I N S I D E T H I S I S S U E :

What NOT to say in an Interview!

1

CECS News and Re-minders

2

On Top of the World An Adventure to Alert

3

Stepping Stones How one Student Rose

to the Top by Finding his Passion

4

Career Corner: Whoever Tells the Best

Story Wins! 5

By Adam White and Alison Leppard Interviews: Ahhh - the fun part of the job search for candidates and employers, and the twenty minute opportunity you have to either land or lose a job. Employer Adam White, the manager of testing and escalations at PlateSpin, has conducted lots of interviews in the search for the perfect candidate. That being said, he has run into his share of imperfect candidates! Read on to hear his wacky, but true inter-view tales and learn how you can avoid becoming the bad example.

Be Remembered…For the Right Reasons!

Employer: “Tell me a little about yourself.”

Candidate: “Well I worked at Company X for 5 years. I have a good background in C++. I don't eat meat; only eat raw food. I sleep on the floor without a mattress. I am very humble, but my IQ is 180.”

During the rest of the interview the candidate continued to stray from the questions, throwing in per-sonal details like the fact he doesn’t cook with a microwave. Needless to say, he didn't get the job.

(Continued on page 2)

C O - O P E D U C A T I O N &

C A R E E R S E R V I C E S

U N I V E R S I T Y O F

W A T E R L O O

S U M M E R 2 0 0 8 S U M M E R E D I T I O N 1

The summer is finally here! For many it is the favourite season of the year, bringing long week-ends, trips to the beach, drinks on the patio, barbeques and ...Interviews?! Unfortunately, we do still have some responsibilities this summer. But whatever you are doing, whether it be studying in the sun or working in an air conditioned office, this edition of the sCo-op has something for you: learn from an employer’s hilarious-but-true interview tales, or hear about one student’s awesome adventure to the most northern community in the world. After hearing her story you may be a bit chilly, so make sure to read how one stu-dent wound up working in California on the Ipod. Also included are some great interview tips from Career Services. I hope you enjoy this edition and have a great summer term!

-Alison Leppard

What NOT to say in an Interview!

A letter from the editor...

Want to read more?

Check out back issues of the sCo-op here!

Media and Publications Associate 3B Honours Arts and Business

Social Development Studies

P A G E 2 What NOT to say in an Interview (continued…)

Important Dates If you haven’t already, check out the CECS Important Dates calendar for dates of things like job postings and interviews.

Workshops Career Services is offering lots of great workshops available this term on topics like international work terms, interview skills and much, much more. Visit the calendar online to register for one today!

JobMine Confidentiality CECS would like to remind all Job-Mine users that any information re-garding available positions gained through JobMine is confidential. This

includes all job descriptions, employer identities and other pertinent facts regarding employment. This informa-tion is solely for University of Water-loo students and alumni who are seek-ing employment and may not be shared with anyone else.

Keep Your Information Current Be sure to update your current tele-phone number and address in Quest. Additionally, make sure that your local phone number and email address are on your résumé. CECS may need to contact you to pass on important mes-sages. If the department doesn't have the right contact information, you could miss an important notice or even an interview.

Dana Porter Library -- Main Floor Renovations Start This Month

The main floor of the Dana Porter Library is getting completely reno-vated this spring / summer. Renova-tions are set to begin at the end of April, wrapping up sometime in Au-gust. During this time, the main floor will be entirely closed, although the rest of the Library will remain OPEN. The temporary entrance will be lo-cated on the west side of Porter, op-posite Needles Hall. For more infor-mation on the renovations and what services will be available and where, see the Renovations Website.

CECS Reminders

When responding to the general questions, you don’t want to have the employer remember you for your personality quirks. Instead, have them remember you as someone who has a pas-sion for the field and an interest in the position. Answer ques-tions with facts that are relevant to the job, portraying yourself as a great candidate. Be Prepared Always bring a copy of your résumé to the interview. Often employers will ask for a copy when you arrive. Being prepared can only work in your favour: you appear organized and eager, something that is valuable in almost all positions. Secondly, most employers will ask you what you know about the organization. Replying with “I’m not sure, I haven’t had time to research you” is an unaccept-able answer. A quick scan of the organization's website and job posting is all it takes. Be Yourself Employer: “What does it mean to

initialize a variable?”

