Edmonton’s NorQuest College hosted a job fair Tuesday in hopes of getting their students in the work force amid a tight job market. The fair differed from years past and operated as a one-stop-shop for students to get professional clothing, headshots, a resume review and the opportunity to meet potential employees. Leila Daoud, spokesperson for the college, said prior job fairs have essentially just been employers exhibiting with students browsing booths at their leisure. “The results weren’t there … we need to get more in-depth,” said Daoud. “We know it’s a little bit different nowadays, where students before didn’t have to rely so much on that online presence and profile or the effects of AI on the job search or resume submissions.” She said that the school wanted to make sure all students, regardless of their career path, are able to benefit from things like a professional headshot, professional clothing and a resume review. “We know the job market is tight for everybody right now. We want to give our students the best foot forward,” said Daoud. In January, the Alberta job market dropped 0.3 percentage points from December and sat at 6.4 per cent while the national average slipped from 6.5 per cent to 6.8. Students at NorQuest helped develop a game that evaluates the user’s LinkedIn profile using generative AI to determine how interactive it is. “Students and fresh graduates, they know how to use LinkedIn, but they’re not sure about the photo and bio they have, so this game will give them an opportunity to select your photo and professional bio that will be attractive to the recruiter,” said instructor Mahbub Mishu. “This is a great opportunity for them to review and see what a good profile looks like,” said student Connor Greer. NorQuest College has more than 12,000 full-time students and offers programs ranging from business administration to practical nursing and more.
