I'm really confused regarding what I am paying $100 per year for (plus $300 if I get a job). First year I got to take a 4 day course on resume writing, and got told that next year I'd have access to OscarPlus coop. I was told it was unlikely to get an engineering job in first year. I ended up working at a manual labour job over the summer. Second year I expected OscarPlus coop would be a database like Waterloo's, which has hundreds upon hundreds of postings. After Christmas break I started doubting that it was just a matter of time before the flood of postings came. What I got was barely a page. Right now there are 16 positions, 6 being outside of Ontario. For people that don't want to move provinces that leaves 10 jobs for all McMaster engineers in all streams and all 4 years... what is the point of that? It might be worth signing up for if you are in software engineering, as the majority of postings are programming or commerce related. I'm an electrical engineer with no experience in RDBMS or other qualifications not taught here, so I was left with a single application to Ontario Power Generation. I'm sure there are some I missed earlier, but there never seemed to be more than a page of listings.

And all these postings you can apply for by going to the company website, it doesn't seem like you actually even need to use OscarPlus (correct me if I'm wrong)

The first batch was during January, like 200, maybe 300 positions.

In April/May there will be a ton of position postings, right around the time when students finish their studying.

Also OscarPlus is a database, sure, but if the employees don't send the data to the co-op office with all the required information for a complete posting, there's nothing they can do. OscarPlus is not a search engine.

Also you can apply outside OscarPlus, there's always that option. It doesn't guarantee you being noticed, but neither does OscarPlus.

APply to everything even if it's not your field. But yea the two waves are nov-jan and then april onwards

Mac co-op definitely sucks. The thing with Waterloo is that their co-op is mandatory in order to graduate so they have really good connections with companies in order to ensure their students get positions. But no Mac does suck for co-op, I know TONS of college kids that get high paying government co-ops ($25+) after their second year... especially in like the utility and hydro companies... meanwhile we don't even get looked at for those positions. And that's through the college's office, same goes for Waterloo, so the University should help students. Another thing to consider is that a lot of summer jobs/co-ops also get filled up with people that have personal connections to the companies.

Originally Posted by Leeoku

APply to everything even if it's not your field. But yea the two waves are nov-jan and then april onwards

What if you go to the interview and have nothing to tell them about yourself?

What if you get the position for something you aren't familiar with (like at all)?

Originally Posted by GeorgeLucas

The first batch was during January, like 200, maybe 300 positions.

In April/May there will be a ton of position postings, right around the time when students finish their studying.

Also OscarPlus is a database, sure, but if the employees don't send the data to the co-op office with all the required information for a complete posting, there's nothing they can do. OscarPlus is not a search engine.

Also you can apply outside OscarPlus, there's always that option. It doesn't guarantee you being noticed, but neither does OscarPlus.

Oh really, okay thanks I'll keep an eye out for more during April/May

To be honest I still don't really understand the applying through OscarPlus vs the company website. All the postings say to apply on both. I find that odd. I mean won't they both just end up on the same HR / Hiring Manager desk?

Because they set you up via the oscar website for interviews.

To be clear ... ur paying a premium for the ability of employers to write of half of ur pay as a tax deduction. OscarPlus is okay and many more jobs will come out. Dont forget to apply everywhere. Linkedin, Stack overflow careers and especially company websites. Finding a 20$ / hour job over 12-16 months isnt too hard. If you try U can get one. Also, get the careers office to read and edit ur resume. you are paying for it so use it.

I applied to tons of jobs each year and didn't get my first until the end of 4th (I am in management) and the job I had didn't even care that I was in co-op since they didn't get extra funding for it. I was very disappointed overall as well and wish I didn't spend $500+ to it when half the stuff they teach you you can find on the internet easily.

Holy shit, why is everyone using the word "ton", "the" and "I" so much?

Originally Posted by RSK1

Mac co-op definitely sucks. The thing with Waterloo is that their co-op is mandatory in order to graduate so they have really good connections with companies in order to ensure their students get positions. But no Mac does suck for co-op, I know TONS of college kids that get high paying government co-ops ($25+) after their second year... especially in like the utility and hydro companies... meanwhile we don't even get looked at for those positions. And that's through the college's office, same goes for Waterloo, so the University should help students. Another thing to consider is that a lot of summer jobs/co-ops also get filled up with people that have personal connections to the companies.

