Just chillin': Pamela Smyth snapped a pic of this frozen tableau (okay, frozen picnic table) outside the side entrance of Needles Hall on Friday last week. I think they may need more ice in their drinks, though.

 

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Gearing Up

by Becca McElrea, Communications & Marketing Associate, Co-operative Education and Career Action. Originally printed in the Inside sCo-op newsletter, Winter 2013 edition 1.

Zohair Mazhar’s story starts in Karachi, Pakistan, when he was a recent high school graduate and postsecondary applicant to universities in Canada, Australia, and the United Kingdom. “Waterloo gave me the opportunity of co-op. I would graduate with actual work experience,” and he reasoned that the hands-on learning would leave him in good shape to succeed in the working world.

Soon he found himself with the rest of uWaterloo’s flock; in a suit in one of the chairs on the ground floor of the Tatham Centre, looking up at the television screens. Like many first years applying for positions, he had difficulty finding employment. On the last day and for the last time slot, Zohair (right) had an interview with Magna Powertrain, his first employer.

The interview was supposed to be fifteen minutes long, but ended up lasting an hour. Zohair says what likely earned him his first job was when the interviewer placed a transmission on the table and asked him what he knew about it. Zohair says, “I was a first year student, so I had never worked on something like that before. I meant what I said, but all I could say was ‘I have nothing I can tell you, but I am eager to learn.’”

An Excellent Question

Zohair’s second employer gave him a glowing review; his work with the titration of the company’s parts washing machine not only made the machine work more effectively, but it also saved the company money in the years to come.

He also showed initiative by volunteering to be part of the interview process, and took the time to come up with a thoughtful question to ask the students applying for his job. “The interview process is nerve-wracking and I wanted to ask a question that made the students feel a little more at ease,” he explains. His question was “If you were a dog, what kind would you be?” and though it’s likely to draw out some chuckles, questions of this type – questions you can’t prepare for and need to be able to think quickly and creatively – can still yield some revelations into a person’s character.

An Outstanding Experience

His third work term was one of his most challenging ones, but also one where he accomplished a lot. Halfway through his third work term in Munich, Germany, Zohair asked his supervisor what he would have to do to receive an ‘outstanding’ for his work evaluation. His supervisor responded that he would have to finish the project he was working on. This task wouldn’t be an easy. The project Zohair worked on had been started by another engineer and hadn’t been completed during a seven year period; Zohair had two months left in his work term to finish it. On top of the bind for time, there was also the language barrier; most of his co-workers solely spoke German. With the help of some Master’s students reporting to him and bridging the gap of the language barrier, he finished his work a week ahead of schedule.

There was no rest outside of the office either, as he had another kind of experience to gain. “I worked about 37 hours each week, but only Monday to Thursday. Every weekend my flight was booked to somewhere,” Zohair says. While working abroad, he traveled to 12 different countries, visiting capitals, major cities and popular sites. He says that the amount of traveling and exploring he did in four months would probably take most people closer to a year to do.

Zohair’s advice to other co-ops is to take full advantage of what the program has to offer and challenge yourself by setting goals. Evaluations can help you land your next job, but it’s the experiences you have that stay with you for all aspects of life.

Last week’s question: 77 per cent of you guessed correctly: 2011 co-op student of the year Mei worked on a company’s due diligence team for a major acquisition valued at $387 million. Congratulations to last week’s draw winner Cassandra Burggraaff, environment student.

This week’s question: CECA recently updated the co-op student performance evaluation form to meet new requirements by the Ontario Council of Academic Vice-Presidents and professional accreditation bodies. Of the following performance expectations on the new form, which did not previously appear on the old form: ability to learn, quantity of work, dependability, ethical behavior, oral communication? Take a guess and enter to win a mug.

 

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TEDxUW seeks new leadership

 

TEDxUW, the University of Waterloo's "official TEDx experience," is actively seeking applicants to fill the Chair and Executive Director positions that will lead the organization in 2013. These positions are open to all students, faculty, staff, and alumni of the university.

TEDxUW's mission is "to bring together intelligent, connected, extremely talented and energetic members of the University of Waterloo community in order to build an engaged community of change-makers, and showcase their ideas and achievements to a world audience of nearly 300 million people," according to their website. "In the process, we hope to highlight the collective contributions of our university to global society at-large, while positioning the University of Waterloo as a world-class community where great minds and big ideas always meet."

Founder and current chair of TEDxUW Prashanth Gopalan is aiming to step down after he graduates this April.

"TEDxUW will give its Chair and Executive Director the opportunity to connect and lead a network of highly talented individuals across campus in order to put together an immersive conference experience this year," writes Gopalan. "This is a terrific opportunity for self-starters and entrepreneurial leaders looking for a leadership and growth opportunity like none other, and is open to all students, staff, faculty and alumni of the university who believe they are the right fit."

The chair acts as TEDxUW's "public face" and duties include negotiating partnerships and sponsorships, building brand alliances, coordinating marketing activities, overseeing speaker recruitment and training and attendee recruitment.

"We're really on the lookout for talented people who really care about building a legacy on campus that will be shaped by the best ideas and personalities we have at this university, which will showcase the best of the university to a world audience of 300 million people," Gopalan continues. "We tend to discourage those who apply simply in the hopes of putting something on their resume — really passion, commitment and the ability to deliver are the holy trio."

The executive director works with the chair to "get things done" and is responsible for implementing TEDxUW's vision and for managing team culture and morale. Specific duties include helping the Chair recruit and train team members, helping manage all projects and deadlines, and overseeing the production and logistics of the main event.

Full job descriptions and application details are available on the TEDxUW leadership site.

"All we need is a lean team staffed with highly connected, skilled and extremely driven people who won't take no for an answer and have the independence and pluck to make things happen," Gopalan concludes. "Do this right and we can build a conference experience that can set a new standard right here on campus."

The deadline to apply to both positions is Monday, March 18.

 

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Events, pilgrimages and other notes

 

International Women's Week continues today with a number of events including "Celebrating Women: Bold and Brilliant" presented by the One Waterloo Diversity Campaign from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. in the SLC Great Hall, Craft Hour at 2:00 p.m. in SLC 2102, "Find Your Feminism" presented by the Women's Centre at 3:00 p.m., also in SLC 2102, and a screening of the film "Status Quo?" at 7:00 p.m. in HH 280.

Renison University College Professor Emeritus Darrol Bryant, director of the Centre for Dialogue and Spirituality in the World Religions recently led a group of Canadians that joined over 30 million people at Kumbha Mela, a pilgrimage of faith for the world’s Hindus held once every six years at Allahabad, India. Read the full story on Renison's news page.

Here's the latest nutrition "myth vs. fact" from Health Services dietician Sandra Ace.

"Myth:" Drinking red wine decreases your risk of heart disease and cancer.

"Fact:"  Red wine contains an antioxidant called resveratrol that has been linked to a lowered risk of heart disease and some cancers. While promising, most of the research has been done on animals and may not hold true in humans. There’s a downside to red wine as well: drinking too much of any type of alcohol (wine, beer and liquor) increases the risk of high blood pressure, elevated triglycerides, liver disease, obesity, some types of cancer, including breast cancer, and other health problems. So don’t count on alcohol to keep you healthy. Instead, eat a variety of nutritious foods, be active and don’t smoke. If you enjoy a glass of red wine, moderation is key. Reduce your long-term health risks by drinking no more than 10 drinks a week for women, with no more than 2 drinks a day most days,  and 15 drinks a week for men, with no more than 3 drinks a day most days. Pregnant women and people with some medical conditions should avoid alcohol altogether so check with your health care provider if you have questions.

 

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