How to find a position

Looking for a practical experience position is like any other job search. Being proactive is therefore your best ally in this process for which you are responsible. Use your network of personal and professional contacts, connect with your former employers, reach out to head hunters, attend job fairs ... In short, don’t be shy to pull out all the stops!

This page includes a number of tips to help you find a practical experience position that meets your interests and enables you to develop the competencies essential to obtaining your CPA designation.

Before you begin your search

Need some inspiration before you start looking? See what candidates and young CPAs have to say about searching for a practical experience position! (in French only)

University recruitment

The Order encourages you to attend its industry recruitment event for futur CPAs. Some organizations from different sectors will be there. Although a number of summer and permanent positions will be offered at these events, they will mainly be an opportunity to learn more about career options in businesses and organizations and to network. Join us!

The Order also supports many annual university recruitment events. Check with your CPA student committee to find out the dates of recruitment cocktail receptions in your region.

Regional particularities for accounting firms

CPA STUDENT COMMITTEES

Every university in Quebec has its own CPA student committee. Each year, these committees organize networking activities for students. Don't hesitate to contact your CPA student committee, since many of these activities will put you in direct contact with employers.

EMPLOI CPA

Reserved for CPA members and candidates for the practice of the profession (CPPs), Emploi CPA gives you free access to a job board that is updated every day.

As a CPP registered with the Order, you have access to job offers by using the client number and password you already use to access the Order’s website. Thanks to job alerts, you will be informed in real time when new positions are posted that match your profile.

View the offers on Emploi CPA >

University placement services

Placement services not only post job offers for students and graduates, but also offer advice, resumé writing workshops, job interview preparation sessions, etc. Contact your university’s placement centre to take advantage of these tools and to find out about their career days.

John Molson School of Business at Concordia University (JMSB)
École des sciences de la gestion de l'Université du Québec à Montréal (ESG UQAM) (in French)
HEC Montréal (in French)
Faculté des sciences de l'administration de l'Université Laval (FSA ULaval) (in French)
Bishop’s University
Université de Sherbrooke (in French)
Université du Québec à Chicoutimi (in French)
Université du Québec à Rimouski (in French)
Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières (in French)
Université du Québec en Abitibi-Témiscamingue (in French)
Université du Québec en Outaouais (in French)
McGill University

Pre-approved practical experience programs

Many accounting firms and some large organizations have established a pre-approved practical experience program with the Order where the trainees’ tasks are reviewed prior to their arrival. In general, these programs are pre-approved because they are open to a large number of candidates. A training principal, a CPA member, is responsible for assigning candidates into the pre-approved tasks of the program. The application for pre-approval must be undertaken by the organization wishing to be accredited, and not by the candidate.

Consult the directory of employers offering a pre-approved program > 

If you are an employer and you would like to learn more about pre-approved practical experience programs, visit the Employers section.

Job search websites

A multitude of websites post job offers in accounting. Visit these websites regularly, as they provide an excellent starting point to find out the needs of the market and the types of positions available to new university graduates.

Other tools

Thanks to our “Becoming a CPA” Facebook page and the Instagram account Ordre des CPA du Québec, the Order gives candidates access to helpful tools and advice to assist them in their job search or in their quest for a practical experience position.