Career Exploration Interviews
Career Exploration Interviews (CEI) connect students, postdoctoral fellows, and alumni (participants) with community-based professionals working in a variety of areas (hosts) to learn from their career stories. The University of Alberta Career Centre matches participants and hosts for a 1.5 - 4 hour virtual discussion focused on participant career questions and interests.
CEIs are voluntary (unpaid) and are not tied to an academic program. We cannot guarantee that every participant and host will be matched.
If you require accommodations, such as accessing the list of hosts, help reading the form, or completing the required questions, please contact careereducation@ualberta.ca.
Upcoming Career Exploration Interviews:
- Monday, March 8 to Friday, March 19, 2021. All CEIs will take place virtually via telephone or online platform.
- The exact date and time of the CEI is based on the host's availability and preferences.
Information Sessions for the CEI Program:
Join this Info Session and hear from CEI program coordinators about this exciting opportunity to connect online with professionals in your career interest area from around the world!
By attending this Info Session you will:
- Learn more about the CEI Program
- Talk with program coordinators directly about the matching process, how to get your application noticed, and how to identify the hosts that will bring you the most value
- Hear the experiences of others who have already completed the program and the value they received from participating
- Have the opportunity to have your questions answered directly
Tuesday, January 19 at 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. MST via ZOOM, Register here
Wednesday, January 20 at 9 to 10 a.m. MST via ZOOM, Register here
Information for participants
Applications open on Monday, January 18, 2021, to choose your hosts for a CEI.
- The full program cycle from application through to conclusion of your CEI will take between 4 and 8 hours of your time.
- The application allows you to select your top 3 hosts.
- Make sure you are available on the day(s) each host indicates. Work hours are typically between 9:00 am - 5:00 pm, however, some hosts may work shift work, evening hours, or may be working in other time zones which may shift your participation time.
- Any contact that continues beyond formal CEI conversation is at the sole discretion of hosts and participants.
Through a Career Exploration Interview, participants will:
- Learn about potential career options and ways to apply education, training and/or experience;
- Test a career option before making a commitment to pursue it;
- Clarify work-related preferences and interests (e.g., work environment, sector, tasks);
- Develop knowledge of the industry, occupation or field as well as the specific vocabulary within that field;
- Make useful connections with professionals;
- Increase confidence in the work search process.
- Gain exposure to the Canadian workplace.
After being accepted into the program, participants are expected to:
- complete a mandatory training session online;
- have access to a device they can participate in the CEI virtually;
- contact your host by email prior to the CEI to arrange details for the discussion and activity.
Before applying, review step 1 in our guidebook to help you submit a strong application.
Information for Hosts
Individuals working anywhere in the world are encouraged to sign up as a host. We cannot guarantee that every host will be matched.
- Registration takes about 20 minutes.
- You will spend 30 minutes to an hour planning your discussion and activity and preparing an itinerary for the interview.
- The CEI itself will last between 1.5 and 4 hours
- Any contact that continues beyond formal CEI conversation is at the sole discretion of hosts and participants.
Being a Career Exploration Interview Host can be a rewarding experience as it allows you to:
- Develop your personal leadership skills;
- Contribute to the growth and development of your field;
- Learn about what students, alumni, or postdoctoral fellows look for in their job and workplace
- Provide variety in your workday;
- Provide new professionals with the support you had (or wish you had) when you first started working.
Our host guidebook outlines key responsibilities which include:
- Participating in an interview with up to 4 participant(s);
- Guiding meaningful discussions with the participants;
- Going beyond discussions by introducing a simple activity focussed on developing skills related to your work;
- Providing a safe, respectful learning environment; and
- In addition to general discussion about your career, you’ll walk participants through a hands-on activity outlined on page 2 of the host guidebook. The activity is meant to illustrate your work and help participants practice their skills and/or apply their knowledge. The activity is not to be used as a way to get participants to complete work for you. Contact the Career Centre at careereducation@ualberta.ca for ideas for activities.
How to Register as a Host
Deadline to register as a CEI host for March 2021 is Friday, January 15, 2021.
Returning Hosts
If you have previously hosted through a Career Exploration Interview, please email us at careereducation@ualberta.ca for different instructions.
New Hosts
Please follow these instructions to register as a new host. Contact careereducation@ualberta.ca if you have questions or need further support.
- Create an Employer & Partner account on campusBRIDGE.
- Watch this video if you need assistance.
- You can ONLY use an Employer & Partner account to register as a CEI Host.
- If you already have an Employer & Partner account, skip to step 3.
- Wait 1-2 business days for your account to be approved at which time you will receive an email from the UofA Career Centre from campusbridge@ualberta.ca.
- Log in to your "Employer & Partner" account on campusBRIDGE and complete the following steps to create a CEI host profile.