Description of the CEMS Career Forum

What is the CEMS Career Forum?

The CEMS Career Forum is an exclusive 2-day recruitment and networking event taking place annually in November.
It is an ideal opportunity for CEMS students and young alumni to meet and interact with CEMS Corporate Partners, learn about opportunities for internships as well as permanent positions, and broaden their network. 

The event will be held from Friday 8 November 2024 until Saturday 9 November 2024 at the premises of the ESADE Business School in Barcelona, Spain.

Interviews will take place on Saturday, 9 November between 09:00 am and 06:00 pm.

Corporate Coffee Talks will take place on Saturday, 9 November starting at 09:00 am.

Job Fair (with company stands) will be held on Saturday, 9 November between 10:00 am and 05:00 pm.

Career Forum Party will take place at the closure of the Career Forum, Saturday, 9 November starting from 11:00 pm. All CEMS Career Forum participants are invited to participate in the party, organized by the CEMS Club Barcelona.

All CEMS students have the opportunity to attend the Career Forum, including students who plan to graduate in December 2024. Young CEMS Alumni (meaning having graduated between 0-4 years ago) are also invited to participate in the Career Forum.  

Corporate Partners at the CEMS Career Forum

Do all Corporate Partners (CPs) attend the Career Forum?

All CPs are invited to the event. Nevertheless, they are not required to accept the invitation - this is why not all of our CPs are present at the event each year.    

All the CPs that registered to the Career Forum will have a company stand, however, not all companies will offer interviews. This is why you should check if your favorite company is offering interviews. More information on how each company will be present during the Career Forum will be available in your Student Space.    

You can meet and engage with CPs in different ways during the Career Forum:

Applying for Interviews:
You can apply for interviews with up to 10 Corporate Partners.
If you are successful in your application for interviews, you may be eligible to receive a financial subsidy from CEMS (to assist with travel and accommodation costs). Please consult the eligibility conditions in your Student Space.

Applying for Skill Seminars:
You can also register for an accredited half-day skill seminar. You can indicate up to 6 preferences (all seminars take place simultaneously, so you will only be able to attend one seminar).

Participating in the Job Fair:
On the day of the job fair, you can visit the information stands of each participating CP and talk to the company representatives.

Registering to Corporate Coffee Talks:
During this one hour session, you will get the chance to understand more about one company’s culture, open opportunities and many other topics with a small group of students, in a casual setting.

Applying for Interviews

Am I eligible to apply for Interviews?

If you are a CEMS student - either just starting the MIM programme, having done your MIM studies, or being a CEMS MIM graduate from 0 to 4 years - you meet the eligibility criteria.

You can initially send only up to 10 requests in total. Therefore, after sending 10 requests you will not be able to send any other requests unless you are selected for an interview. For example, if you get accepted for 2 interviews out of 10 requests, the counter will deduct the 2 requests you have been accepted to, and you can then send out 2 more requests. 

You are strongly encouraged to apply for the maximum number, as this event happens only once a year and we would like for you to make the most out of it.

To apply for the interviews you need to access your Student Space in the Career Forum Website. Once you access your Student Space, you must click on 'Access Interview Platform' in the 'Interviews’ section. To register an interview, please follow these steps:

1. Update your CEMS CV (mandatory).

2. Fill in your profile and brand yourself to maximize your chances of landing an interview.

3. Once your profile is complete, select the company of your choice as presented in the 'Company Hub' to go to the company profile. To apply for interviews, click on 'Request'.

There are 3 different types of interviews, please make sure to check the Career Forum Brochure and/or the partners page on the Career Forum website to see who is offering what:

- pre-screening interview: first contact that may lead to a formal interview and recruitment.

- mock interview - job interview simulation for training purposes and information about company culture.

- formal interview - a first step in the formal recruitment process.

Please note that not all companies offer interviews. Moreover, having an interview at the CEMS Career Forum does not necessarily mean you get a job offer right away, as this may only be the first step in a long hiring process. We encourage you to provide all the information in the registration form so that corporate representatives can make an informed decision on your application.

Companies will review your applications from September 25 until October 15. Once selected, you will receive a notification to choose a time slot based on the company's availability. Please note that all interviews will take place on November 9, therefore make sure you are available on the chosen slot. 

The interviews will take place at ESADE Business School from 09:00 am to 06:00 pm CET. The Career Forum Organising Team will inform all students regarding the main stages of the process via e-mail. To ensure that you receive all relevant communications, please keep your forwarding options on your cems.org e-mail address up to date.

Yes! CEMS is a Global Alliance, and we want to provide CEMS students currently on their term abroad in Australia, the United States, South Africa, Singapore, Japan, India, Hong Kong, China, South Korea, Brazil, Columbia, Chile, Canada, Egypt or Turkey the opportunity to have interviews as well. 

Students studying in the countries mentioned above at the time the Career Forum takes place will have the opportunity to get a 500 euros subsidy which can be used to help finance the trip to the Career Forum (travel, accommodation, etc.). Please note the eligibility criteria for receiving a financial subsidy are as follows:

  • You confirm and attend a minimum of 1 interview during the Career Forum in Barcelona.

  • You can only receive a financial subsidy once during your CEMS studies, even if you attend the Career Forum more than once.

Students graduating in December 2024 are not eligible for a financial subsidy but are most welcome to attend the event at their own expense. 

Applying to Corporate Coffee Talks

How do I apply for a Coffee Talk?

From September 10 to 25, you will be able to register for one coffee chat with the Corporate Partner of your choice. Registration are on a first-come first-serve basis so we encourage you to register as soon as possible.
 
