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NorQuest College instructor Mahbub Mishu knows artificial intelligence is a game changer when it comes to landing a job.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s about how good your profile picture is, how strong your bio is and keywords designed to attract recruiters nowadays,\u201d said Mishu, who teaches in the machine learning analyst program at Norquest<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n It\u2019s why he supervised a team of his tech students to design online resume games, as a new addition to this year\u2019s career fair.\u00a0<\/p>\n It’s a tough job market, especially for young people. The latest numbers from Statistics Canada have unemployment in Alberta pegged at 6.4 per cent and for younger workers, between the age of 15-24, its at 14.1 cent.<\/p>\n More than 2,500 people took part in the event at 10215 108 St. in Edmonton this week, which included traditional booths with 52 local employers.\u00a0<\/p>\n But it also featured a photographer taking professional headshots for online profiles, a community clothing corner where the Students\u2019 Association provided free business attire and a LinkedIn lab where students could learn more about how to optimize their online profile through a this game approach.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Looking on LinkedIn\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cRight now LinkedIn is No.1 for job market job search. It\u2019s very important to have a solid profile,\u201d said Mishu.\u00a0<\/p>\n Mishu said it\u2019s important for your resume and online profile to include keywords related to your field and the job posting to get past the AI resume screening tools now routinely used by companies.\u00a0<\/p>\n What doesn\u2019t work are things like casual language, idioms, metaphors and personal oversharing.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cFor example, if you\u2019re going out on a Friday night you would not post a picture on your LinkedIn after a night out,\u201d said Mishu.\u00a0<\/p>\n The distinction has stuck for NorQuest student Connor Greer, who helped develop one of the games for the career fair.<\/p>\n \u201cMany people think it\u2019s a social media thing, I\u2019m going to add all my friends on there, I\u2019m going to post my vacation photos.\u201d said the student hoping to land a gig in IT.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cNo, this is your professional site\u201d.\u00a0<\/p>\n A picture is worth a job<\/p>\n For Aastha Maurya, 21, having a \u201cbusiness\u201d photo she is proud of is the beginning.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIt was the first time I did a photo shoot and I was feeling like a model,\u201d said the international student from India.\u00a0<\/p>\n Maurya said the career fair has been a big help for her.\u00a0<\/p>\n Online expert Dana DiTomaso, who has spent the last quarter century clocking the changes in digital marketing, said first impressions are important.<\/p>\n \u201cThe biggest mistake I see students make is not having a professional headshot,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n Next it\u2019s words. \u201cIf you do not have the words the AI is looking for then you likely are not going to be screened into the next round,\u201d said DiTomaso, the principal and partner of Kick Point Inc.\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n Gone are the days of paper resumes and keeping it to a single page, DiTomaso says. When it comes to online job search, less isn’t more.<\/p>\n \u201cBasically it\u2019s everything you could possibly put on there, because, especially if you\u2019re new in the job market, you have a relatively thin CV and this is the time you have to beef it up as much as possible\u201d.\u00a0<\/p>\n No everyone is using AI for hiring\u00a0<\/p>\n While many employers are using AI in the hiring process, for tasks like writing job descriptions, summarizing resumes and interviewing candidates, some are sticking to a more traditional approach.\u00a0<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/1772917690_734_default.jpg\")
Students hunting for jobs spend time at the Norquest College career fair that features traditional job booths and new AI employment boosters. (Adrienne Lamb\/CBC)<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/1772917690_927_default.jpg\")
NorQuest student Connor Greer demos his online game designed to make building your LinkedIn job profile fun. (Adrienne Lamb\/CBC)<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/1772917691_847_default.jpg\")
Photographer Jim Whitesell reviews profile images with NorQuest College student Aastha Maurya at the recent career fair. (Adrienne Lamb\/CBC)<\/p>\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/1772917691_611_default.jpg\")
Madison Kine-Donahue, HR manager with St. Albert Public School, prefers the face-to-face conversations at the traditional job fair as apposed to the use of AI. (Adrienne Lamb\/CBC)<\/p>\n