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Get involved to get noticed

It is important to develop your skills throughout your studies. This will make your transition into the workplace easier and allow you to take on future job mandates with confidence. Being selective about extracurricular activities will allow you to acquire these valuable skills.

Prioritizing experience

You can develop many of these skills and boost your profile even before you enter the job market on the condition that you choose your extracurricular activities with care and in accordance with your career plan, and an action plan. Moreover, some of this experience will allow you to get to know yourself better and clarify your goals.

Need suggestions?

The following is a list of activities you can get involved in. It is not exhaustive, so do not hesitate to explore the various opportunities on your own and determine the skills you want to acquire in accordance with your career plan.

EXAMPLE OF EXTACURRICULAR ACTIVITY POSSIBLE SKILLS ACQUIRED
Management-related internship or student job
  • Application of theory learned in class
  • A measure of your adaptability
  • Knowledge of software
  • Teamwork
Exchange, experience or campus abroad
  • Adaptability
  • Language learning
Contests or university competitions
  • Knowledge of software
  • Analytical skills
  • Problem-solving skills
Involvement in academic associations
  • Application of theory learned in class
  • Leadership
  • Organization
  • Teamwork
Getting an accreditation or certification
  • Attestation of skill mastery
Business volunteer work or other social commitments
  • Application of theory learned in class
  • Problem-solving skills
Participation in congresses, conferences, seminars, webinars
  • Ability to stay actual in terms of knowledge and remain ahead as to innovations and advances in one’s area of specialization
  • Ability to stay intellectually curious
  • Development of personal projects
  • Involvement in a family business
  • Fundraising for a cause
  • Organization of an event
  • Starting a business
  • Leadership
  • Initiative
  • Innovativeness
  • Creativity
  • Independence
  • Tenacity
  • Theatre
  • Running
  • Team sport
  • Musical instrument
  • Determination
  • Discipline
  • Team spirit
  • Creativity
  • Innovativeness
  • Ability to manage stress

Resources to help you get involved

There are numerous and varied opportunities to help you get involved. Though this suggested resource list is not extensive, it is a good place to begin your information search.

Volunteer work

Business volunteer work

  • Bénévoles d’affaires (BA), matching service for business volunteers and non-profit organizations (in French only).
  • Leadership Montréal, a project of the Conseil régional des élus de Montréal, for volunteers who would like to become board members.

University competitions

Find out more by navigating on the hec.ca site.

Experiences abroad

International development

  • MBAs Without Borders

Access the sites of these partners in the “Resources” section of the My Career portal

Internships and summer jobs (Canada and abroad)

Visit the page Find an Internship, Supervised Project or Summer Job