To register, you need to connect on your student space in the Career Forum website and click on "register" in the Corporate Coffee Talk section.

You can only apply to one Coffee Talk.

Once you have applied for a Coffee Talk, you will receive an email confirming your registration. More information regarding the location and timing will be shared with you in October.

Registering to a Skill Seminar (Student Only)

Can I apply for a Skill Seminar?

All CEMS students are allowed to register for a Skill Seminar.    

Registration will take place on cems.org accessible through your Student Space on the Career Forum Website, in the 'Skill Seminar' section, from September 10 at 2:00 pm CEST to September 25 at 2:00 pm CEST. 

You are advised to indicate up to 6 preferences in order to increase your chances of getting a Skill Seminar. Remember that all Skill Seminars take place simultaneously, so you can only participate in one. Please note that you will be required to upload your CEMS CV to apply for a Skill Seminar therefore make sure it is updated on cems.org (Student portal > Career Center > Complete - create my CV). If you encounter any issues during this task, please contact us. 

We encourage you to not leave the registration to the last minute, since you will be assigned to a Skill Seminar on a random basis, taking into account registrations submitted per 24-hour slots. For instance, students registering at any time between 10 September 2:00pm and 11 September 2:00pm will have an advantage compared to students registering at any time between 13 September 2:00 pm and 14 September 2:00pm, etc. 

Additionally, students who haven't accomplished their mandatory 6 days of CEMS Skill Seminars will be given priority over those who have already done so.  

Make sure you check your availability before confirming the Skill Seminar that has been assigned to you. In case you absolutely cannot attend the seminar, please let the Career Forum Team (CEMS Global Office) know a minimum 10 working days in advance.

Closer to the start date you will have to provide a medical certificate or present a serious personal reason. If none of the above applies and you do NOT show up at the skill seminar, then the following sanctions will apply:

  • You will NOT be allowed to register for skill seminars for the current and following term in any of the CEMS member schools.
  • In addition, you will be put on the last place list of preferences for skill seminars.

Registering to the Career Forum Party

When will the Career Forum Party take place?

The Career Forum Party which is organised by the CEMS Club Barcelona will be held on Saturday 9 November, starting from 11:30 pm. CEMS students, as well as Alumni, Corporate representatives, and Academic members, are all invited to attend the party.

To register for the Career Forum Party, you need to go to your Student Space, and click Register in the 'Career Forum Party' section. 

You can register and pay for the Career Forum Party until October 15, therefore we encourage you to purchase tickets online earlier since they will be subject to availability.

Due to the limited capacity of the venue, you will only be allowed to register yourself for the party in case tickets are still available up until the registration deadline.

Party tickets purchased online need to be picked up at the Party Ticket Stand managed by the CEMS Club Barcelona on Saturday, November 9, from 10:00 am to 05:00 pm. The QR code you received during your registration will be scan and you will receive a bracelet (do not lose it) and a drink voucher. 

It should be noted that no tickets will be sold on site.

Financial Subsidy

What is the Financial Subsidy?

The financial subsidy is awarded to all students coming from a non-European school location, who are accepted for a minimum of 1 interview and are attending the interview(s) at the Career Forum in Barcelona, Spain. 

Students studying at a non-European school location (Australia, United States, South Africa, Singapore, Japan, Columbia, India, Hong Kong, China, South Korea, Brazil, Chile, Canada, Egypt or Turkey) at the time of the Career Forum, will receive 500 euros in financial subsidy to attend the event. 

The subsidy can be used at your own discretion to help finance your trip to the Career Forum (travel, accommodation, etc.). You are responsible for making your own travel arrangements to and from the event venue and for organising your accommodation onsite. Please bear in mind that the best deals on airline tickets and accommodation are available if you book early.  

The criteria you must fulfill to be eligible to receive a financial subsidy are the following:

  • You are not studying or living in a European country at the time of the Career Forum.
  • You confirm and attend a minimum one interview during the Career Forum 2024 in Barcelona.
  • You have not received a financial subsidy from CEMS before, you can only receive a subsidy once during your CEMS studies, even if you attend the Career Forum more than once.
  • You are not a student who will graduate in December 2024. Students graduating at this period are not eligible for a financial subsidy but are most welcome to attend the event at their own expense.

All students who meet the eligibility criteria mentioned above can apply via a registration form available in the Student Space on the Career Forum Website in the 'Useful Information' section. Please note that your eligibility is taken into account based on the information indicated as "expected graduation year" in your CEMS CV. Make sure this information is up to date.

Subject to your confirmed attendance at the interview(s), the CEMS Global Office will transfer the financial subsidy to you after the event. You will need to send your full banking details (name, address, name of bank, address of your bank, IBAN, BIC/SWIFT) to careerforum@cems.org. 

Please keep in mind that first you have to sign the attendance form with the interviewer/s and once you have attended all your interviews, you are eligible to claim your subsidy.   

Where can I make photocopies?

We recommend you to print out all your documents in advance (CV, motivation letter, grade report)

Do not forget to bring as many copies as possible of your CV. Make sure to print your personalised CV as it will tell the company much more about you and your personality.

Where can I find more information about...

Companies attending the CEMS Career Forum?

All information about companies attending the Career Forum 2024 can be found in your Student Space on the Career Forum website.

Detailed information on all issues related to logistics can be found on the official CEMS Career Forum Website, under the section 'Get ready'. 

Please remember: the best deals on airline tickets and accommodation are available if you book as early as possible.

Complete information on the programme can be found in the Student Information Brochure and in "Activities" on the website.

You will be able to check your application results and individual schedule for interview in the Career Forum Interview Platform. In addition, you will have access to your personal agenda with the list of activities your registered for in your student space.