Career expert offering tips to new grads

CALGARY (660 NEWS) – Many new graduates will enter the workforce with dreams of finding a fantastic full-time job.

However, Debby Carreau, a career expert, advises new grads to avoid getting stuck on thinking the first job has to be the forever job.

“Maybe try a couple different things until you find what you’re really passionate about, and you find your long-term career,” she said, adding that given the current economic climate, you might have to be creative. “Explore alternate things, like looking for internships, where you can get a foot in the door and prove yourself — almost like a working interview to actually show that you are a great person to hire.”

Carreau also suggests that in order to stand out from the crowd, applicants many have to do more than submit a traditional resume.

“We’re seeing people do video interviews now, video resumes and sending them in to get noticed,” she said. “Also profiles online where people have a mini-website that’s like a resume, so it shows that you’re tech-savvy,” she said.

Your social media accounts may also need some polishing. Carreau says even though people aren’t supposed to make a hiring decision based on that stuff, they are human.

“I really encourage anyone that’s going into the workplace [to] take a hard look at your social media accounts,” she said. “See if they’re public, or if they’re private and go back and look if there’s anything in there that is putting you forward in a way that you don’t want to be represented.”