Candidate: “Initializing a variable is initiating the initialization.”

If you don't know the answer to a particular technical question, be upfront about it. Don't try to make something up! Employers can see right through this and they probably know the correct answer anyway. Employers would rather train an honest person than hire someone shady who is trying to deceive them. Obligations Picture this scenario: A candi-date enters and someone is fol-lowing him. He says: “I really appreciate the opportunity to interview with PlateSpin. I have accepted a position at another company so I won't be inter-viewing for your position today. I have brought my friend along because I didn't want to waste your time.” The candidate gives the employer his friend's résumé and leaves. In co-op at UW you are obli-gated to attend all the inter-views you are granted. This also means conducting yourself the way you would in any other

interview. Missing interviews (or bringing a stand-in) not only gives a bad impression of you and the university, but it annoys the employer and wastes his or her time. (FYI, the stand-in did-n’t get an interview.) Closing Interviews usually wrap up with “Do you have any further ques-tions?” An inappropriate re-sponse is "No" or "So what does your company do?" (The end of the interview is not the right time to be asking this!) Even if you don't have questions, you can re-iterate what was said, what your understanding of the position is, and how you would be a perfect fit for the job. As you leave, remember to smile and thank the employer for the interview. After all, you want to be remembered as a keen and capable candidate, not the one who sleeps on the floor and eats only raw food.

Employer: “What does it

mean to initialize a variable?”

Candidate: Ini-tializing a variable

is initiating the initialization.”

P A G E 3 S U M M E R E D I T I O N 1

By Alison Leppard Kate Howes spent her winter ’08 term on top of the world—literally! This fourth year envi-ronment and resource studies student trav-elled all the way to the Canadian Forces Sta-tion (CFS) in Alert,

Nunavut to work for Environment Canada. After two days of travel in the back of a ‘Herc’ military plane with a stop in Resolute Bay and an overnight stop in Thule, Greenland, she finally arrived at a very dark spot; the place she would call home for the next four months. Alert is the most northern community in the world, located on the tip of Ellesmere Island. Primarily a military base, it is also the home to a Global Atmospheric Watch (GAW) station.

The GAW stations are a part of an in-ternational effort initiated by the United Nations to understand how industrialization is affecting the envi-ronment. Alert’s

data is especially significant because the readings are far removed from the industrial world. Kate’s job title was Assistant GAW Lab Operator and her main duties were to change air filters and collect air and snow samples that measure the emissions of chemicals and gases in the

atmosphere. She would then log the data for her supervisor and send the samples to destinations all over the world. Another part of her experience was living in a small community: everyday, all of the people who work at CFS

Alert share their delicious, profession-ally cooked meals in a cafeteria that overlooks the Arctic Ocean. And sur-prisingly, there are tonnes of other things to keep busy: Alert boasts two gyms, a bowling alley, sports tourna-ments (like a 24-hour ball hockey com-petition), movie nights, bingo, a library, interest clubs, and even two bars!

There are also organized activities like field trips outside of the base, fancy dinners, and an annual “sunrise cere-mony”. “Although there can be any-where between 50 to 100 people on base at a time, you get to know every-one very well and it creates a tight-knit family environment. The bonds that form here are truly one of a kind, and I know that once I leave Alert I will have made some lifelong friends.” While many students never venture outside of the GTA for work, Kate spent last summer living in the wilder-ness while tree planting in Alberta and Northern Ontario, and spent a winter

term teaching activities like cross- country skiing and high ropes at an outdoor education centre in Rock-wood, Ontario. With this background, it’s no surprise that she jumped at the chance to work and live in the Arctic for her second-last work term. What really drew her to Alert was the op-portunity to experience life in the arc-tic and to see another ecosystem. “Travelling so far north is something few people get to experience. My fa-vourite part of the term was knowing that my work is going toward studies to understand how the climate and atmosphere is changing.” Her co-op term ended on a high note with 24 hour daylight, a breath-taking helicop-ter ride over the mountains and ra-vines surrounding the base, and an ice fishing trip on the Arctic Ocean. Kate will be finishing her final co-op term this spring. Her advice to new co-op students is to “be flexible and take chances. This is the only time in your life you will get to try a career for such a short time. Get as much varied experience as possible.” After all, how many people can say they lived on top of the world?

