Coach Conversations – Interview with the Career Peer Educator Divisional Supervisor

I remember when I first applied for Career Peer Educator Program and was invited to attend the first interview of my whole life. Trust me; I don’t know if “nervous” is good enough of a word to express my feeling. But from the moment my supervisor started talking, I felt much less nervous, and I knew she was a person who I wanted to work with.

Since then, two years have passed in the blink of an eye, and now it is time for one of  the most exciting and engaging things again – recruitment. In this article, I am pleased to share a short interview I had with Jo-Anne Nadort – the Career Peer Educator Divisional Supervisor to share her thoughts about the program and Career Peers.

Q: Why do you think students should apply to be a Career Peer Educator?

“I think students should apply to be a Career Peer Educator because it will give them an opportunity to try things in a professional setting that they think they are interested and curious about. A lot of students believe they have skills, but they need the opportunity to show the skills and to use them. It is also a great idea if students want to build their professional network, even within their career peers, it happens quite naturally in the program.

The other thing that I hear a lot from the students who come to be a Career Peer Educator is that they want to be helpful. They already feel like they want to leave an imprint on SFU. By working with fellow students on improving their resumes, cover letters, communication for interviews, Career Peers are definitely helping their fellow SFU students. Therefore, they will be leaving a long lasting impression here at SFU from the volunteer work that they do.”

Q: What do you think students will get most out of the Career Peer Educator Program?

“Mostly, they are going to get advising skills, and an improvement on their own job search skills. Moreover, they are going to form professional relationships with their peers as well as the opportunity to develop them with staff such as Career Advisors, Co-op staffs, and Student Development Educators at SFU. “

Q: What is your most memorable experience with Career Peers?

“So, memorable things that happen. There are a lot of them here with the Career Peer team, but one thing that seems to happen each of the year without me doing anything is the support they give to each other. How the team comes together, whether it is to celebrate life’s most memorable moments, or to help someone on the team get a job, or to even help someone improve their own advising skills [so] that they feel comfortable when they go to test for, and when they first start advising. What the group does for each other is amazing.”

If you would like to experience the wonderful things mentioned, apply to be a Career Peer Educator before April 16^th. We look forward to another good year with more students joining our big family.