If you graduated a decade ago, it may feel like university admissions were simpler. You hit the target average, met the prerequisites, and waited for the email. Today, that picture is changing quickly, especially in Ontario’s most competitive programs.
What we are seeing now is not a drop in student quality, but the opposite. Academic excellence is everywhere. Straight As are no longer rare, and that reality forces universities to ask a difficult question: if almost everyone looks exceptional on paper, how do you choose?
This growing pressure is pushing schools to rethink what “merit” means, and one of the clearest examples is unfolding at the University of Waterloo. Their approach offers an important lesson not only for future students, but also for the employers who will one day hire them.
Why grades are no longer enough
In a report by Janet Hurley of The Toronto Star, Waterloo’s shift is framed as a response to a specific admissions problem: Ontario universities, especially competitive programs, are seeing overwhelming numbers of applicants with extremely high grades. Many applicants now look nearly identical in academic performance, with huge numbers of straight A or near straight A records.
When this happens, grades stop functioning as an effective sorting tool. Admissions teams can no longer rely on averages alone to distinguish students, and the process becomes harder, more subjective, and far more stressful for everyone involved.
The traditional system assumes there will be a clear academic hierarchy. But when thousands of applicants cluster at the top, the hierarchy collapses. The transcript still matters, but it stops being enough.
Waterloo’s new approach: looking for the person behind the numbers
Waterloo’s response has been to use supplementary questionnaires for applicants to certain high demand programs. These questionnaires are not meant to replace grades. Instead, they broaden the criteria and introduce more human factors into the admissions process.
The goal is straightforward: understand who the student is, not just what their average is.
In practice, the supplementary process gives applicants space to show information that a transcript cannot capture. It can highlight:
- how a student thinks and solves problems
- what they have done outside class, including projects, leadership, challenges, and work experience
- communication skills and motivation
- personal context that does not show up in a list of courses and grades
This signals a broader shift away from purely numerical evaluation and toward a more holistic picture of potential. It is not a perfect system, and it still requires structure and fairness. But it acknowledges something Canadians have long understood in the workplace: performance is more than a score.
The human side of selection: not automated, not effortless
One of the most important details in Hurley’s reporting is that this is not simply a new algorithm or a quick filtering tool. It is people reading applications.
The article focuses on Stacey Mahoney, a Waterloo graduate from nearly 25 years ago with a Bachelor of Mathematics, who now works at the university as director of systems, technology, and analytics. In addition to her professional role, she volunteers on admissions review, helping select incoming students.
That story matters because it shows what is really happening behind the scenes: supplementary applications are being read in the evenings by real staff and volunteers who are trying to fairly evaluate students as individuals.
Even in a world of data and automation, Waterloo is betting that human judgment still matters, and that the future of selection will require both structure and empathy.
What this means for students today and job seekers tomorrow
At first glance, this may seem like an issue limited to teenagers applying to university. But the ripple effects are much bigger.
The students being selected today are shaping the future workforce. And the criteria used to select them can shape the behaviours they develop over time. When students learn that grades alone are not enough, they begin to invest in broader skill development earlier, such as teamwork, communication, creativity, leadership, resilience, and problem solving.
That shift will change job seeking in at least three major ways.
1. Job seekers will need proof of skills, not just credentials
In the future, more job seekers will face the same problem students face today: a flood of candidates with similar qualifications. A diploma will still matter, but it will not automatically set someone apart, especially in competitive fields.
Employers will increasingly want evidence of real world capability. That might include portfolios, project examples, case studies, volunteer work, micro credentials, work integrated learning, and meaningful references.
The best applicants will not only say they have skills. They will show them.
2. Hiring will become more holistic and more competitive
Just as university admissions has become more complex, hiring is also moving toward deeper evaluation. Interviews are evolving. Screening is evolving. Even entry level roles can involve multiple rounds, scenario questions, and behavioural assessments.
This is partly because employers have better tools, but also because the stakes are higher. A hiring decision affects productivity, workplace culture, and retention. When many candidates look equal on paper, employers start searching for fit, motivation, work ethic, and communication, the same qualities Waterloo is trying to capture.
3. Job seekers will need stronger stories about who they are
Transcripts tell you what someone completed. Resumes often list what someone did. But neither one automatically explains what that person learned, what challenges they overcame, and how they think.
