When it comes to a co-op student’s first placement, juggling between job interviews, midterms, and assignments can become extremely difficult. Sometimes you will have placed all of your hope in landing one job that you liked only to find out you were not selected. In fact, often times this leads to stress. Stress may lead to a decrease in motivation, communication, and the ability to perform. All of these symptoms of stress are detrimental to a student’s overall performance in university, and a Muslim’s trust in Allah.

To avoid the stress, one should realize that all success comes from Allah alone. If you do not land the job you wanted, it was probably for the better.  Having a positive attitude usually results in a positive environment surrounding you, whereas stress results in constriction. It is noteworthy here to mention the hadith related by ibn Abbas (ra):

“One day I was behind the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and he said, ‘Boy, I will teach you some words: Be careful regarding Allah and He will take care of you. Be careful regarding Allah and you will find Him in front of you. When you ask, ask Allah and when you seek help, seek help from Allah. Know that if the whole community were to gather together to help you with something, they would not be able to help you in any way unless Allah had written that for you. And if they were to gather together to harm you in some way, they would not be able to harm you except with something which Allah had written for you. The pens have been lifted and the pages are dry.” [at-Tirmidhi]

Also, in hadith Qudsi the Prophet (pbuh) related that Allah says:

“I am as My servant thinks I am. I am with him when he makes mention of Me. If he makes mention of Me to himself, I make mention of him to Myself; and if he makes mention of Me in an assembly, I make mention of him in an
assembly better than it.

And if he draws near to Me an arm’s length, I draw near to him a fathom’s length. And if he comes to Me walking, I go to him at speed.” [Bukhari, Muslim and others]

You may not be able to choose what job you get, but you can most definitely respond positively to the job(s) that you do get. This can be done by showing exemplary behaviour at the job, going above and beyond the call of duty. It may not have been the job you wanted, but your performance will not go unnoticed. Your evaluation may contain notes that elaborate on the excellent type of employee you were, and future employers will definitely see that in your applications.

Another harmful side effect of stress to tackle is disdain. Many times we hear the complaint, “why me?” or “why doesn’t it happen to others?”. This attitude results from a denial in Allah’s decree over all things. The believer is one who when faced with a trial responds by saying all that comes from Allah is good.  Not possessing this attitude shifts the believer’s reliance to other than Allah. One may start exerting a huge amount of effort into tailoring the perfect resume, practising the best answers, and purchasing the flashiest suits. However, in this endeavour the believer will lose sight of the issue at stake; forgetting Allah has control over all matters. This is not to say one must not exert any effort at all; contrarily, the believer strives to the best of their ability, while realizing a resume alone does not land a job but it is Allah that Wills for it. To cure this, one must supplicate to Allah, not exclusive to but in concurrence to effort, and ask Him to grant one the ability to endure hardships, and to remain attentive of Him. Also it is important to believe that only God can alter the state of a person, and only He provides provision, and relief from hardships.

As Muslims we are divinely trained to be optimists. This is actualized in our Prophetic teachings, prescribed supplications, and Qur’anic verses. We are taught to not delve into bad decisions we made in the past, but to do good to erase them. Islam gives us hope, there are many paths to success, although to achieve success one must indulge in them. Time and time again we are reminded that good results from hardship, success results from constriction. To lose hope once an unsatisfactory situation occurs is losing that faith and trust in God. To further illustrate these points refer to the following verses:

“Truly no one despairs of Allah’s Soothing Mercy except those who have no faith. ” (Qur’an, 12: 87)

“And your Lord says: ‘Call on Me; I will answer your (prayer)…” (Quran 40:60)

“Remember Me, and I shall remember you; be grateful to Me, and deny Me not“
(Quran 2:152).

“When you have taken a decision, put your trust in Allah” (Quran 3: 159).

To sum everything up, the point is to not lose focus of what is most important. By doing so, one’s problems seem less significant, and their stress diminishes.

- Bio Lab Canada – Business Process Analyst

- Toronto Board of Trade – Accounting Systems Analyst

- Linamar Corporation – Internal Auditor

- Currently work full time at Deloitte and Touche – Senior Consultant – Enterprise Risk Services (Governance, Risk and Capital Market Solutions).

- Receiving a job offer at the interview.

- While looking for a job in high school. When asked the question “what are your weaknesses?”, I responded ‘Time management’.

-  Specialization in the areas of – IFRS, Internal Controls (systems and business process), Enterprise Risk Management and Internal Audit.

1. Co-ops

I’ve done two co-op terms so far, and both of them have been at the TTC (Toronto Transit Commission). Both were software development type jobs.

