You might have noticed some amazing co-op stories written by your fellow peers on the OLC, but have you ever considered sharing your story?  Perhaps you never considered it as an option, or perhaps you might not have seen the benefits of writing for the OLC.  Whatever the case may be, consider these five reasons to share your story:

1. Maintain Relationships

What better way to end a work term than to share with your supervisor that you have just written a blog post about your awesome experience working with them at their company?  Nothing says happy supervisor quite like positive publicity!  It’s also an excellent opportunity for you to reconnect with your supervisor upon publishing.  Tweet the company and share that your blog post about your great experience there has been published, share this as an update on LinkedIn, and shoot your supervisor an email to let them know about the published article.  This is an organic way to maintain relationships with your supervisor and that company, especially if you would like to ask them to be a reference down the road. 

2. Stand out by Helping Others

Consider the positive reputation you can build when you write about your experience on the OLC.  First of all, the people most likely to read the post you publish are students who are in your program.  By getting your name out, and associated with something positive in a professional way, you are building a reputation for yourself among people that you could very well work with or work for one day.  Depending on how you promote the blog (ie: have you shared it with your supervisor or on social media?) more and more people can learn about you and your story.  By sharing your co-op experience, what you learned, and tips for others you are building your profile as someone who has experience in the industry you are in and as someone who is helpful and insightful.

3. Low Commitment

You can write a whole series about your co-op experience or you can write one article about your experience.  The OLC is very flexible and is happy to have bloggers contribute with however much they feel comfortable. 

4. New Skill

Writing a blog post takes skills you might not have necessarily developed in your classroom or work experience, and the OLC is the perfect place to hone this. Use our guidelines to guide your thinking, submit your document using our submissions document, and work with an editor to get your article in tip top shape before publishing.

5. End of Term Project and Portfolio Piece 

Sharing your story also has some very tangible benefits.  Depending on your program, you might be able to use your blog post submission as your end-of-term project.  (Ask your co-op advisor directly to be sure).  On top of that, depending on your field of study, your employer might ask you for a writing sample.  Your co-op reflection is an excellent portfolio piece that can show that you can write in a different style beyond classroom work.

Sharing your co-op experience on the OLC has some benefits that can set you apart from other co-op students.

Happy blogging!