As selection processes become more human, storytelling becomes a skill.
That does not mean exaggeration. It means clarity. It means being able to communicate your value in a way that is specific, grounded, and confident.
What role will Job Skills play in helping future job seekers?
As hiring evolves, organizations like Job Skills become even more essential. The future will reward people who can translate their experience into evidence, and their evidence into opportunity.
Job Skills can help job seekers succeed in three critical areas.
Turning experience into employability
Many people have the skills employers want, but they struggle to explain them. Job Skills can support job seekers in identifying transferable skills from school, caregiving, survival jobs, volunteering, and life experience. That translation work is powerful, especially for people who have faced barriers or non linear paths.
Building strong application materials for modern hiring
As employers shift toward more holistic reviews, a simple resume will not always be enough. Job Skills can help clients develop:
- targeted resumes that match job requirements
- cover letters that show motivation and fit
- portfolios and project summaries
- interview responses that prove skills with real examples
- confident communication that reflects the person behind the paper
This is the hiring version of Waterloo’s questionnaire. It is not about looking perfect. It is about being seen accurately.
Preparing job seekers for assessments and skill based screening
The world of hiring tests, scenario questions, recorded interviews, and behavioural screening is growing. Job Skills can help job seekers practise and prepare so these tools do not become unfair barriers. Preparation creates confidence, and confidence creates better outcomes.
Can employers use Waterloo’s model when reviewing resumes?
Yes, and many already are, even if they do not call it that.
Waterloo’s approach offers a useful blueprint for hiring teams, especially those struggling with too many similar candidates. Employers can borrow the spirit of supplementary questionnaires by adding structured, human centred evaluation steps, such as:
Short application questions that reveal thinking
Instead of relying only on resumes, employers can ask candidates to answer two or three brief questions, such as:
- Tell us about a challenge you solved and what you learned
- Describe a time you improved a process or helped a team
- What interested you about this role and what would success look like to you
These questions reveal communication, motivation, and problem solving, without requiring a long essay.
Skills demonstrations and portfolios
A candidate who can show their work is easier to evaluate fairly. Employers can ask for writing samples, small project tasks, mock customer emails, or presentations depending on the role.
The key is to keep it reasonable and accessible.
More consistent human review
Waterloo’s story highlights that real people matter. The same is true in hiring. Structured review processes reduce bias, improve fairness, and give candidates a more authentic chance to stand out.
The goal should not be to remove human judgment. The goal should be to guide it.
The bigger message: selection is changing everywhere
Waterloo’s admissions shift is not only about universities. It reflects a broader Canadian reality. Competition is rising, credentials are more common, and both education and employment systems are being forced to adapt.
The winners in the future will be those who can demonstrate both achievement and character, both skill and adaptability.
And the communities that thrive will be the ones that build pathways for people to develop those traits, not just measure them.
The good news is that this shift creates new opportunities. When selection becomes more holistic, it can create room for people whose potential is not fully captured by a number, a grade, or a job title. But only if they are supported to tell their story and prove their value.
That is where Job Skills will be more important than ever.
Because the future belongs to those who can show the human behind the resume.
ABOUT JOB SKILLS
Since 1988, Job Skills has been delivering solutions to job seekers and moving people into sustainable, meaningful employment. Throughout their long history, Job Skills has recognized that not every job seeker is the same. There is no one size fits all employment program. That’s why the Job Skills vision is building an inclusive society where all people are ensured equitable opportunities to fulfill their career aspirations and participate fully in the community.
Job Skills’ employment specialists are there to answer any of your employment questions. Job Skills‘ staff offer solutions to all job seekers, including youth, newcomers, mature workers, persons with disabilities, and entrepreneurs. Job Skills’ knowledgeable team can help you make educated decisions, set goals, and create a strategy to help you become happier in your career. Job Skills works with local employers creating employment opportunities for Job Skills’ clients.
Thanks to government funding, Job Skills’ programs and services are free to all users. Job Skills have locations across Keswick, Stouffville, Markham, Brampton, and Mississauga. Job Skills also offers virtual services for community members unable to attend one of our offices for in-person activities.
Find your employment solution today. Visit www.jobskills.org