Winter 2009: Web Development, Toronto Transit Commission

Fall 2009: Application Development, Toronto Transit Commission

My best interview experience was an interview in my first term looking for a job. It was for a Web Developer position with the Toronto Transit Commission. Before walking in, I felt prepared. I had gone over several behavioural questions before hand, I had done research on the company, and through my research, I already had questions in mind for them.

When I went in, the interviewer started off talking about the position itself and the people I would be working with. He then asked me some behavioural and staying in control type questions. I clearly remember two of the questions: ‘What would you do if you had questions about your assigned work and your boss was away for a week?’ and ‘How would you settle a dispute between two co-workers about a certain issue?’

I was also asked a few basic programming questions that I felt I answered fairly well. The interviewers then asked me questions about parts of my resume. They were specifically interested in the projects that I had done in high school. At the end of the interview when I was asked if I had any questions, I began asking them all the questions I had prepared, and I think they were impressed by the quality of my questions.

After the interview, one of the interviewers shook my hand and said ‘Let’s see what happens, maybe we meet again’, and Alhamdulillah we did meet again!

My worst interview experience was a phone interview. This was one of my first interviews, and the interviewer was a little late, and I got more and more anxious each minute.

When the interview finally began, I was only asked one or two question about my resume, and then straight away the interviewer asked ‘Do you have any questions?’. I was surprised by how few questions the interviewer asked, and I felt the interviewer had already formed an opinion about me. This made me a little nervous, so I started to stutter. I didn’t remember the questions I had prepared either, and I was trying to prolong the interview so that the interviewer would at least remember me while deciding who got the job.

After the interview I felt dejected and doubted that I’d be working for this company, and surely enough, I didn’t.

After my undergraduate degree in Electrical Engineering, I plan on working for a couple of years. After that, inshAllah I want to do an MBA. I think Engineering + MBA is a winning combination. After the MBA, I’d like to be self employed.

Prepare for an interview like an exam. Go over any technical material that could be relevant from past courses, research the company and positions to prepare questions for the interviewer, and go over potential behavioural/staying in control type questions.

1. Co-op positions
Telecommunications Engineer, Rogers Communication Inc.
Manufacturing Press Shop Engineer, Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada
Software Engineer, Sandvine Inc.
Hardware Test Engineer, Sandvine Inc.
Content Developer, Waterloo Maplesoft

2. Best interview
I guess it depends on what best means…here’re two that are the best in different ways:

a. My interview with Rogers Communication Incorporated was quick and simple – I came in, exchanged salutations, the interviewer explained the project I’d be working on, he asked if I could do it, I said yes, and that was it – the job was mine.

b. My interview with Sandvine Incorporated for the Hardware Test Position was an all around best experience. Coming into the interview I had the academic record and technical skills required for the job. However, knowing the other people who also had interviews for the same position, I knew that my skills and academic record would not be enough to make me standout. After answering some generic and technical interview questions, I pulled out my secret weapon! To showcase my hardware experience I brought along a circuit board I had designed and programmed; this one thing set me apart from the other interviewees and landed me the position.

3. Worst Interview
My worst interview experience was for a position at AMD. I had been offered the interview alongside four others during engineering midterm week. The position was really just a back up in case I didn’t get interviews for the jobs I wanted. I went into the interview having read the job description a few days prior – nothing more. After some generic questions, the technical questions started and I could barely answer any. All the questions were about obscure definitions so there wasn’t even a way for me to reason them out. After a few questions, the interviewer called me out! He asked if I had read the job description; I told him I had, thinking he would let me off. He pressed on asking why I didn’t look up the definitions of the terms when they were given in the job description. At this point, I just told him the truth: I didn’t have enough time or concern to look them up. That’s where the interview ended. Amazingly, I got an offer for that job!

4. Long Term Career Goals
Over the next ten years I see myself achieving the following career goals:
- be a manager of a technical/engineering team
- be a successful business owner and entrepreneur
- have a self-sustaining income so I can focus on person projects

5. Advice
Something I shared:
Make sure to highlight how transferable your skills are. Never let acquired knowledge like programming syntax or definitions be a barrier if you don’t know them; highlight the fact that you are a logical thinker and a quick learner so picking up a new syntax will be easy. Essentially, give off a versatile persona that can function well in any situation, then back up your claims though concrete examples.

Something to share:
During the interview try to determine how the company treats co-ops – do they treat them like students or like regular employees? This is very important and essential to having a good co-op experience. If you will be treated like a student, you will likely be given lower impact work and less responsibility. Where as if you are treated like an employee, your position will challenge you with a large amount of responsibility and high impact projects.

The first few times I had an interview, I was a nervous wreck. After every interview my family would ask me how the interview went, and each time I had the same reply: “It was horrible; I’m probably not getting the job”. It was true. I never ended up getting any of those jobs.

