As an economics and finance major at McGill’s Desautels Faculty of Management, Andrei Adam had already lined up a full-time position long before he graduated.
“I think my time at McGill was foundational for getting the job I have today and being set up for success in the job market,” says Adam, BCom’24, a Toronto-based consultant with McKinsey & Company.
He attributes part of that to the courses themselves, taught by excellent professors who were accessible to students after class.
“But I think equally important are the opportunities that Desautels and the University allow for students to get involved and distinguish themselves in their area of interest,” adds Adam, who served as co-president of JED Consulting, a student-run consulting firm on campus, and also delivered a TEDx McGill talk about Gen Z that has been viewed 120,000 times.
“When you go to any employer, they look more broadly than just what your degree says about you, and McGill offers that.”
Adam’s experience jibes with findings from the Destination Survey sponsored by McGill’s Career Planning Service (CaPS). In 2024, it reached out to the Classes of 2018-2022 to get a better handle on how recent graduates were faring in the job market. Respondents overwhelming felt their McGill degree helped them find employment. Most (76 percent) landed their first position within one to three months of graduation, and by six months out, that number rose to 90 percent.
“The survey results really speak volumes about the readiness of our graduates to transition successfully into the workforce or their advanced studies,” says CaPS director Darlene Hnatchuk.
The myriad efforts at McGill to prepare students for their next step yield results, and not just for these young graduates. In the 2026 QS World University Rankings. McGill placed 27th globally out of 1,500 universities ranked and earned the same spot in the employment outcomes category. And for the 21st consecutive year, McGill secured the No. 1 position in Maclean’s annual ranking of medical doctoral universities in Canada.
“Our alumni keep telling us through the surveys that their McGill education gave them that competitive edge.”
CaPS director Darlene Hnatchuk
“We have strong postgraduate outcomes,” says Hnatchuk. “Over 90 percent of respondents said that their McGill degree helped them secure their job, and the global skills that they developed, like critical thinking, collaboration and professionalism, are proving essential in their careers,” she says.
Emphasis on experiential learning
“Our students are great, they’re very smart, they learn quickly,” says Julie Godin, associate director of McGill’s Engineering Career Centre. Her colleagues hear similar feedback from employers: how fast McGill students are to adapt, and how eager they are to learn.
The Engineering Career Centre stages TechFair, the largest career fair at McGill, in partnership with student groups twice a year, and offers a range of career advising services, such as equipping students with the skills to find co-op and internship placements – a proactive approach that also proves helpful in searching for full-time jobs when the economy is sluggish.
“We’re not going to do the job for them [in terms of finding internships], but we help connect students with industry and Alumni, teach them how to network, and how to be on LinkedIn,” says Godin, who notes that the Career Centre maintains close ties with industry and helps them promote their internship and full-time job offers on McGill’s online job board.
Experiential learning is a mainstay at McGill, where students across faculties get the chance to apply knowledge learned in the classroom in real-world settings. Donor-supported student internships are common across most faculties, including Agricultural and Environmental Sciences and Arts.
“Arts students learn to think critically and navigate complexity, and internships let them put those strengths to work,” says Jade Le Perraud Le Bouter, BA’20, who manages the David M. Culver Centre: Arts Internship Office. This year, it allocated internship awards to more than 150 students. “Donor support makes these experiences possible, allowing students to take on roles with international diplomatic missions or smaller community NGOs that would otherwise be out of reach.”
Helping students leverage their skills and experience
Students in the Desautels Faculty of Management have unlimited access to coaches and career services support at the Soutar Career Centre. Its BCom coaches offered more than 1,500 individual appointments with undergraduate students from September 2024 through April 2025. They also conduct a mock interview with all first-year Bachelor of Commerce students, who are provided feedback on their interview skills and graded on the compulsory assignment. Meanwhile, master’s students are each assigned a career coach at the start of their program.
“I believe where career services really make a difference, both at the BCom and master program levels, is in helping students craft their stories and identify the transferable skills gained from their academic, professional and personal experiences,” explains Anne-Jennifer Challard, director of Career Services at Desautels.
“Sometimes a BCom student with limited experience might think, I only worked in summer sales jobs, or I was only a summer camp counselor. We work with the students to uncover the valuable competencies behind those experiences and develop those examples for job search and interview purposes,” Challard adds, such as the acquired leadership, communication and problem-solving skills.
Career advisors visited one of Adam’s first-year courses to help students craft resumés and cover letters.
“I really relied upon them my first year to get advice on different drafts of my resumé, different thoughts I had about employers I was meeting. They were incredibly kind and available to help out. I do think it’s a great part of Desautels – the Soutar Career Centre,” he says.
Adam landed an internship with McKinsey in his second year and received the job offer in his third. He also volunteered as a peer advisor with the Desautels career services team.
“I think that’s kind of the ethos of McGill – upper year students want to help younger students find their place, because I know when I was in my first year, I got a lot of guidance from mentors in their third and fourth year who were helping me figure out my academic and career path, and there was a desire to pay it forward, which I think is one of the things that makes McGill special.”
For Hnatchuk, one of the big takeaways from the Destination Survey is that a McGill education clearly has a strong impact on career success. “Our alumni keep telling us through the surveys that their McGill education gave them that competitive edge.”
CaPS supports career and leadership development through career advising, mentoring, skills-building and innovative work-integrated-learning programs for current students. Recent graduates can also access its services for up to a year after graduation. Alumni looking to recruit McGill students are invited to post their opportunities on the central myFuture platform.
The McGill Alumni Association continues to support graduates in their journey through mentorship, career coaching, networking and learning opportunities, that can be found on the McGill Alumni Career Corner webpage.
Learn more about the undergraduate alumni Destination Survey – Classes 2018-2022.
