Does Your GPA Matter to Employers?

In high school, students bust their butts to earn good grades, score high on the SATs and get involved in extracurricular activities to beef up their college applications. After they get into college, students pull all-nighters, attend (almost) every class and spend hours in the library — all to boost their grade point averages high enough to impress employers.But just how important is your GPA to employers? Were all of those group study sessions and late nights spent cramming worth it?

The majority of employers (62 percent) don’t have a minimum GPA requirement for hiring college graduates, according to CareerBuilder.com’s “College Job Forecast 2008.” Six percent of employers will accept below a 2.5 GPA, while an additional 31 percent require a 3.0 and above. Only 11 percent require a 3.5 and above.

“For employers, GPA is just one factor in their decision to interview or hire an applicant,” says Amy Diepenbrock, director of career services at Barry University in Miami Shores, Fla. “More and more, it’s less of a factor.”

While it may not be the primary issue when deciding whether to hire an applicant, many employers will ask about grades and education during an interview. When they do, new grads need to be prepared to tell their story.

“Students learn how to be better students as they navigate their way through four years of course work and employers understand that,” says Jody Queen-Hubert, executive director of cooperative education and career services at Pace University in New York City. “They need to be prepared to convincingly tell the story of their academic development during the interview, especially if their grades improved over time.”

What matters the most?

While grades and GPA play a small role in the job-search process, the good news is that chances are, your GPA is not going to make or break you when it comes to getting a job.

Generally, employers focus on more important factors when making their hiring decisions. Internships, extracurricular activities and a general, well-rounded repertoire are more likely to affect a hiring manager’s decision. In fact, most employers would probably prefer to hire a candidate with a lower GPA who was involved in a lot of outside activities and/or worked throughout college, Diepenbrock says.

“A student with a 4.0 but who has no experience may appear to be imbalanced to an employer,” she says. “The lower GPA with more activities and skills is preferred because employers know that in today’s workplace, individuals are pulled in many directions and need to be able to handle the pressure.”

Queen-Hubert adds that students with a 4.0 who only spent time studying might lack real-world skills that would be otherwise obtained through campus activities or working.

What if I have a low GPA?

A common debate among job seekers is when and if to include GPA on one’s résumé. Both Queen-Hubert and Diepenbrock agree that in general, if your GPA is higher than 3.0, list it. Employers tend to assume it’s under a 3.0 if it’s not listed on the résumé.

So what happens if you do fall below the 3.0 mark? Are you doomed to a career in the unemployment line? Of course not, Queen-Hubert says. You have plenty of options if you have a less than stellar academic record. One of the most common practices is to list a “major GPA.” In other words, list your cumulative GPA for the classes you’ve taken relevant to your major — as in, don’t calculate the “F” you received in chemistry if you’re majoring in journalism.

If you’re one of the many students who got off to a rough start freshman year — either by too much partying, too many classes or too much sleeping in — your GPA can be extremely hard to raise. For these students, Diepenbrock suggests listing their current semester or most recent academic year GPA so that an employer can see that they have learned from their mistakes and currently are doing well. Nevertheless, be prepared to explain why the employer is not seeing your cumulative GPA.

No matter how low your GPA is, never lie about it or even round up, Diepenbrock says. A 2.98 GPA is not a 3.0.

“If an employer has a GPA restriction for applications, they have a reason for doing this and they will likely require the candidate to provide an academic transcript before completing the hire process,” she says. “Once an employer sees that a candidate has embellished just one piece of her application, the remaining factors, which may be 100 percent true, will not be taken seriously and the candidate will be dismissed.”

Ideal industries for low and high GPAs

Your GPA will most likely come into play if you’re applying to the “elite, highest-paying, most selective” positions, Queen-Hubert says. Such industries might include business services, investment banking, consulting, technology, engineering, accounting or health care. It’s important to know, however, even those employers prefer students with internship or campus activities.

“The key is well-roundedness and a savvy job hunter who can really sell [his or her] strengths. Employers look at the overall package and want to see a variety of skills,” she says.

Most other industries focus less on grades and more on the personality skills required to be successful in that industry. For instance, salespeople require a knack for communication and persuasion. Teachers need to be engaging and organized, and so on.

If you meet all of the requirements for a position, except for a shining GPA, address the issue right away with the employer and show that you are confident in your abilities, Queen-Hubert says. Most importantly, be fully prepared to communicate the story behind your academic record, whether it’s good or bad.

“Employers want to hire intelligent, thoughtful, well-spoken individuals and self-reflection is a sign of maturity,” she says. “Lots can happen in four years of growth and development. Don’t be ashamed to articulate weakness and draw attention to your strengths.”

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