How important was your college GPA in getting the job you did?
 

From your experiences, did employers take a close look at your transcript and GPA? Were they big influences on whether you were hired on not?

I have been raised being told GPA was very important in determining whether an employer would hire me or not, and I am very curious about how true this is?

What are your experiences/findings?

Having a GPA above 3.0 is crucial.

However, I have always found that the activities you belong to in college, things you do with your academics (important papers, etc.) are more important than GPA.

In other words, "great you got a 3.2. So did everyone I interviewed today. What did you do with your time there that seperates you."

Employers often look not only for "chess club" on the resume but "president of chess club." In other words, that you put time and effort into making an organization better.

As long as you aren't going to law school or don't want to be a doctor, etc., GPA should be a concern, but don't be upset if it slips. Look to see how you can distinguish yourself from others.

Oh yeah, and "boobies board moderator" should not be on a resume.

Sorry to go so long. My girlfriend is in HR and so I hear alot of stuff about this subject.

Oh - one more thing, if you are really concerned I would speak to an academic advisor about their experiences with what an appropriate GPA is in your field.

(Psst...dirty little secret...nobody outside college cares what your GPA was...don't tell)

My GPA had zero bearing on my job. My employer looked at my skills, my experience, and my attitude.

My GPA was not at all important. I will say that I was recruited out of college for my work history and would guess that I would have been recruited more had it been higher.

Either way, I landed a job on my own with a substantial salary that had zero bearing on my GPA.

Your GPA does not matter that much. It is a nice indicator and weed-out tool, but when it comes to getting the job, its all about "what can you do for me?" You need to show that you have tangible skills to offer and that you can offer more than the other guys.

Neither my GPA nor my degree had any bearing on any job I've had, including a high level position at Boeing. Experience, attitude, and referals are the only thing that counts.

I'm currently self-employed with 14 employees and I did not make any degree or gpa requirements for new hires. If the interviewee has documented experience, gets along with me, has a positive attitude, and is genuinely interested in the work (mostly IT), they are in. Most companies hire this way: if they like you and you're qualified for the job, you're in.

My employer did not even look at my college transcripts. I did spend a few years travelling before starting my first 'corporate job'. They were more interested in my real life experience than grades in college.

I'm going to have to strongly disagree with this assessment. In an ideal world or at McDonald's, this may be true. But in reality, it takes alot more than this to get the job, including a little luck.

It mattered somewhat in getting my job. It matters more in the future, though. In order to remain certified, I am required to obtain my master's degree within 10 years, otherwise I lose my certification (I'm a teacher).

In order to avoid a lot of crap trying to get into a graduate program, it is necessary to have a GPA above 3.0. So in a sense, having a good GPA is essential to my career.

Don't expect to cruise through the business world if you have the same attitude and work ethic which led to the .36 GPA, but if you have a bit of experience, you know the right people and you're willing to work hard, you should do okay.

If the first thing in your GPA is a decimal point......good luck!

when I was teaching it ruled for the first couple of jobs.
now, in technology, it's experience that rules.

my GPA didn't have any sort of influance on my current job, didn't even complete college actually, but I am thinking of going back.

A lot of the firms I interviewed with in college had minimum GPA requirements even to talk to them. A 3.5 was preferred, but 3.2 was the cutoff. When I had worked for one firm a couple years and went back to my university to help with on-campus recruiting, we actually rejected a couple people that would have been great because their grades were at the cut-off. One guy in particular was really cool and smart, but had spent time in Europe studying abroad and traveling so his grades suffered a bit, but the partners didn't want to appear to be "lowering their standards". Dicks.

In my profession, I've learned that after the 1st job, GPAs and transcripts matter less and less.

didnt matter a bit for me. In my "real" jobs my first one i got through my best friend already working there and him talking to the boss and this one used to be one of my customers that hired me away when they decided they needed an on site techy geek type

my gpa had no bearing on any jobs i've ever had, but grad schools usually look for at least a 3.0...of course, when i was in school, i kept my gpa up so as not to rule out any options...

