College Graduates: Does GPA matter?

[quote name='Dead of Knight']I'm an accounting major... if this is a major firm, and you remember the name of it, would you mind PMing me it? I find this pretty damn interesting and appalling... though I did have a higher SAT than your friend.[/QUOTE]

One of my double majors as an undergrad was accounting. I'd be interesting in knowing which firm this was as well.
 
I'm in the Depends crowd. Maybe for the first job unless you work in a field where there are other indicators of your skill/talent (aka in Film we have a reel showcasing our work, which is 100x more important than a GPA), and definitely if you are going to Grad School
 
I guess in the end, getting a job can depend on a number of things: your connections, internships, luck, what school you went to, your GPA, etc. Of course you don't need to have all of these to find a job and it varies from situation to situation.

A good GPA can only help you, not hurt you but if your GPA isn't very high, you're not completely screwed yet.
 
Only if you desperate, can you always go to an Agency to find your first job? Several friends I know and talk with, who graduated with a GPA under 3.0, got the job they wanted with a starting salary of $36,000 or more through an agency. The bad part is that they take 10%-15% of your paycheck for the next 6 - 12 months. The agency they went got them a lot of interviews and even told them the interview questions they going to ask. Some even fixed up your resume and have connections with the company/firm/or whatever. I might do this if I can't get the job I want.
 
[quote name='postaboy']Only if you desperate, can you always go to an Agency to find your first job? Several friends I know and talk with, who graduated with a GPA under 3.0, got the job they wanted with a starting salary of $36,000 or more through an agency. The bad part is that they take 10%-15% of your paycheck for the next 6 - 12 months. The agency they went got them a lot of interviews and even told them the interview questions they going to ask. Some even fixed up your resume and have connections with the company/firm/or whatever. I might do this if I can't get the job I want.[/QUOTE]

Check with your school to see if they have any programs setup to help recent college grads get interviews. I know GA Tech has something like this. Do they have a career fair on campus? If so, attend and bring lots of copies of your resume.
 
[quote name='postaboy']Only if you desperate, can you always go to an Agency to find your first job? Several friends I know and talk with, who graduated with a GPA under 3.0, got the job they wanted with a starting salary of $36,000. QUOTE]

When I graduated as an economics major (probably a 2.5 overall - started out as a CS major and did horrible in those classes, never studied at all, probably a 3+ in econ.) I didn't know what I wanted to do. I took like 6 months off and then went to a temp agency; did a few short stints and then a longer assignment. Lucky for me one of the people moved to a different job and there was an opening and I filled it. Started out at around that salary range, after a year they promoted me. Now that I'm in the company, I can search for other jobs, etc.

I never mentioned nor had to write down my GPA ever. but I'm an exception I guess and my job isn't a technical one - office work for a bank.
 
It definitely depends on the field you are entering. More competitive fields like Business, Compsci, Engineering, etc. are more likely to pay attention to your GPA and academic performance. But I think what's more important is your personality, and how you present yourself during the interview. I work in HR, and while background is important, sometimes personality and behavior of the person makes a difference.

If I have two candidates, 1 with a 3.0 GPA, engaging, communicates effectively, and 1 with a 4.0 but has difficulty answering questions and is overly shy, the one with the 3.0 MIGHT get chosen over the 4.0 candidate. Again, it seriously all depends on the type of job, but the way you interview is how they remember you, and if you make a good impression and can prove you're the one for the job, then you will have the edge.

After that first job, like others said, it's all about experience. Try to establish longevity at your jobs as well, especially the first. Gain as much experience as you possibly can before moving on. Employers like to see that you invest long periods of time in your positions. A candidate who has a new job every 6 months is a red flag to an employer, and may affect whether or not they get the job.
 
I graduated with an overall of 3.73. i was never asked my gpa for a job. but on my resumes i do put magna cum laude since my gpa is over 3.70 and do belong. but other than that most places dont give a shit. then again where i live a bachelors barely gets you a job.
 
It matters most for your first job out of school. It can be the deciding factor between two similiarly skilled candidates. Some companies use it as a filter to cull down the pool of applicants.
 
[quote name='radjago']It matters most for your first job out of school. It can be the deciding factor between two similiarly skilled candidates. Some companies use it as a filter to cull down the pool of applicants.[/quote]

True but thats what internships/co-ops are important. They give a good advantage over those who ahve not done one. also helps get foot into that company. In sports its the only way to get in young with little to no experience.
 
No, just tack on dean's list or some other awards at the end of your resume, companies just want something that demonstrates you're intelligent. For me it was an: Oh you were on the dean's list, had a couple of silly awards and received a scholarship clearly you aren't an idiot now let's move on to issues that we actually care about.

Internships and experience are far more important to landing a job.
 
[quote name='zionoverfire']No, just tack on dean's list or some other awards at the end of your resume, companies just want something that demonstrates you're intelligent. For me it was an: Oh you were on the dean's list, had a couple of silly awards and received a scholarship clearly you aren't an idiot now let's move on to issues that we actually care about.

