Career Mentoring Program
The Career Mentoring Program matches students, graduates, postdoctoral scholars and those in the Spousal/Partner Employment Program (SPEP) with mentors in the community. All mentors are professionals with relevant experience and interests. Mentoring relationships help mentees develop the skills, knowledge, attitudes and connections they need to transition into the workforce.
The program allows mentees to:
- Gain experience related to academic pursuits
- Practice industry-specific, transferable and self-management skills
- Improve their chances of landing a job
- Increase self-awareness and understanding of how to contribute to the work world
- Expand career options by learning job search strategies
- Exchange knowledge, insights and experience with a mentor
Program format: Virtual or in-person
Program fee: $75
The fee is paid after you are matched with a mentor. You are expected to pay incidental expenses. If this fee is a barrier to your participation, please contact us: CareerEducation@ualberta.ca.
Program costs will be covered by Alumni Relations for Indigenous participants.
Time commitment: Approximately 12 hours over four to six months.
Mentors and mentees are responsible for scheduling routine meetings.
This program is offered once per academic year.
*Graduate students can earn IDP hours for certain career mentoring events. More details to follow upon admittance to the program.
Mentees
Who is eligible?
- Current U of A undergraduate students
- Current U of A graduate students
- U of A graduates
- Current postdoctoral scholars
- Clients in the Spousal/Partner Employment Program (SPEP)
Please note that past mentees are typically not accepted to the Career Mentoring Program for a second time. Please contact us for eligibility information if you are considering reapplying to the program at careereducation@ualberta.ca.
You may be a great fit for the program if you:
- Have reached a point in your career exploration where you’re ready to ask deeper career questions
- Know what skills, knowledge, attitudes and connections you want to learn
- Are a self-directed learner and take initiative
- Solicit and accept constructive feedback
- Want to explore your interests, values, strengths and career desires
- Can describe your ideal mentor with specific parameters
At the end of the program, you will have:
- Gained information, advice and guidance from someone with professional experience
- Received non-judgmental feedback
- Practiced developing workplace skills
- Discovered new contacts and community connections
- Collected realistic, first-hand information about career paths, jobs, industries and work settings
- Developed insight and clarity about academic goals and future plans
- Increased your self-confidence and experience in professional settings
- Gained the ability to recognize unexpected opportunities
You must attend an intake meeting and an orientation session. After being matched with a mentor, you are expected to:
- Practice self-awareness through reflection to understand your personal vision, such as interests, values, strengths and career desires
- Initiate consistent and timely communication with your mentor
- Solicit feedback from your mentor regularly
- Give feedback to your mentor and demonstrate appreciation for their suggestions
- Set goals and discuss them with your mentor
- Evaluate progress by setting performance criteria and tracking achievements
- Be open-minded and show interest in new perspectives
- Be an active listener
- Use tact in communicating differences of opinion
Apply To Be A Mentee
Applications for the 2025-2026 Career Mentoring Program open Monday, August 25 and close Sunday, October 5, 2025.
- Current U of A students and alumni:
- Current postdoctoral scholars and SPEP clients:
Information Sessions
Prospective applicants are encouraged to attend an online information session to learn more about the program and how to prepare a strong application.
Information Session Dates:
- Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2025: 5 - 5:50 p.m.
- Thursday, Sept. 25, 2025: 12:30 - 1:20 p.m.
- Monday, Sept. 29, 2025: 12 - 12:50 p.m.
Current U of A students and U of A alumni can find the links to each session under “MENTEE OVERVIEW” in the CMP section on .
Current U of A postdoctoral scholars and SPEP clients can find the links to each session in their .
Mentors
Career mentors are trusted guides and industry professionals who act as informal coaches, role models and connectors. They offer encouragement and advice to those interested in pursuing a similar career.
Mentors are assigned to a mentee after the unique mentoring needs of each mentee are understood.
To be considered as a career mentor, please complete the following form:
Note: If you are unable to access the Google Form, please contact us at careereducation@ualberta.ca
You might be a good mentor if you:
- Are already recognized as a mentor by your peers
- Have the desire to help less experienced people
- See solutions and opportunities to help mentees make sense of their goals and challenges
- Can stimulate a mentee's thinking and reflection
- Actively listen with an open mind and without judgment
- Are empathetic to the experiences of a mentee
- See being a mentor as a way to personally grow and learn
At the end of the program, you will have:
- Gained satisfaction in building up the self-worth of a new professional
- Diversified your professional networks by exploring new connections on behalf of your mentee
- Practiced leadership and interpersonal skills through coaching, communication and active listening
- Helped a new professional leverage unplanned events in their life and career
- Contributed to the long-term growth of your industry
- Gained fresh perspectives on work-related practices
- Experienced career rejuvenation
As a mentor, you are expected to:
- Draw on personal experience, successes, failures and insights to assist your mentee
- Want to improve your skills as a mentor
- Be available for the time and frequency agreed upon in the Mentoring Agreement
- Be open to giving and receiving feedback with your mentee
- Be interested in learning from someone with a different background and experiences
Contact Us
Students, Public
Career & Professional Development