On Top of the World An Adventure to Alert

Changing Filters

A Lemming

Helicopter Ride

Twilight

On an Iceberg

“Be flexible and take chances. This is the only time in your life you will get to try a career for

such a short time.”

P A G E 4

By Alison Leppard For many in the tech industry, working on the third generation

Ipod would be the opportunity of a lifetime. Every year, hundreds of starry-eyed first year co-op students come to Waterloo with plans of landing their dream job, but as reality sets in many are left disappointed when their first term is not exactly what they had in mind.

Sunit Mohindroo, a recent grad in Sys-tems Design Engineering, has a history of work terms at high profile companies in great locations. However, it wasn’t always this way: “When I started co-op I thought I was going to have a lot of choice and the chance to have inter-views with a lot of companies, but I only got one interview!” His first job was okay, but as his second term unfolded, he soon realized he needed to make some drastic changes: “My second job I absolutely hated. It was software devel-opment and I sat at my desk all day cod-ing. That is just not my thing. I like to interact with people, I like to do more user testing—more front line kind of stuff, instead of in the back office, cod-ing away. It really started after that term. I kind of thought, you know what, this is not for me.”

It may have been his worst co-op ex-perience—but it was also the term that he learned the most. Afterwards, Sunit became a lot more serious about the

direction of his career. He began by changing his program from computer engineering to systems design engineering.

But starting over wasn’t easy: “When I went back to interviews it was hard. When you don’t have a good term, you don’t really have a lot to show for it.” Luckily, one of his professors took a chance on

him and he ended up getting a job at a local start-up called SlipStream Data Inc., which is now a subsidiary of RIM. “At that point I really felt that to gain an advantage out of co-op and to take a step up every term I would need to stand out. That was the biggest thing for me: I had to take my own initiative and do something that I really like.”

At the new job, Sunit soon realized that the system for tracking bugs on the company’s website was very inefficient.

He decided to ask his supervisor and the director of development if he could reorganize the system. “It turned out to be my pet project, something that moti-vated me to be in the office a lot and kept me really engaged in my work. In the next round [of interviews] I was able to not only talk about my job, but say ‘hey I started this project’. Every-body seemed to be more interested in that than anything I actually did at work!” The rest is history: Sunit ended up landing great jobs at companies like Telus in Vancouver, British Columbia; Microsoft in Seattle, Washington; and

Apple in Cupertino, California. He even has a ‘real’ job lined up at Microsoft as a Program Manager for their Zune music device.

Whether your dream job is to work for an organization like Apple or an NGO, you can learn from Sunit’s story: when you find an area you are passionate about you will be motivated to take the initiative to make things better. “You would be surprised at the interest com-panies will take when you talk to them about something you are passionate about. Interviews become much more engaging and opportunities become much more exciting.” This enthusiasm is what impresses employers, eventually leading to great op-portunities, both in co-op and the real world!

Sunit in San Francisco

The Space Needle in Seattle

“You would be surprised at the interest companies will take when you talk to them

about something you are passionate about.”

On the ferry to go to work

Stepping Stones: How one Student Rose to the Top by

Finding his Passion

P A G E 5 S U M M E R E D I T I O N 1

Written By: Kelly Kozar Interviewing is much more than just answering questions. It’s about telling compelling stories that demonstrate your skills, knowledge and experiences to a potential employer. The reason why the employer has requested an in-terview with you is to see if you have what you say you have on your résumé. Interviewing is all about your ability to persuade and influence others through the power of your stories.

