Co-op. Every student at Northeastern knows this word. In fact, the co-op program is one of the main reasons why prospective students apply to Northeastern in the first place. Co-op stands for Cooperative Education, where students are allowed to work full-time for four or six months depending on their job cycle, alternating between working and being in classes each semester.
The sound of being able to work in a real professional job sounds thrilling and exciting and you’re able to gain work experience to add into your resume. However, no one tells you about what goes behind the scenes of applying for co-op.
As a Business and Communications major, I knew that it was going to be semi-difficult for me to find a job given the current job market. But, I was optimistic that I was going to find one no matter what. I had friends that believed in me, a supportive advisor and peer mentor that prepared me at each step. Things were going well… until I got my first rejection.
But everything was going to be okay, I told myself. And then my second rejection came, my third, and the next thing I knew I was applying to almost 100 co-ops. The rejections seemed more intense in my head, but in reality, they were small obstacles that I had to overcome to make it to where I am today. On top of that, I also had to ignore the constant ghosting from companies.
It made me wonder if the world was against me. Why was everyone else getting co-op offers and not me? And you might think that this is out of the norm for applying to jobs, but it is actually normal. I can’t say this for every major, but for business majors, applying to at least 100 co-ops is normal; in fact, advisors encourage students to apply that much.
Tired of being hopeful and disappointed, I was on the verge of giving up. It was mid-May and I still hadn’t gotten a co-op offer. I had done numerous interviews and made it to the final round, but was never the one that got chosen.
I was frustrated, confused and sad. Thoughts about being under-qualified or not trying hard enough started to creep up and take over. Then, my eleventh interview came. At this point, I was running out of hope and just accepted my fate. It is what it is, I told myself. If it is meant to happen, it will happen.
And it did. I got a co-op offer after eleven interviews.
Getting that offer made me feel like I could finally breathe again. My shoulders felt lighter, I had no more sleepless nights and most importantly, I was no longer doubting myself. Of course, I knew I was qualified considering I did so many interviews, but not getting the outcome that I wanted after trying for so long took a toll on my mental and emotional health.
However, I do not regret going through this process. It taught me a lot on how to prepare for interviews, deal with rejection and learn about becoming confident with my skills.
I am currently on co-op as I am writing this piece, so I would like to thank my manager and team for giving me the opportunity to become a better version of myself and enhance my skills.
It was one heck of a rollercoaster ride for me, so thank you for helping me make it to the end. It was an enduring process that forced me to persevere through all of my rejections. Nevertheless, the outcome was rewarding. Now, I hope my next co-op process will be slightly easier…wish me luck!