UpClose

How it works

From curiosity to clarity.

UpClose isn't just matching. It's human-led, AI-supported exploration through conversations, practical experience, mentor-reviewed reflection and informed next steps. This is an academic prototype; AI processing and mentor review are proposed.

  1. Step 1

    Explore

    Share your interests, career questions, goals and uncertainties.

  2. Step 2

    Match

    Proposed AI-supported recommendations; this prototype uses transparent sample matching, and you choose.

  3. Step 3

    Prepare

    Get a personalised Career Reality Brief with questions and assumptions to test.

  4. Step 4

    Connect

    Explore rewarding and challenging career realities through professional conversations and illustrative practical tasks.

  5. Step 5

    Reflect

    Complete a Career Reality Check. Proposed AI support organises reflections and mentor feedback into a mentor-reviewed Career Report Card.

  6. Step 6

    Take your next step

    Review your Career Report Card — consolidate reflections, compare different careers, identify skill gaps and define your next experiment.

Post-Session Review

Sample interaction

Proposed post-session feedback to inform mentor development and programme improvement.

Mentor preparation
Communication
Relevance of the conversation
Realistic understanding of the career
Explore My Future

Sprint, Deep Dive and Reform

Proposed programme formats.

2 days · 3 hours per day · 6 hours total

Sprint Session

Focused professional conversations for immediate career insights and practical entry advice.

One-to-one or small-group discussions.

Explore Sprint

3 weeks · 2 hours per week · 6 hours total

Deep Dive Session

Mentor conversations combined with simplified professional tasks and feedback.

Includes an illustrative task relevant to your chosen profession.

Explore Deep Dive

12 weeks · 1 hour per week · 12 hours total

Reform

Sustained mentoring, exercises, skill assessments and personalised career planning.

Follow-up check-in approximately one month after completion.

Explore Reform

Deep Dive practical task · Product

Illustrative simulation
  1. Review fictional customer feedback.
  2. Prioritise three possible product improvements.
  3. Explain your reasoning and receive illustrative mentor feedback.

For learning and career exploration only — not unpaid work for a company.