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By: Janice Bandick
Published On: February 17, 2016A recipient of a Bachelor of Arts degree, Tony has a major in Economics and a minor in Commerce, specializing in Human Resources. Tony’s decision to pursue a career in HR was sparked by a senior year internship. “Close to my graduation from UBC I was contemplating which industry I wanted to pursue, and was leaning towards commerce or finance. I think what really changed my path was a coop internship I took at UBC. It was based in Hong Kong and was more of a marketing/planning role where I got to be in charge of organizing a 3-day convention. The convention was a major event and I had to communicate with a lot of people to make it happen. This was when I realized just how much I enjoy working with people.”
After deciding a career in human resources would be the best way to fuse his passion for helping others with his education in business, Tony made the decision to pursue an HR diploma at Ashton at the same time he was finishing up his degree at UBC. “Because I was already very busy studying, I didn’t have time to pursue further in-class education. So I decided to take the Online Human Resources Management program. It was very convenient and worked really well for me.”
“What I really liked about the program was learning about the recruitment component of HR; I was always interested in that area because I love interviewing and talking to different people.”
Tony completed the DHRM in August, and was able to find a job in recruitment very quickly. Eager to continue moving forward in the industry, Tony began preparing for the National Knowledge Exam (NKE) portion of the Certified Human Resources Professional (CHRP) designation. “Ashton really equipped me with the knowledge and expertise required, and I successfully completed the NKE in December.”
Tony is now working as a Talent Acquisition Consultant with Ignite Technical Resources, where a typical day includes sourcing and pre-screening candidates, conducting interviews, and meeting with managers to determine staffing needs. “As the Lead Specialist of Talent, my mandate is two-fold: firstly, hire, retain, and grow top talent, creating a culture that values innovation and continuous improvement and secondly, implement talent management strategy that aligns leadership development with core values. The IT industry is very fascinating; every day I am learning new things, tools, new information about the updates in technology in Vancouver and in Canada, as well as around the world, and no two days are ever the same.”
While Tony is excited about the future, and hopes to be in a senior management position within five years, he is always happy to reflect on his past experiences.
“Although it was difficult to pursue two different academic programs, it worked out perfectly for me. I have been working steadily in the industry since I graduated, and I feel like my career will continue to advance in this field. My advice to others would be to take control of your education. Treat it seriously, come prepared, work hard, and you’ll get great results!”
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