The aerospace giant, which usually opens 75 engineering trainee positions each summer, decided to up the ante to 160 this year. "Succession is the organization's future, and we rely on it," explains Human Resources Manager Tara Murphy, who oversees talent acquisition at Bombardier. "When we hire interns, we give them the tools they need to gain the maximum learning from the experience. Our goal is to have them return for subsequent internships and join our teams when they graduate."

To quickly and effectively fill these new positions, Bombardier, working with Polytechnique's Internship and Placement Service, opted for a new strategy: mass recruitment. Some 275 students from seven undergraduate engineering specialties -- aerospace, electrical, industrial, computer, software, mechanical and physics -- responded to the call, lining up on March 25 to meet with one of the 16 Bombardier managers present.

"It's an effective formula, one that lets students express their motivation and outline their strengths in 10 minutes," says Poly Internship and Placement Service Advisor Esther Caouette, the event's co-ordinator.  She adds: "This hands-on approach to hiring enables employers to identify candidates who are motivated and interested in innovation -- things that don't necessarily come across on a CV or academic transcript."

At the end of the day, Bombardier retained 100 applicants, who will soon be asked to complete pre-employment questionnaires. "The return on investment is incredible," Ms. Murphy notes. "We met with quality candidates. This experience is definitely one to repeat. Next year, however, we'll launch the process much earlier to ensure that the vast majority of students are still available." 

The event has been without any doubt valuable for all, including for the students that were in attendance. CVs in hand, a mechanical engineering student, Michaël Lapointe, was among those who applied for summer internships with Bombardier. "A Bombardier internship is a fantastic way to gain job experience. It's also a dynamic company that offers good career prospects and attractive terms," says Michaël.