8.1 Guide to a Successful Work Term

Before Leaving Campus

As soon as you get a job for the upcoming work term, confirm with your employer the start date, location, salary and to whom to report.
Start looking early for housing: Waterloo Residences and Off-Campus Housing, Lower Atrium, SLC has off-campus listings for not only accommodations in Kitchener-Waterloo, but out-of-town locations frequented by Waterloo co-op students. They also have a "classified" section to help you find someone with whom to share a place to live. At the location of your work term, check college and university housing, campus bulletin boards, and local newspapers/web sites. You could also ask your student advisor or your future employer for advice on where to look.
Check that you have supplementary health insurance at the Cashiers Office in Needles Hall.
Check the public transportation office where you will be working to see if their student discount policy applies to you.
Take note of your student advisor's name and contact information (see your "CECA Contact" on your JobMine Profile).
Be sure you have enough money for expenses until your first pay cheque (which might be a month or more after you start work).

Week 1 or 2

During your first few weeks of employment, you are going to go through orientation and probation. If you are not getting feedback from your employer, ask for it. Take advantage of the feedback to learn how you can improve your performance on the job.

After discussing your supervisor's expectations for the term, set and write down achievable and measurable goals or objectives. See the section on Learning Objectives in this publication for more information.

Tips to start the term off

(in no particular order)

Smile, be enthusiastic and positive.
Work well with others, building professional relationships with co-workers.
Do not make criticisms about the job/other employers and don't gossip.
Be patient with your boss and co-workers.
Learn how to listen properly.
Continue to improve written and oral communication skills.
Initiate communication with your supervisor; review your goals and those of your supervisor and ask for regular feedback on your progress.
Ask questions and research your answers if you are unsure.
Adhere to company policies and regulations; maintain confidentiality.
Own up to your mistakes and learn from them; act on constructive criticism.
Take extra courses/training outside of work on your own time.
Show initiative; keep a record of your accomplishments for discussion with your supervisor and for your next résumé and interviews.
Volunteer for committees/projects.
Volunteer to help with your employer's charitable efforts.
Arrive on time for work; inform your employer as soon as possible of absences.
Seek advance approval for time off; offer to make up the time.
Be prepared to work over-time to meet commitments.
Contact your student advisor if you have concerns that cannot be resolved with your supervisor.
Check your university-assigned email regularly for messages from Co-operative Education. During your work term we will keep you informed of changes in co-op procedures and policies and other things of possible interest to you.
Do volunteer work in the local community evenings or weekends to help build your portfolio.

Week 4

Discuss your work report with your supervisor. If your work assignment does not lend itself to a related topic for a work report you should decide on your own topic. Your student advisor could provide you with some advice on subjects if required. When producing a work report not assigned by your supervisor, check with them in advance to determine if any time might be available to you on the job to prepare it. (Be familiar with the work report guidelines for your program). Check with your faculty if it appears that your report will be confidential. It may not be acceptable.

If your employer has not already set a date, make an appointment to discuss your evaluation and your objectives. If you feel you would like your own copy of the completed evaluation, arrange with your supervisor to supply you with a photocopy at this time.

§ The student advisor work term consultation (full details)

Help?
If you have questions or problems prior to or after your student advisor consultation, do not hesitate to telephone CECA at 888-4026.

Week 5

Review your objectives and rewrite them if necessary to reflect changes in expectations or circumstances.

Week 9

Encourage your supervisor to review the Employer's Evaluation form that grades your performance for the term and discuss any areas of concern he/she may have about your work to date. This will help you to know where you stand and will give you an opportunity to improve in areas that you may be weak in.
Discuss the two work term opportunity with your supervisor; returning gives you a shorter learning curve, increased knowledge, more training, and more responsibility; it reduces recruiting and training costs and creates higher student productivity for the employer.
Find out what makes a job worth returning to; network with other students, staff, and managers; learn about other departments; talk to your supervisor about available opportunities, the company's needs, and your interests.

Week 13

Complete the first draft of your work report.
Confirm with your supervisor your availability for a second work term. You are expected to return if you are invited back by your employer.Remember, if you were advised earlier via the job description or during your interview that the employer required you to return to return for a second term, you have an obligation to fulfill (assuming that the employer has a job for you). This decision is not normally made by the supervisor, but rather by the person who is the company's contact with the university, e.g., human resources. If you will be returning you should discuss the following things before you leave:
- salary
- position you will have when you return
- who you will be working for
- when you will report

Week 15

Confirm the final working day with your employer.
Complete your work report. Students in Mathematics must present their work reports to their employers for technical evaluation as well as to the university for a final evaluation. Students in Applied Health Sciences must present their work reports to their employers for evaluation as well as a copy to the university.
Leave an address or means by which the employer may contact you during the school term.
If you will be going through interviews next term, revise your résumé to reflect the experience gained on this work term. Arrange to have the résumé updated and loaded onto JobMine before you return to campus (if you do plan to go through interviews).

Return-to-Campus

Check for date/time of interview before the first day of classes.
Confirm status for next work term.
Confirm that a student performance evaluation form was completed and received by CECA.
Confirm work report due date.
Sign up online before the first day of classes for your return-to-campus interview with your student advisor if they are expecting to meet with you. The online schedule is usually available one week prior to the first week of lectures. Your interview will be scheduled to take place during the first week of classes. It is crucial that you make your intentions known to your advisor or via email as to what you will be doing for the next work term.