work and volunteer experiences, education background and personal projects outlined in your resume. Always relate these back to the position for which you’re applying and how they’ll help you excel in your new role. Providing evidence of your knowledge of the company to show your interest in the position will also help set you apart.
Your post-secondary institution may have a job portal or website dedicated to listing student jobs from around your community. Each province and territory, as well as the federal government, has a job board available to all. These jobs are posted from all sectors of the economy, including private and public sectors.
Corporate job sites are also a common way to find jobs. Places like Indeed, Workopolis, and Glassdoor are all popular job posting sites. The other place to check out is LinkedIn, where you’ll be able to build up your profile and use it to apply directly to jobs or network with recruiters.
Students who have to work from home require different skills than working within an office. Working at home means less oversight from your direct supervisor, which requires you to have good time and self management. Demonstrating your ability to work under little supervision as well as manage your time effectively to reach deadlines. Communication also becomes very important; your supervisor needs to trust that you can clearly communicate when you need help or when you’d like more work to be assigned to you.
For more information, see STU’s Working from home: A guide for STU interns.
