One night. 200 applicants. 16 interviewees. 4 internships available.

A new kind of internship for a new generation

Internships today have become coveted positions for new grads to dip their toes into the real world of full-time employment. While some companies see interns as the solution for the morning coffee run, forward thinking companies are using the four months of summer to find the best new grads to invest in for future full-time positions.

At Media Experts and IPG Mediabrands, we have one of the most comprehensive paid summer internship programs in Canada – The Residency. As interns typically don’t have vast hard skills experience, we take a different approach by looking to their soft skills. Our goal is to find the best personality fit for each brand and leverage the four months to grow their skillset.

First launched in Toronto where it saw massive success, this year we extended the program to Media Experts’ Montreal office to recruit top talent in Quebec. This first launch in the Montreal market has been met with enthusiastic participation, as evidenced by last night’s interview networking event which took place at the Media Experts office:

• The Residency received close to 200 applications in Montreal
• 16 were invited for one night to network and interview with our leaders
• 4 will be selected for this paid summer internship program.

Not only is our approach to hiring different but we ensure our 4-month paid internship is full of on the job skills training, real client work experience and even a “Perfect Pitch” competition, where the winning interns pitch an actual strategy to one of our clients. By mentoring and trusting our interns to actively participate in client work, we see big returns in passion and increased learning. In fact, the time and vigor put into this program sees us hiring 85% of our Residents for full-time positions.