Find an internship in Montréal
Looking for an internship in Montréal can feel like navigating an obstacle course, from finding the right fit to interviews and waiting for a response. But once you find one, it’s a rewarding experience—and earning a salary while you study is a game changer! Montréal is the perfect city for young workers, with countless activities, awesome restaurants and plenty of fun things to do with friends.
In this blog post, I’ll be sharing tips to help you look for and eventually land your dream internship in Montréal.
How to find an internship in Montréal
To find an internship you’ll enjoy in your field of study, it’s important to approach your research from different angles. Summertime is more competitive as students across Québec and even neighbouring provinces are looking at the same time. When I landed my first internships, one of my fellow marketing interns was studying in Toronto.
Before diving into the different research strategies, the first thing you’ll need is a strong CV and cover letter. Make sure you adapt it to fit the Canadian market. In France, for example, you put your picture at the top of your CV, but that isn’t the case in Québec.
Start your search at school
In my case, at HEC Montréal, we have an online platform called “My Career” managed by the school’s career management service, featuring job offers from employers looking to higher graduates or interns while they study. Every university and CEGEP has a similar resource or a careers management team that’s dedicated to placing students in companies, so this is a great place to start.
The same services will often help you organize your CV and cover letter, showing you how to fine-tune the format and content to make sure it stands out and to help you secure a first interview.
Optimize your LinkedIn profile
The second (slightly more digital) strategy is to leverage the LinkedIn platform, which features a job search section where you can filter your search by job location and job title keywords.
Once you’ve applied your filters, LinkedIn will send you email notifications letting you know when a job that matches your search criteria becomes available. LinkedIn features a bunch of job offers and some employers allow you to apply directly via the platform. That’s why it’s important to make sure your profile is up to date and includes a professional photo to make sure it stands out.
Build your network
The third and more traditional strategy is to take advantage of in-person networking events. Networking in Montréal is a must. You can meet people by attending public Happy Hours and meetups, but some sectors (like artificial intelligence) organize networking events especially for students and professionals. These events are the perfect opportunity to meet people working in your field, to ask questions and to potentially land an internship.
Taking part in recruitment events, including in your field of study and at your school, is always a good idea. If recruiters come to your school, it means they’re looking for people in your field of study, which makes you a potential candidate. Be sure to share posts about these events on LinkedIn so potential employers can see that you’re looking. Who knows, they may be interested in meeting you at a future event.
Keep in mind that your friends and fellow students will be part of your future network, so getting to know them better is a great way to build connections (and yes, mid-term and end-of-term parties count!).
My personal outcome
By applying these strategies, I was able to land two summer internships and a part-time job in my field while I was a student. Internships give you a major advantage when it comes to looking for a job after you graduate, or even if you’re looking for a summer internship or part-time job the following year.