Internships and experience are far more important to landing a job.[/quote]

i dont put my GPA on my resume, but i do put that im a member of the national history honors society (which has a GPA requirement to join).
 
Hard to say how much of an impact GPA/school had for me. I had around a 3.4, and graduated from a well respected Computer Science program. For what it's worth, my current employer went through the effort of verifying my GPA with my school. And I've heard they turned down a few people because 'they didn't have a strong academic foundation.'

I would be more worried about the interview process than GPA. A 4.0 GPA won't land you a job if you don't come off as competent in an interview. You might have to work slightly harder to get the job, but I don't think the difference between a 2.8 and 3.0 will close any doors.

And once you have a few years of experience under your belt, I think GPA becomes virtually meaningless.
 
Seems the only things that really matter are the distinctions that come with higher GPAs that you can brag about on a resume, such as "graduated Magna Cum Laude" and whatnot. Got my Masters with a 3.72 GPA and not one potential employer has asked about it (I'm in education, btw, the one field I assumed they would actually look at it before I graduated). However, I imagine if it is your first "real" job they might care more about it, as it may say something about your skill level and/or work ethic that your previous experiences don't convey.
 
I think that you GPA will matter somewhat in any engineering field, at least as far as needed to get that first job. A lot of things can go into whether you get a job, but there are really two parts to getting a job.

Part 1: Get an interview.

How do you do this, well, it can be hard. Make sure you know how to write a good cover letter and resume. If you are right out of college, a 3.0-3.5 will probably be a good range for engineering. More is better, but make sure you are involved is some activities. All of this looks good on a resume and will help you get that interview.

A lot of people will tell you the extra-curricular stuff doesn't matter. They are wrong and here's why: I made interviewing my last year a goal. Tons of companies came to campus and I interviewed with as many as I could. Some of it was practice, some of it was the "I don't know really what I want to do". Bottom line is this...the first question asked of me in well over half of my interviews was "So, what's it like to be in a big college marching band?". I put that on my resume, and was frequently asked about it. It always helped me break the ice a little bit talking about a subject that I was an expert at and the interviewer knew nothing.

I went to a good engineering school. At the time, no work experience was required to get a degree. Now you must have at least one internship to graduate, so work experience really can get you noticed and get that interview. We look for candidates who have a decent GPA (3.0 or better), work experience and some out of class activities. If you don't have all three, don't plan on even getting that phone interview.

Part 2: The interview

Now, you have the interview, don't screw it up. How do most people screw it up? Let me tell you....they can't communicate. If you are in engineering, you better know two things.

1) How to communicate verbally with all kinds of people
2) How to write. If you can't write....get the hell out. I've been an engineer for 9 years and the vast majority of both jobs that I have had are all about writing. Reports, email, proposals, presentations, manuals, work instructions, you name it, I write it.

The writing part obviously isn't so important in the interview, but you had better be comfortable and able to have a good discussion with the interviewer. The stereotypical engineer who works in a lab all day is done...you need to be able to work well with others and communicate. Practice interviewing if you need, but make sure that you are good at it. It will really help.

Well, I didn't plan on a dissertation, but I hope that it helps someone.

TBW
 
[quote name='TheBlueWizard']The writing part obviously isn't so important in the interview, but you had better be comfortable and able to have a good discussion with the interviewer. The stereotypical engineer who works in a lab all day is done...you need to be able to work well with others and communicate. Practice interviewing if you need, but make sure that you are good at it. It will really help.[/quote]

This is important enough that it deserves to be re-iterated. My first 4 interviews didn't pan out so well because I was nervous and didn't know what to expect. My 5th interview, I decided to prepare a little more, and treat it as a 'practice.'

I wasn't nearly as nervous since in the back of my mind I was just using the experience to help me on the next one. Well, I ended getting a job offer on that interview, as well as an offer from an interview the following day. Not only that, but I finally stopped dreading the infamous interview.

It also helps to speak with people at job fairs. If nothing else, it makes you more comfortable talking about yourself, your experience, and your goals. You'll learn what employers are interested in, and what not to say.
 
[quote name='TheBlueWizard']Tons of companies came to campus and I interviewed with as many as I could. [/quote]

i have a lot of friends that got jobs through jobs fairs on campus. tons of companies came, companies youve never heard of or think to apply to. its a great place to start and the people there are more than happy to help you with any questions regarding interviews, resumes, etc.
 
im a college graduate and i still havent gotten a job for 2 years. no ones calling me. its really the COLLEGE u graduate from that matters.
 
[quote name='Magehart']I've always been told your GPA doesn't matter too much out of the box. Just don't lie about it on a resume.[/QUOTE]
One of my professors told me that a Dean of an Ivy League school (I forget which one) said she had a doctorate but it turned out she didnt even go to college. They found out years down the road and was ofcourse fired then.

To answer your question, yes GPA matters, but only to a certain extent.
 
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