The key to any interview, particularly if it's for a new job, is to make the con-nection between your unique abilities and related situations in the new posi-tion through your success stories. Al-though it may be a new industry or job you are pursuing, there are many simi-larities to the day-to-day challenges and opportunities that you have faced in your past. Your career success stories bridge the gap.

Stories are the most natural way to communicate and to connect with oth-ers. Good stories capture peoples imagi-nation and create an emotional reaction that helps retain information. Stories are an effective and efficient way of commu-nicating facts, experiences, and captures the attention of our listeners.

Employers are typically looking for the following behaviours when interviewing and hiring new recruits (regardless of the position):  

There are several suggested formats for structuring your story from S-A-R (Situation, Action, Result), S-T-A-R (Situation/Task, Action, Result), P-A-R, (Problem, Action, Result/outcome). Here at University of Waterloo Career Services we recommend that students use the W5 Method (Who, What, Where, When, Why & How) as a means for formulating their stories. As the interviewee your challenge is to create a vivid and memorable picture for the interviewer. By providing your listener

with the details of your story (W5) you will surely accomplish this goal. Here is an example of a story using the W5 method:

Advertising revenue was falling off for my college newspaper, the Stetson Reporter, and large numbers of long-term advertisers were not renewing contracts.

I designed a new promotional packet to go with the rate sheet and compared the bene-fits of Reporter circulation with other ad media in the area. I also set-up a special training session for the account executives, with a School of Business Administration professor, who discussed competitive selling strategies.

We signed contracts with 15 former adver-tisers for daily ads and five for special sup-plements. We increased our new advertisers by 20 percent [quantities are always good] over the same period last year.

I am confident that my strong problem solv-ing and leadership skills will lead to quantifi-able results for your organization as well.

Using stories to sell your skills is a highly successful interview technique. In less than three minutes you can tell a story that will make interviewers remember you favourably. Employers believe that the best predictor of future success is past success. Don’t be concerned if your stories are not highly impressive, as long as the experience demonstrates your effective use of a particular skill.

Telling stories in an interview is a simple and effective way to communicate clearly, memorably, and to differentiate yourself. It is also a technique you can practice and then use in an interview to respond to many of the questions you will be asked.

Independence & team work

Oral & written communication

skills

Analytical capabilities Attention to detail

Decisiveness & prob-lem solving

Willingness to take calculated risks

Energy & Insight Entrepreneurial

skills

Flexibility & adapta-bility

Research

Organizational & lis-tening skills

Leadership, nego-tiation, manage-

ment

Initiative & creativity Integrity

Sensitivity Resilience

Career Corner: Whoever Tells the Best Stories Wins

Employers believe that the best predictor of

future success is past success.

Have an idea for a story that you

would like to see in the sCo-op? Let us know!

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Co-op Education & Career Services University of Waterloo

Meet the Winter ’08 Co-op Students at the Tatham Centre

The Inside sCo-op newsletter is published six times a year for co-op students, by co-op stu-dents, through the Co-operative Education & Career Services department.

Have You Had a Co-op Experience That You Want To Share?

If you think that you have had an experience worth sharing,

send it to olaf@uwaterloo.ca with the subject line "Inside sCo-op Story." If your story is selected, not only will you be overcome with fame and glory, but your story will be published in The Inside sCo-op and you will receive a thank you gift in appreciation.

Don't feel like writing it all down? No problem! Make a 20 min-ute appointment with us, and we'll write your story for you!

Back Row: (L-R) Ben Windling, PD Tutor; Cam Crawford, Events Assistant; Nik Jagsar-ran, Web Developer; Jitesh Parmar, Technical Services Assistant; Brandon Byers, Wat-CACE Research Assistant. Middle Row: Melissa Baluk, PD Tutor; Claudia Gosav, PD Tutor; Katie Anderson, PD Tutor; Christina Pawliszyn, WatCACE Research Assistant; Stephen Brodie, JobMine Sup-port. Front Row: Tina Tang, PD Tutor; Lindsay Chey, PD Tutor; Gagan Pabla, Student & Fac-ulty Relations Assistant; Alison Leppard, Media and Publications Associate.