One day after an interview, I was on the phone with my father. He inquired about the interview and I had the same reply. He asked me “why is that?” I squeamishly replied “I was so nervous; I don’t even know what I said”. He asked me “why were you nervous? What is the worse that would happen?” To which I had no answer. He further explained, “The worst that would happen is you won’t get the job, and that is already happening, so tell them why you would be good for the position without any fear or doubt”. It made me think. I was nervous not because I didn’t have any skills, but because I was too afraid of not having the entirely matching skill set/in-depth technical knowledge for the position. This worried me so much that I would demean all my other qualities before entering the interview room.

Upon further reflection, I realized that landing a job was not about the goals of the near future (i.e. having a co-op job for the term), but about the big picture. It was about learning to have courage to face tough situations, and to have faith in yourself and your creator (Allah) for helping you every step of the way. It was about growing as a person and understanding that having all the technical skills for a job is not an innate quality but it is about acquiring them as you proceed through the learning process. It was also about being able to forgive yourself and learn from your mistakes. All of this builds character, which is just as important as having sound technical knowledge, because no one likes to work with a know-it-all-who-can’t-be-nice-to-others. And if you are wondering, it all worked as a charm, I got the job I really wanted.

So, if you have nerves getting in the way, for the next interview you have, prepare yourself well with what the position is all about, and what you have to offer. Attend mock interviews for practice. And before you enter the interview room take a deep breath and ask yourself ‘what is the worst that will happen?’ Remind yourself that it is all about trying your best, because the last thing you want is your nerves getting the best of you. Also, remember that you have nothing to lose but to gain immensely from this experience. Have faith in yourself, and ask Allah for guidance. Be polite, honest, and true to yourself during the interview. And remember if you still don’t get ranked, it is because it was for the best and not because you didn’t try.

Always make an effort to better yourself professionally as well as personally. Have a positive outlook in life, and positive things will happen to you insha’Allah.

In the life of a UW co-op student, interviews are like second nature. By the end of your university experience you’ve probably had more interviews than some people have had in their entire life!

1. In the end, whether we succeed in an interview or not, depends on Allah (swt). So regardless of how qualified we are, we should always make dua.
2. Since the ultimate outcome is with Allah (swt) there is no reason to give up our muslim identity.

* note that in these cases we will always take the interviewer as your manager

I was in TC2228 with a manager from Honeywell. The job highlighted database experience and attention to detail as key skills. I had ample experience with databases and am meticulous by nature, so it was a perfect fit.
Then he asked, “List 3 weaknesses”
I just went blank for a second. Failing to formulate a response, I started mentioning anything I could think of.
I said, “creativity”
“creativity?” he asked
“ya, my co-worker said I need to be more creative.” [as if giving proof to back my weakness]. The other two I blabbered were time-management and communication skills. Later I logged into Jobmine, ready to accept the offer, but wasn’t even ranked. I wonder why.

Two weeks ago, the story repeated, but in a different context. I was competing in the on-campus Tajweed competition to represent UW at McMaster’s Annual QQC. Having taught Tajweed for two terms, I knew most of the rules and could recite fine. What I overlooked though, was preparation. I got so nervous during the tryouts and started making all sorts of errors, even forgot to say the Basmala.

Preparation builds confidence, which I didn’t have, and it has the potential to outshine skill. Take a look at Demosthenes, the famous Greek orator. In his youth, he was described as someone who mumbles, stutters, has shortness of breath, utters disjointed sentences, and most of what he says cannot be understood. He definitely did not have the skill. However, he never gave up on preparation. He would run uphill with pebbles in his mouth and still try to speak as clear as he could. He would shout against the roar of waves on the seashore. His preparation made him the famous well-respected orator of his age.

We can’t chew on pebbles as we walk up the TC staircase, but here’s what we can do:

• Prepare your look
  “I once forgot to bring my black shoes from Mississauga over the weekend and had to wear white. The interviewer kept staring at my shoes when I shook his hand”
  Make sure to have your suit ready, your shirt pressed and your shoes polished. Get a haircut if needed or press your scarf. Take a shower, cut your nails and clean your glasses. It is recommended not to wear a strong perfume.
• Prepare your schedule
  “Waking up half an hour before an interview is not that bad, unless you miss the bus, which is exactly what happened to me once”
  Put someone in charge of waking you up, if you sleep like me. Schedule so that you’ll still be on time, even if you missed a bus. Taking an earlier or later interview time-slot does not make that much of a difference as long as you manage to impress and have something that makes you memorable. [A girl got an offer simply because the interviewer remembered she acts like a clown for sick kids or something.]
• Prepare your answers
  “My three weaknesses are creativity, time-management and communication skills”
  This section is best covered by CECS in an 18-page .pdf called Interview Skills. It goes through the types of interviews, common questions, handling tricky situations and lots more. Personally, I used to try to answer as many of the commonly asked questions before the interview as I could.
• Prepare your questions
  “I impressed the interviewers from General Motors by asking them about their latest hybrid initiatives and by showing that I was up to date with them. It landed me an offer”
  Do as much research about the company as time permits. Find out company size, locations, products, etc. Find out their values. Play big on that in the interview. Also, know more about the position than the Job Description. There’s a cabinet in the Career Services Library section in TC that has comments from previous Co-op students on many companies and how it was like working there. When you ask them intelligent questions, it will show them that you are genuine material.
• Prepare your angels
  Remember to make dua to Allah before you enter the interview room. And if you want the angels to pray for you, pray for a brother/sister who’s not present that he is successful in his/her interview. To such a dua, the angels say, “Ameen and same to you too”.

