How Co-op Programs Can Land You the Dream Job

As you continue with your studies, there’s a lot that you can do to get your career going. Don’t just stay bored in your York U residence all day. One thing you may want to consider is taking a program that has a co-op component. This enables you to acquire real-life work experience even before you graduate. Not only that, you get to work in a position that is totally related to what you are studying for a total of one year. It’s time to leave the York University housing facility and start applying for co-op positions. Here are 4 more reasons to enroll in a program that has a co-op component.

Learn the skills you need

The best part about co-op programs is that they give you an opportunity to learn by doing. All the notes you take in school need to put into action and co-op provides hands-on training that helps you in your career. It gives you an opportunity to learn from your mistakes. What’s even better is that you can get paid for learning a skill you’ll need.

Gain experience

If you’ve ever tried to apply for a job while still in school, one of the things that can discourage you is the years of experience that employers demand.  When you’ve been working during a co-op you can count this as experience on the job. This will certainly help you to win the hearts of employers. You can add the co-op program as work experience in your resume. This can help make your job application successful as soon as you leave school.

Start to network

As a student, you need to take advantage of the opportunities you have to network. Use your time during co-op to meet and interact with people in your field. You never know how these contacts will help you when you finish school and want to break into the industry. You can also create strong professional networks during co-op. Good networks can help you to secure any jobs that come up within their circles. In fact, networking is one of the best ways to get ahead of the crowd and spearhead your career.

Secure a job with the same company

When you apply for a co-op position, you still need to go through the entire process as if you are applying for any other job. You will get to present your professional resume, get interviewed and trained for the role. This is very beneficial to you. You get the experience of applying for a job and also get trained to handle your position. If you end up doing the job really well, the company will want to retain you as soon as you’re done with school. This means you’ll not have to go through the process of looking for a job. Though it is never a guarantee that the company will hire you once you’re done with the co-op, it’s a good opportunity to get trained and gain experience.

Start by applying for co-op positions today. Look for companies in the area if you are living on campus near York University. It could be the one thing that helps you to launch your career in the right path.