Nah - they never asked my GPA. It says "cum laude" on my diploma though - so that helped.

I don't have a GPA, but for getting into your first strategy consulting job the UK equivalent is really important.

I have three degrees - 2 bachelors and a masters. No one has ever asked about my GPA. No one cares. With the inflated grading systems that are currently being used by most colleges and universities the GPA has beome irrelevant.

Hey Bastard I'm on my second bachelors (a month to go) and that's pretty rare in the UK. How common is it in the US?

To the rest: Can someone clarify when GPA is used. Is it at secondary school and uni or just secondary school? How do you know which you're referring to?

Oh, and finally.
Michael Moore did a gig in London and held a Brit v. Yank pop-quiz on stage. The guy had to give his GPA then (3.8 I think). So be warned - if you ever plan to go to a live MM show... it counts!

When I graduated from University I had interviews with a few different companies. One company required only the best GPA's work their (funny enough I ended up working there for 6 months as a contractor a couple of years later). One required quite a high GPA. I wasn't called back for either of those jobs but was not sure I would have wanted to work for those companies anyway.

I am a firm believer that GPA does not matter. Sure a base or average GPA at least says that you went to school, but school performance does not equal work performance. Some people can coast through Uni and have no work ethic. Others have a tough time at Uni but have an amazing work ethic.

The company I finally got hired on at, did look at GPA but only to a point. They were a small company and hired on personality and how well that employee would gel with the other employees. Perhaps that was the difference. Small companies want employees that will work well together. Big companies don't have the time to do that so they look at GPA as a larger part of hiring.

I've interviewed a lot of people since I've been in the working world (10 plus years). I don't care what your GPA was. Experience is so much more important. The fact that someone went to college is nice, but not necessary, in my opinion.

It certainly depends on the job. If you're applying to graduate school, it's going to matter. Before I went to graduate school, they were more interested in where I went to school than what my GPA was. Of course, if you already have work experience, that makes GPA and where you went even less important.

As an Architect GPA plays virtually no role. It's your graphic portfolio that gets you a job

hmm... i guess that my GPA would also mean that I also had a degree...neither mattered nor do matter... now unless I want to be the CIO or a SVP... my experience rules.

If you are fresh out of college, your GPA is one of the few measures of your capabilities. My frst position was with EDS when Ross Perot was still at the helm. My GPA was looked at closely during my interview. I think it just depends on the company.

Ever since my first job, the only things that mattered were my resume and aceing the interview.

Well, it's important for me, as law school likes high gpa.

Luckily is wasn't important at all.


I'm a tool.

In the tech industry, GPA is pretty meaningless (thank God).

We recently had a person come give a quick training session on writing resumes for the tech industry. She said that you shouldn't even put GPA on the resume unless it was better than a 3.5, but even then it probably isn't going to help you any.

Employers are more interested in seeing things you've done, some code you've whipped up in your spare time and what-not.

Blind luck, raw aptitude, and social connections had WAY more to do with the job I'm in than my college GPA. Good thing, too, because I had the sort of GPA you don't put on a resume.....

Zip

Never has been a factor.

Evening all,

Recently I was contacted by a internation restraunt chain for an interview. I showed up in a new suit, and once the interview started I immedietly took charge, and made the conversation move as I wished. Called back for the 2nd, this one went just as well. I received a call yesterday that I will be meeting with the international execs this week, the want me for a position higher than they first intended. I'm still in college, and believe me, I've fucked around. My GPA is really nothing to brag about!

So I guess in all this rambling, if you have the character and personality, you appear clean cut and well groomed many places will just get the 'feel' and you're in like a dirty shirt! :)

Unless your job is somting that is CRITICAL, law, Rx, and the like, grades do not matter. How you carry yourself is a whole other thing.

-SF