Certified Interview Strategist Credentialing Program

Certified Interview Strategist (CIS) Testing Process

 

In order to obtain and maintain your Certified Interview Strategist (CIS) designation, you must meet all of the following requirements:

• Complete and pass an on-line CIS Challenge Exam. (PART 1)
• Submit by e-mail and pass an evaluation of a case study and client reference. (PART 2)
• Maintain a current membership with Career Professionals of Canada.

 

How the CIS Program Works

The CIS program is a self-study program that validates your expertise as an interview strategist.

You complete the program on your schedule. Once you have paid for the program, received your CIS Certification Study Guide (ebook), and started your CIS credentialing program, you have up to one full year to study, prepare, and complete the 2-part testing process.

The complete process operates remotely on-line and through the internet. You can study and complete the program in your office or at home.

Career Professionals of Canada operates on a “trust” basis. As an ethical professional, you must ensure that you complete both parts of the 2-part testing process on your own and without any assistance from others.

PART 1 (CIS Challenge Exam)

The CIS Challenge Exam is designed to test your competencies as a professional interview strategist. You will write an online, open-book exam based on the material in the CIS Certification Study Guide (ebook).

The CIS Challenge Exam is performed remotely at your home or office. The online system is timed. You will have two hours to write the exam. If you feel that your experience sufficiently prepares you for the challenge exam and you have studied the CIS Certification Study Guide, it is not mandatory to complete a course in order to take the challenge exam.

Once you are ready to write your online challenge exam, you must e-mail info@CareerProCanada.ca with subject line "CIS Challenge Exam Request" to request a user name and password. Your username, password, and further instructions will then be e-mailed directly to you. From that point on, you can feel free to connect when you are ready. Your access will be available for one full week, but remember, once you start the exam, you’ll have two hours to complete the exam.

The CIS Challenge Exam consists of an on-line test that consists of two sections:

• Section 1 consists of 25 multiple-choice questions.
• Section 2 consists of 25 true and false questions.

The exam is open-book, so make sure to keep your CIS Certification Study Guide handy. You can write this exam anytime during your day, but make sure that you schedule enough time for yourself. You’ll need to work in a quiet place, where you have no interruptions or distractions.

Your CIS Challenge Exam will be marked by an automated system and verified by CPC staff. To pass PART 1 of the testing process, you must achieve a grade of 60% or above on the online CIS Challenge Exam. You will be notified of your status for PART 1 within three business days of exam completion.

You have one month to place any inquiries on your exam. After this, your exam results will be kept on file for 3 months. After that, the exam itself will be removed from our systems.

PART 2 (Independent Evaluation)

To ensure that you can effectively use the concepts you have learned, you must pass an Independent Evaluation of a case study.

When you are ready to start PART 2 of the 2-part certification process, you will provide us with a case study supported by a letter of reference from your client. E-mail your case study in Microsoft Word format directly to info@CareerProCanada.ca with subject line “CIS Evaluation Submission.”

Your 2000 word case study must adequately discuss the following:

• Your client’s qualifications and the target position
• Your client’s Value Proposition
• Techniques you utilized to prepare your client for an employment interview
• Your coaching strategy explaining what you intentionally covered or excluded
• How you overcame any challenges or obstacles for your client
• How you have enriched this client’s ability to handle employment interviews

Client Reference and Confidentiality Requirements

We require that you obtain a letter of reference and, to honour your client’s confidentiality, written agreement to use their experience as part of your case presentation. Please instruct your client to send an e-mail from their originating email to info@CareerProCanada.ca with the subject line "CIS Evaluation Submission - <insert your name>" as shown in the box below.

Your client’s e-mail must effectively respond to the following questions:
How would you describe your experience of working with an interview strategist?
What skills and concepts did you learn from this training?
Did your interview strategist effectively support your job search initiatives? If so, how?

 

Client approval example:

To: info@CareerProCanada.ca Cc: Your e-mail address  Subject: CIS Evaluation Submission - Candidate's Name   I, Name of client, authorize Name of credential applicant to release information regarding career services provided to Career Professionals of Canada (CPC). I understand that this information will be reviewed by CPC’s Certification Review members for the sole purpose of assessing my strategist's abilities and qualifications. I understand that the information will be kept confidential and will not be shared with any other party.   Sincerely, Client's Name Client's Phone Number

Three independent Assessors will evaluate your case study and client e-mail. Each Assessor will evaluate you on a grading form that provides a uniform set of standards covering the following broad categories:

• The strategy you utilized to prepare your client for an employment interview.
• The Value Proposition that you enabled your client to develop and articulate.
• The strategy you employed in the actual interview role-play with your client.
• How you helped your client to address any obstacles or elimination factors.
• How you helped your client to deal with challenging or complex interview scenarios.
• Your compliance to the principles outlined in the Johari Window.
• Your overall attention to authenticity, ethics, and integrity.
• Your client’s experience working with you.

To pass PART 2 of the testing process, you must achieve an average grade of 60% or more on the evaluation of your submission. You will be notified of your status for PART 2 within four weeks of your submission.

 
Once you have achieved your CIS certification, your designation is valid as long as you remain an active member of Career Professionals of Canada. There is no recertification fee.

Next Steps: MCIS Certification