So I'm moving into 3rd year Comp Eng starting this fall and was hoping to begin my preparations for a potential co-op position in summer of 2014. I wanted to learn a little bit more about the procedures, things like, when I should begin looking/applying for openings, what activities around campus (eg: academic related clubs, groups, volunteering) I could be a part of that would add to my academic qualifications , in other words, build my resume.
In addition, how long of a co-op term/intership should I look for ? Any comments/suggestions are greatly appreciated.

You should go to all job events, career fairs, info sessions (All are shown on oscarplusmcmaster.ca)

You should do the required co-op course and look for whatever length of term you feel like but summer of 2014, you'll probably have only one year left in your degree so I'll suggest a long term co-op 8+ months at that time.

Apply to lots of places, get your resume critiqued from lots of people, go for mock interviews at the Career help center in MUSC.

Instead of wasting time with job events/career fairs/volunteering/clubs, use that time to do some personal projects. You still have 6 months to go before you really start applying for jobs for Summer 2014. Do personal projects which show your passion for the program you are in or the kinds of co-op jobs you are looking to score. This really makes you stand out with employers.

Lying on your resume isn't necessarily bad as long as you can back it up. For example, if you know VHDL but haven't worked with Verilog, you should still mention Verilog and go over it in your spare time before your interview.

As Afzal said in the previous post, make sure you have completed the co-op course 1EE0 and if not do it ASAP. Before you complete this, you won't get access to the job postings on OSCARPLUS.

You could start applying as early as October. But December is really when it gets going.

If your grades haven't been good so far, get them up in the first term of 3rd year. They do matter.

DO NOT be afraid to apply for every job you might have the slightest interest in. However impossible the requirements of the job may seem to you, DO APPLY.

16 month co-ops are the easiest to score IMO. Good Luck!

I just graduated and from experience, the first 16 month internship is important because it will bring you to the industry you want to work in. We Comp Eng can do either hardware or software. The decision is up to you.

For co-op interviews, for software brush up on coding algorithms and data structures. For hardware, brush up on 3DQ5 course projects and materials. Unless you are doing analog of course.
For marks, aim for 8.5/12 at least.

I can tell you that ASIC design and verification is a hot market at the moment, companies like Qualcomm developing mobile chips and AMD APU chips in next gen xbox and ps4. If you want success try to land a internship with them. They rarely post on OSCAR so try applying through their company website.

If you want a sample resume to look at pm me.

Also do your research on what that company typically asks from candidates for the position you're interviewing. Most people check glassdoor.

@nikJ, the IBM session was helpful since there was a lady critiquing the resumes. RIM interview, not so much. But career fairs are actually pretty helpful, I have a close friend who did a little interview with Microsoft during the career fair and he got an interview offer later and now has an intern position with MS in Seattle.

I really appreciate all your responses.

I was just wondering, how much does co-op work term/period help after graduation. In other words, is it really worth doing a 12-16 month co-op, essentially a year off from Uni. Does that not hinder your learning process at all? I'm not sure how I would feel returning to Uni. after about a year to complete my 4th/final?

This is more specific to the computer science/programming field but they will ask you about stuff you programmed yourself.

Originally Posted by Kevinabrahak

I really appreciate all your responses.

I was just wondering, how much does co-op work term/period help after graduation. In other words, is it really worth doing a 12-16 month co-op, essentially a year off from Uni. Does that not hinder your learning process at all? I'm not sure how I would feel returning to Uni. after about a year to complete my 4th/final?

Im currently on a 12 month coop. Before the coop i thought it would be fairly beneficial, especially for resume booster. NOW however I would consider myself virtually unhirable without the coops experience. You learn that much. You gain that much experience. School teaches you almost noting truly useful.

Many employers (especially most larger firms) will not hire engineers without decent solid job experience. Thats either coop or job experience with another company after graduating.

I cannot stress the impact and importance of coop. It should be mandatory.

[Edit] You CAN get this experience during the summer terms. 16 month coops are not necessary but they certainly help because you get experience with a full engineering project lifecycle.

Originally Posted by qwerty91

Im currently on a 12 month coop. Before the coop i thought it would be fairly beneficial, especially for resume booster. NOW however I would consider myself virtually unhirable without the coops experience. You learn that much. You gain that much experience. School teaches you almost noting truly useful.

Many employers (especially most larger firms) will not hire engineers without decent solid job experience. Thats either coop or job experience with another company after graduating.

I cannot stress the impact and importance of coop. It should be mandatory.

[Edit] You CAN get this experience during the summer terms. 16 month coops are not necessary but they certainly help because you get experience with a full engineering project lifecycle.

I can tell you something that I have encountered after graduation. Co-op placements were so easy to get when compared to full time jobs. (Unless of course you return to the same company after grad) Even with experience. First of all, applying online will get you nowhere (1/1 million chances), applying on OSCAR was terrible. In the end, I had more success building connections with your coworkers and managers to refer you to other companies. Then connect with the hiring manager through linkedin. As long as your resume get pass the HR and through to the manager, you are golden. Interviews? I will leave that story till another day.