Securing Your Dream Job With a Low G.P.A
Do GPA’S still affect how we are viewed and perceived by potential employers? Yes? No? Let me help you, yes, yes, yes! GPA’s still matter to prospective employers and although many now pick experience and other skills over your GPA, it is still very important. However, as time goes by and as you go up your career ladder, there would be a significant decrease in the need to know your GPA, and experience under your belt matters more(no one asks a 52-year-old executive what grade she got in First year Math). Going by this standard career advice, if you want your GPA to matter less, you need to make your experience matter more. But there’s no point debating whether employers should judge candidates by their GPA. Right or wrong, employers will still judge you by it.
If your GPA is lower than you’d like, you’ve got some strategizing to do before you start your job or internship search. Fortunately, there are several ways you can beat the low GPA blues.
Retake Troublesome Courses- at most schools, you have the option of retaking courses that didn’t go well for you the first time. If you do better the second time, only the second grade is used to calculate your GPA. Obviously, retaking a course takes a toll on your finances, time and energy. But if it helps you pull up your GPA to a point where employers will give it more respect, then it’s probably worth the investment in the long run.
Many employers, when reading through recent college graduates’ resumes, use the GPA to weed people out. You’ve probably even seen job or internship opportunities that require at least a second class lower. If your GPA doesn’t meet the standards employers are seeking, you will have difficulty making a case for yourself on paper alone. So it will be critical for you to find ways to talk to employers in person. Join a professional organization in your field and start attending its meetings. Let employers be able to put a face to you and be aware of your skillset so that you stand a better chance. Your better bet is to find jobs through networking rather than online resume submission.
Don’t Mention Your GPA- There’s no law that says it is compulsory to include your GPA on your resume or talk about it during interviews. So if you have a low GPA, and nobody outright asks you about it, let it go. Talk about your many strengths instead. If the topic does come up, make sure you are adequately prepared to respond playing up your strengths and achievements.
Show that you possess the attributes of someone with a higher GPA- Good grades imply that you are smart, serious and motivated. Mediocre grades imply the opposite. So, if you’re just not a good student or you slacked off in school, you need to show that you possess the attributes of someone with a higher GPA. How? You can do this through impressive internships and letters of recommendation confirming your intelligence and work ethic. You can do this through consistent participation in extracurricular activities or volunteer work to show that you have discipline. You can do this by taking additional classes to show that you are interested in developing yourself.