Matching & Placement Process

Out-of-town Positions

For the majority of out-of-town positions, interviews will take place remotely, by either telephone, Skype or Hangouts. The interviews will be technical in nature and there can be a series of meetings before a decision is made. We do not use the match/rank process for out-of-town placements. If a candidate is successful, they will be presented with that offer and given a stated timeframe in which to decide.

Please note that students who apply for out-of-town positions are expected to consider all offers seriously.

Students will be advised of the salary for out-of-town positions prior to making their acceptance decision. In some cases, relocation assistance is included in the compensation package, which can be an important deciding factor for a student looking to relocate for a work term.

When a student has decided on a position, they are required to submit their decision to the employer in writing and to inform the Co-op Office. Once the acceptance email has been sent, and the offer letter signed, the placement is considered final.

In-town Positions

When interviews are complete, employers will rank their hiring preference in numerical order.  Students will also rank their employers of choice in numerical order.  Only students whom an employer commits to hire will be ranked.  Employers also have the option of not ranking.  Deadline to submit rankings will be communicated by the Co-op Office.

Once all rankings are received and recorded, the Co-op Coordinator begins the matching process. Students are presented with all of their options during the matching process and may be in a position to choose the position that they deem to be most suitable. Students who decline offers from employers will be expected to contact the employers, thank them for their offer, and indicate that they have accepted another position.  When a student declines an offer, that position becomes available for other students who received rankings from that employer.

When a student has decided on a position, the Co-op Office calls the employer to accept the position on the student’s behalf. Once the acceptance phone call has been made by the Co-op Office, the match is considered final.

Students are advised of the salary for the position only after they have made their decision. This is done in an attempt to discourage students from accepting positions based on salary rather than the learning experience.

No Position

Employers and students not matched during the initial round of recruiting, will be invited to participate in a second round of recruiting immediately following the conclusion of first round placements.

If students do not receive a placement for Work Term 1 or 2, they might be deferred to the following work term. In this case, the student must be prepared to participate in a double (eight month) work term in order to remain in the Co-op Program.

If students do not receive a placement due to inappropriate behaviour during interviews or non-adherence to Co-op Office guidelines, they will be withdrawn from the program.

Officially a Computer Science Co-op Student!

Students are officially accepted into the Co-op Program once they receive an offer of employment for the first work term and have been registered in COMP 2980 (Co-op Work Term 1).  Students are not responsible for dropping their courses or registering in COMP 2980. The Co-op Office completes that process.  It is the student’s responsibility to pay the work term fee prior to beginning their Co-op job.