“For 37 years I’ve practiced 14 hours a day, and now they call me a genius”, Pablo de Sarasate (Spanish Violinist and Composer. 1844-1908)

A week ago I visited my old lab at UW’s Chem Eng dept. where I did my 2A co-op. Going in the door something gripped me; there was at least five young students with their laptops sitting in a row at a bench against a nearby wall. The lab felt crowded and at the same time I had a hunch that it was underused. For these were the often pitied and undermined volunteer students that could not get a placement through Jobmine.

I sympathize with students in this situation because I was almost in it for my first co-op after 1B, but miraculously I found a prof that offered to pay me out of her own pocket. With economy still recovering I think more of you will also find yourself this situation, but without such a generous prof (who is an extreme rarity even with a good economy). Hopefully the following pointers that come from 3.5 co-op terms worth of research experience will help you make the most of a volunteer research assistant position.

1. Forget that you are a volunteer student
   Some students may feel unmotivated to do a lot of work because they think that their position doesn’t matter anyway or that the lab gets what they paid for. You probably considered the volunteer position because research would look good on your resume and you can gain some useful experience, so why don’t you live up to those very valid arguments.
   1. Read papers related to your area of research during your “idle time”. Don’t waste time on Facebook or other social networking apps except for quick breaks
   2. If you are finished assigned readings, find papers on your own
      • ask yourself what problems you may face in your project, which is a good way to generate keywords for your searches
   3. A “social network” that you should build is a work related one with your supervisor
      • provide regular updates, discuss the papers you’ve read and ask lots of questions, but make sure that they are organized and informed questions. The aspect about me that impressed my first supervisor the most was that I really wanted to understand the concepts behind my project, despite the fact that we were having a rough time with our experiments. She said that she would definitely hire me again because of this
      • express eagerness for more work if you find that times are lean, even if you might get stuck with something mundane. For a better chance to get a more exciting task you should propose a useful mini project based on your readings. One guy at my current lab always asks for more stuff to do and usually I make fun of him because of the tedious tasks he ends up with, however recently he has been given an important project that is showing promising preliminary results in neutralizing HIV infection
2. The people make the lab
   Experimental work is so repetitive that your love of science or feeling the coolness of your overall project alone will not help you through it. There will be many “failures” (in a sober state of mind they would simply be negatives) and from the shared environment of the lab there will arise a lot drama over the use of space and conflicts in team tasks. The best medicine to sooth these aches and charged situations is to build good relationships with your lab members
   1. Get to know your lab members’ histories outside of the lab
   2. Start opinionated conversations. These can cause drama of their own, but if done with comedic overtones they can be a great way to bond with others
   3. Arrange or support an arranger of group lunches and outings. However, as a Muslim you should avoid pub nights if your lab does them because they will get too rowdy, despite their assurances that you can “just chill” with them.
   4. Meet your commitments with lab members for shared tasks. You often have to stay late or come in on the weekend if you are part of an active lab and you should let your family and friends know beforehand that you must do this because the other lab members are making sacrifices too (I’m assuming that most Muslim families are a bit protective of their children like mine)
3. The trials you face are your own
   You will probably hold a great contempt for “the system” for leaving you without a paying job while some of your peers are making a good earning. You may get the urge to trash talk UW’s resources and support for co-op students with other volunteer students. However, holding very negative views about your life an blaming external sources for it achieves nothing and is an insult to Allah, He who gave you life. Be positive, do the best that you can in your situation and remember that our Ultimate Evaluator is also the fairest so that in the end you can achieve as much as someone in a better worldly position than you.

Wednesday Feb 10th
6:00pm – 9:00 pm (just drop in)
Location: TBA

Looking forwarding to seeing you all there, insha’Allah!

Also, if you are Interested in Volunteering then please email us at frosh@uwmsa.com.
May Allah(swt) bless your efforts and reward you for your intentions. Ameen.