What colleges?

Originally Posted by Moghue

What colleges?

Mohawk College gets a lot of really good co-op and internship opportunities for their students. I know specifically for the technology programs such as civil, computer, electrical, and power they have really close ties with municipalities and utility companies such as Hydro One.

Originally Posted by RSK1

Mohawk College gets a lot of really good co-op and internship opportunities for their students. I know specifically for the technology programs such as civil, computer, electrical, and power they have really close ties with municipalities and utility companies such as Hydro One.

Does that mean they accept all students no questions asked, or does it mean students still have to go thru a sorting process?

Greetings from the Engineering Co-op and Career Services (ECCS) office – we hope that all is well.

Thank you for your feedback, as well as the opportunity to address some of these comments:

1) Between January 1 and February 13, 2015, there were well over 400 postings for co-op and internship opportunities posted to OSCARplus representing an increase over previous years. Regarding utility and power companies, the following employers have posted (and continue to post) via OSCARplus: OPG, Bruce Power, Toronto Hydro, Hydro One. In the past 3 years there have been over 200 different students hired for coop/internship with Power companies. The suggestion these companies do not look at McMaster Engineering students is completely inaccurate. These companies have always shown an affinity for McMaster Engineering students and we are confident they will continue to do so. Many of the same companies who post with McMaster will also post with the University of Waterloo. While there will inevitably be companies who have a preference for a specific university or college, in most cases companies will post with multiple institutions including Waterloo and McMaster.

2) Regarding summer co-op postings, these will increase in the spring months (particularly March and April). Please refer to the email message (sent to all Level 2 co-op students) on February 6 for more details.

3) Via OSCARplus, there will be a hiatus for job postings until March 1. This will allow employers to participate in and complete the “rank-and-match” cycle (more details available athttp://www.eng.mcmaster.ca/eccs/Coopstudents/Job_Posting_Dates.htm l) which has a greater focus on internship for upper year students. Once employer needs for internship are satisfied, they will turn their attention to summer coop. Although some companies have already posted for summer coop, many more will do so after March 1 as has been employer history.

4) Our prep course (1EE0) is far more than a resume writing course. While preparing an effective resume for your job search is a component, so is cover letter writing, independent job search skills, interviewing skills, social media strategy, and professional expectations in the workplace. This course is offered so our students are well prepared to enter the coop/internship workforce. Our employer partners are aware students complete this course and are appreciative the university is proactive in providing these skills to students. In addition to 1EE0, we encourage all students to utilize the unlimited resources all engineering students can access through ECCS for any or all of these services. It has been mentioned in this thread that since you pay for these services you should use them, we completely support that statement.

5) Please keep in mind that OSCAR+ should only be part of your job search strategy. Like all other colleges and universities (The University of Waterloo included) students are encouraged to seek roles independently. In fact, in many cases, this can be a preferred option as the roles you seek on your own are exclusive to you and not open to the entire student population. This is a skill that is specifically addressed in 1EE0 and you can book a one on one coaching session with ECCS team members to help you be successful.

6) ECCS understands we exist to be of guidance to all students in the faculty. We take great pride in seeing students achieve career success and we enjoy being of assistance to every student who requests or requires our help. We also understand that we can always be a better career centre and will continue to seek process improvements to provide more effective services and stronger outcomes for our students. We will also continue to build new industry partnerships to increase the breadth of opportunities available to our students. As mentioned in the ENGINEER 1EE0 course and in additional email messages, always feel free to speak with the ECCS office – and in particular Jeff Ollinger, Manager for Engineering Co-op and Career Services. Jeff may be reached at [email protected] or 905-525-9140, ext. 27283.

Thank you and ECCS wishes all Engineering students the very best as we move through our most active recruitment period.

Originally Posted by EngCareerSvcs

1) Between January 1 and February 13, 2015, there were well over 400 postings for co-op and internship opportunities posted to OSCARplus representing an increase over previous years. Regarding utility and power companies, the following employers have posted (and continue to post) via OSCARplus: OPG, Bruce Power, Toronto Hydro, Hydro One.

400 cumulative or 400 per faculty? Because not all students get to see all the different postings.

And does one posting which just says "go to our website", and then the company website has 30 postings, does that count as 30 or 1?