UNSW Co-op

[fkkiwi]

UNSW released the interview notifications for the Co-op program today. Was anyone successful in getting an interview?

I applied for Mechanical Engineering Co-op but didn't get it 

[noelidfwu]

Yeah! I got an interview offer

[fkkiwi]

Yeah! I got an interview offer

Congrats! What did you get it for?

[jamonwindeyer]

Yeah! I got an interview offer

Amazing work!! Best of luck for the interview!

[owidjaja]

I applied for Mechanical Engineering Co-op but didn't get it 

Same! I applied for the same course as you and didn't get it as well ;-;

[jamonwindeyer]

If you didn't get an offer, try not to worry - Remember this is one of the most saturated scholarships out there, lots of amazing applicants need to be turned away, and sometimes not even due to competition, but due to sponsor numbers/availability. It is a bit of luck sometimes too

There are lots of amazing doors to walk through (and many of them would have been closed to you as a Coop anyway). So just take this as another chance to find a great opportunity for yourself - Heaps more ways to get exactly the same as what Coop offers

[noelidfwu]

Amazing work!! Best of luck for the interview!

Thanks Jamon!!
I was just wondering if you attended the interview skills workshop at the briefing day and if so, if it was helpful??
Also, at the actual interview day, is it a panel interview where you just sit across from two people or so? I was confused because they said interviews start at 10am and everyone who is in your stream is in a bigger lecture room at the same time

[noelidfwu]

Congrats! What did you get it for?

Thank you! I got it for actuarial studies

[jamonwindeyer]

Thanks Jamon!!
I was just wondering if you attended the interview skills workshop at the briefing day and if so, if it was helpful??
Also, at the actual interview day, is it a panel interview where you just sit across from two people or so? I was confused because they said interviews start at 10am and everyone who is in your stream is in a bigger lecture room at the same time

Interview thing I did go to, it was definitely helpful, and you should go to show you are keen

Unless it has changed, there is a holding area where you go to hang out before your interview time. Like, your interview is a panel across from 2 or 3 people, but if you get there early you chill out in the holding area. There's past Coops there usually who you can chat to or who will grab you for your interview when it is time

[justwannawish]

I got an interview offer for actuarial studies as well!

I have a couple of questions about the interview if that's alright!
1. Do they specifically ask you questions about the sponsors like "How has Westpac changed their management policies since  the last financial year" or is it more like "what can you tell us about Westpac"? Or is it something that is more like do you have any particular questions for us? If it's a larger degree with more scholarships (would you happen to know how many get a scholarship for actuarial studies?), do we need to know about all those different sponsors?
2. How does one do a successful 'tell me about yourself' question. I always get really confused about whether you mention things about the actual degree you are talking about or whether you just talk about you (And what that actually entails"
"hi my name is John Smith and I am a recent high school graduate. I grew up in Newcastle and wished to move closer to the city for my university career, making UNSW an ideal fit in this aspect. I pride myself on my determination and leadership potential, which can be seen in the fact I led my soccer team to the state finals blah blah..."
3. How long are the actual interviews? Do you have to wait until everyone else in your section finishes before you can leave?
4. Are the questions they're going to ask generic questions (like the ones on your application) or would they throw in a hypothetical scenario (man if they ask me what's going to happen if the stock market crashes, I'll probably be like "cry???" and I will accept the fact they will "thank u next" me. Would it be possible for someone (looking at you Jamon XD) to give a few examples of the type of question they ask (if that's not breaking any confidentiality rules)
5. What happens if Co-op isn't your first preference atm? I think Macquarie co-op is my current first preference in UAC, should I change this now?

[jamonwindeyer]

I got an interview offer for actuarial studies as well!
I have a couple of questions about the interview if that's alright!

Congratulations!! And absolutely, happy to help

1. Definitely nothing that specific, the "What do you know about us?" question could pop up but nothing more. And to be honest I didn't even get that. My advice would be to know a bit about all your sponsors (main areas of work, I guess), to show your interest in the industry, and so you can chat to your panel with a bit of knowledge of their background.

2. I think this is a great question on so many levels, because even what you pick to talk about tells them a lot about you. There's no right or wrong, though I wouldn't go super formal with it. Like, it feels unnatural to have someone ask about you and you go on with specific examples of leadership skills. Go for broad statements with limited specific examples. EG, "Sure! So I guess the big thing about me is that I hate doing nothing, I always like to be busy, so I tend to cram my days pretty full. In the HSC I had a job, volunteered, all that sort of stuff. I've been told I work too much (insert casual laugh), um... I'm super into technology! Bit of a gadget freak and was super into the parts of my Physics course on how technology works. For this reason, Electrical Engineering seemed like a perfect fit, that's why I'm here I guess!"

3. About 20 minutes? Definitely don't need to wait for your group

4. You (and many others) have a slightly incorrect idea of these interviews - This isn't testing your intricate knowledge of the content of a course you haven't done yet, nor your knowledge of sponsors which you've to this point had nothing to do with. They want to know about you, why you want to work in your industry,  and what you'd contribute to their companies as an employee. Any questions they ask that are specific will purely be to gauge your interest in the subject matter. "Oh you are interested in the stock market! Do you mainly watch the ASX or do you keep up with international exchanges too?"

5. You can, but you don't need to unless you get a conditional scholarship offer. At that point, move Coop first (if you want to accept) and keep your fingers crossed for the ATAR