Finding work in Montreal requires an interesting set of skills. While more than half the population of the city speaks French as a first language, the realities of the business world outside of Quebec make a knowledge of English vital to certain industries. Compounding the problem is the city’s two distinct media channels: Francophone and Anglophone. In order to cover all of their bases, companies who are searching for employees in Montreal must spread the widest possible net, making sure that they touch both demographics and the resources that speak to each.
Newspapers
Many companies still traditionally advertise their openings in daily and weekly newspapers. These ads are typically found in the classifieds section of each paper, with Saturday providing the largest number of advertisements. The Montreal Gazette is home to the most employment-related classified ads when it comes to English-language newspapers, while La Presse and Le Devoir handle the load for the French print media. Find more about Montreal newspapers.
Job Agencies
There are many job agencies in Montreal, some focusing on office work and others specializing in information technology positions. One of the largest IT agencies is called Ajilon, and they are a good source of temporary, contract and full time IT employment opportunities. Manpower is another company that has a bit of a broader range when it comes to placing applicants, although the focus is still technology driven with more of a corporate edge. Quantum and Randstad are large job agencies that touch every sector of business, and they are the leaders in temporary and permanent office staffing.
Online job hunting
While the more old-school methods of job hunting through agencies and newspapers is preferred by some, most companies in Quebec have decided to deploy an online strategy when it comes to filling open positions. Even newspapers and employment agencies routinely list their ads online, both on their own websites and on the large, general employment sites. The three biggest websites for job ads in Quebec are Jobboom, Monster and Workopolis. All three of these sites are available in English and French, and most job postings are bilingual. Jobboom was originally focused almost entirely on Quebec, and has recently expanded to include other provinces. Monster.ca provides online resume services and customized ‘agents’ which search job listings for you and email you the results. They also offer job hunting and resume tips. Workopolis is the largest employment classifieds website in Canada, and is a great resource for those who are either looking for a job or need advice to plan out the next step in their career.
While these three sites serve to aggregate the many different Montreal job listings, it can also be helpful to directly visit the websites of the companies you are interested in working for. Corporate websites often list jobs before they are posted to general employment sites, and you might get the first crack at a certain position if you regularly check in. You should make a list of the companies in the industry that interests you who routinely post their open positions on their own sites and use this to your advantage.
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