Name: Reece Dignard
Year: 3
Company/Firm: St. Albert Opticians
Co-op Position & Duration: Strategy Consultant — 8 months

I was able to secure this position after cold calling the firm. Demonstrate your determination since it doesn’t go unnoticed and will pay off. Showcase your interpersonal and soft skills as these help show that you are capable at fitting in with the culture of most organizations. Also, be open to networking and meeting new people because this is a great business skill for your career development.

The work culture of the company was relaxed, and they also have a high level of expectations. Work hard, don’t be afraid of mistakes, and learn from them going forward. 

Finally, don't be discouraged when you aren't accepted to the company that you are applying to work for. I landed a placement, but because of COVID-19, it got cancelled. I was left to source another placement and it helped me establish a completely different skillset.

Name: Ryan Chan
Year: 5+
Company/Firm: PepsiCo
Co-op Position & Duration: Sales Intern — 8 months

Some advice I can give you is to practice your interview skills. InterviewStream is a great resource for getting asked typical as well as more challenging and unique interview questions. These skills go a long way in impressing your potential employer during the recruitment and hiring process. 

Skills that helped me land this placement and helped my career development during the job came down to my communication and my time management skills. Given the nature of the position in sales, it is important to be a great communicator and be an advocate for your company’s products and services. 

PepsiCo was a great place to work — a very supportive environment and culture with the goal to help their pipeline of talent succeed and be a great resource for the company. The other employees and managers were always willing to help and answer your questions. There are a number of great people at the company to set you up for success. For this co-op placement, you will need a car, so get on the road to a great career!

Name: Beth Evasiw
Year: 4
Company/Firm: TransAlta
Co-op Position & Duration: Change Management Intern - 8 months

The top two tips I can give for the interview process is to be prepared and to be yourself! Make sure you thoroughly research the company and the position that you are applying for, and that you convey your enthusiasm for working and learning at that company. The recruiters want to bond with you, because you're going to be working with them for the next little while should you get hired, so try to make small talk or bond over something other than the job itself (in my case, my boss and I bonded over our mutual dislike for finance). 

I think having some previous experience in change management definitely helped, but it was my willingness to learn and gain more experience in change management that helped me secure the position. 

I'd say TransAlta culture is very work-centric and innovative. It's not uncommon to hear employees talking about how they worked overtime into the night to finish up a project, and it is expected that you put the same kind of effort into your work even if you're an intern. Maybe not working into the night, but 1-2 hours overtime is pretty common. They're always looking for new ways to improve their current processes, so don't be afraid to bring any new ideas to the table! 

Ask lots of questions and don't be afraid to clarify things when you're unsure of what you're doing. Change management can get pretty technical, so it's better that you ask for help instead of guessing and setting a project back on its timeline. Try to think of out of the box solutions for the different areas of change management in a project (e.g. Lunch and Learns, gamification, adoption analytics, etc.).

Name: Thomas Cassie
Year: 5+

Company/Firm: Workers’ Compensation Board (WCB)
Co-op Position & Duration: eBusiness Help Desk Analyst — 4 months

For my placement at the WCB, some of the key skills that are important in this placement are knowledge of technology and computer skills. In addition to having these skills, being able to communicate and be friendly were other things that helped me secure this position. The people I worked with at the WCB were friendly, helpful, and supportive. The culture there was very team-based.

Company/Firm: City of Edmonton
Co-op Position & Duration: Continuous Improvement Analyst — 8 months

When going through the City of Edmonton’s recruitment process, be prepared to go through a short case interview. Be yourself, and have a public- and shared-asset mindset. Customer experience and consulting skills are a great asset for an applicant to the CoE. The working environment at can be described as friendly, accepting, and having a citizen-first mentality.

Name: Toan Nguyen
Year: 4
Company/Firm: Groupe Touchette
Co-op Position & Duration: CSR Intern - 4 months

Be prepared and be yourself. If possible, try to understand what the company is looking for through the job description and explain how you are a good fit during the interview. Be customer-centric and detail-oriented. A follow-up thank you letter worked well in my case. The culture at the company is amazing. I feel like we are a family. The environment is fun, friendly, yet professional. 

Name: Bria Kroetch
Year: 5+
Company/Firm: TC Energy
Co-op Position & Duration: Continuous Improvement Business Analyst - 16 months

The interview consisted of the standard behavioral questions, so it's important that you come with a base knowledge of the company and how you demonstrated their core values. Through my interview answers, I was able to demonstrate that I was self aware, had initiative, and was open to learning new things! There is a focus on mentorship at TC Energy and lots of opportunities to move around the company. When I reached out to individuals I had no connection with in areas of the business I wanted to learn more about, I was always met with positivity and excitement to meet up and talk! Don't be afraid to put your hand up for projects! This role is truly what you make of it in your willingness to take on improvement projects.