The most difficult challenge I dealt with this semester was going through the co-op process while studying abroad. Every Northeastern student is familiar with the stress and anxiety of our co-op process, and that stress was only accentuated while I was abroad. I hope to use this post as a reflection of experience with my co-op process and to offer advice to other students seeking to get a co-op back home while they are studying abroad.
Step 1: Organization and Applications
As a fourth-year student, I was actively looking for my third and final co-op this semester so I was extremely picky with the jobs I wanted to apply to. To discuss my options and figure out a plan of action I scheduled weekly Skype calls with my co-op advisor, discussing my goals and ways that she could offer assistance. This helped to alleviate some of the stress and organize which jobs I wanted to apply to. It was easy to schedule these meetings as the D’Amore McKim School of Business has a designated Skype account for the co-op office and I only needed to pick an appointment time on My Neu. The most important advice I received from my advisor was to mark at the top of my resume in bold and red that I am currently studying abroad in Sydney and to provide my Skype account details. This way when I submitted my job applications, the recruiting manager at each company would recognize that I am not in Boston for interviews and could make the appropriate arrangements. I was worried at first that being abroad would negatively affect my chances of receiving interviews, but I was surprised to be invited for interviews at most of the companies I applied to.
Step 2: The Interview Process
The interview process was the most strenuous and frustrating portion of my entire co-op process while abroad. The biggest difficulty was the time difference; all my interviews took place between 6 am to 8 am Sydney time (2 pm to 4 pm Boston time) or between 1 am to 3 am Sydney time (9 am to 11 am Boston time). For two weeks, my sleep schedule was completely dysfunctional, and having mid-term exams at the same time made it even worse. To combat the awful interview schedule I recommend picking one time slot and sticking with it. Often the hiring manger was sympathetic to the time difference and could work with my schedule. As more of a night owl, I found that I better performed during the 1 am to 3 am slot so I tried to schedule all my interviews during that period. The scheduling of interviews will be different for everyone depending on your preference, the company’s schedule, and where you are studying. Another thing to plan for is where to actually complete your interview. As most of my interviews occurred through video call, I could not be in my room in my pajamas. To resolve this issue, I booked rooms in the library for the times when I would be having interviews. At the University of Sydney there are group study rooms in the Fisher Library and the Law Library. I found that the Law Library offers quieter spaces so I booked most of my interviews in those rooms. I found that booking rooms removed some of the stress and helped me to complete better interviews. Another thing to remember is to send out “thank-you” emails to the individuals who interviewed you. To compensate for the time difference, I would set reminders on my phone to send emails at an appropriate time the next day so that I would not forget.
Step 3: Accepting the Offer
The final step of the co-op process is obviously accepting an offer. For me this was extremely difficult as I wanted my third and final co-op to be the perfect fit. A major challenge I faced while deciding between offers was understanding the actual culture of each company. As all of my interviews took place over phone or skype and I did not have the opportunity to tour the office or speak with any individuals in person. This was a challenge because I did not receive a real sense of the company, such as location and culture, which increased the difficulty of deciding between offers. In the past, I utilized interviews as an opportunity to better understand the prospective company and become familiar with every part of the office. As I was abroad, I was unable to do this. However, I used many resources such as friends with prior experiences at the companies I was interested in as well as the co-op brochures made available online that provide detailed information about students’ experiences. After considering this information, the details I received during the interviews, and my general gut feeling I was able to confidently pick my best offer. Walking home from the library at 3:00 am after my final interview, with the knowledge that the process was over and I had a great co-op to look forward to, I was overwhelmed with a sense of achievement and relief. All of my worries about interviews, finding the perfect co-op as well as the lack of sleep were over. Although a truly irritating and painful process, I was able to stick to my plan and get a great co-op. I learned more than I hoped about the importance of time management, professional communication, and motivation from this experience.
I hope that other students who face the challenge of finding a co-op while studying abroad can utilize this blog to receive helpful information and advice to overcome this difficult process. I found that Northeastern’s co-op office provides a lot of useful information and guidance throughout the entire process and many companies are completely understanding of the time difference as long as you are transparent and honest. Although a daunting challenge, it is possible to find a co-op while studying abroad.
