Scholarship Essay Entry – Anwar F.

Ever since I was a small child the one thing that my parents always insisted on was that I go to school and get a good education. I went along with this idea, but without really understanding why they wanted this for me so badly. As I came of age, a light bulb finally went off in my head. I realized that they wanted me to go to school so that I could have the tools and ability to pursue my dreams and ambitions. They knew that a higher education would be the necessary vehicle to make my vision a reality.

After being firmly entrenched at university for a few years, I finally decided that I wanted to become a recruitment and selection specialist. It is in this role that I feel I can best advance the values of Canadian society that I hold dear to me while making the world a better place. To be a good recruitment/selection specialist, one must be fair, give people an equal opportunity to show what they have to offer, and make honest and objective judgements based on relevant, job related criteria. Recruitment and selection specialists have an important role in our society. For example, they are the people that enforce important Canadian policies such as employment equity which is designed to accommodate or help protected group members (e.g. people with disabilities) obtain employment.

I also dream of a world where nobody has to face discrimination at a job interview or fear that their job application or résumé will be rejected on forbidden grounds. As a recruitment/selection specialist one of my responsibilities would be to overcome and minimize bias. In doing this, I will do my part in ensuring that the right people get the right jobs for the right reasons.

In my opinion, a fair world where people are hired onto firms based on merit and appropriate job-related skills, abilities, and qualifications rather than on subjective judgements, is a better place to live. If I could even make a change in one company that employs 100 people in my community that would make me happy. Eventually, other firms will adopt these best practices and realize that fair policies will translate into better profits and/or performance. It's a win-win situation for both potential employees and businesses.

I still have much work to do to arrive in the position where I can start making a difference, but this scholarship can definitely help me get there. I have the short term goals of graduating from university and earning my certified human resources professional (CHRP) designation. My vision will motivate me to achieve these short term goals and continue to work hard.

In the field of HR and in life, I have come to realize that the learning never really ends. I highly value education and hope that in the future I can take advantage of opportunities to further educate myself and in turn use my knowledge and experiences to make a difference in my community.