I am sure this has been discussed several times here, but I still gotta ask again. Okay, I suppose I already know the answer to it. I realise a GPA is very important when it comes to job search. It so happens that I am about to graduate next semester InshaAllah and I dont have a stellar GPA at all. It went downhill during the last one year or so actually. Now my question is, do I still have hope if I go for a job search? Ofcourse I am not going to put it onto a resume but still this has been bugging the heck outta me that my GPA sucks and if an employers asks abt my GPA and discovers its not so grand at all, they are not even gonna want to consider me. So again, do I still have hope or am I doomed?
All employers don’t ask for your GPA. Some do though but many don’t. And you can highlight other experiences on your resume and in your interview and try to compensate for a low GPA, not to mention blab excessively at the interview and act confident like appear to know what you’re talking about, that should work :k:
At the end of the day, its just luck which job you get.
I have never been asked for my GPA...people cared more WHERE i went to school over what GPA i got.....but i was in health care and now health management....
MY husband always put his GPA on his resume...since he was in Engineering...but when he switched to busines strategy consulting he decreased the emphasis on his gpa on his resume and no one asked...
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*Originally posted by Ira: *
So again, do I still have hope or am I doomed? :(
Signed,
Heart broken.
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Depends on what job you apply for. If the employer participates in programs to hire the mentally retarded, you might even qualify for a management level position. For anything else, you're doomed.
Sorry to be so blunt. But, the sooner you learn that you screwed up your entire life by blowing off your college education, the better off and happier you'll be. Set the bar for your life real low. It doesn't matter if all you will do is flip hamburgers for some franchise. Be the best darn hamburger flipper in the world and you'll be OK.
it depends how low your GPA is and where you go for employment. There are companies who say if you dont have a 3.5 or above dont even try to come talk to us.
once u get your foot in the door at a company, its mostly your perfromance and networking that will do the talking.
once u are in a career and are moving around, GPA still matters but decreasingly so.
dont be disheartened by grumpy old men like MV, I have heard that around holidays they get depressed looking at their lonesome lives.
u can always explain why your GPA went down, but have a decent story. maybe u had to work a lot to make up for financial shortfall due to financial issues, maybe you had to care for someone ill..whatever.
but eventually you will go to grad school, and then u can remember this and do better. your undergrad GPA matters little at that point.
irem, thanks for the kind words and y es you are right: i need to emphasise on my skills and compensate for the low GPA. :(
amelie: thanks for sharing your experience. Wat happened to your job offer?Have you heard from them yet abt the other opening htey had?
myvoice: Yes you were blunt and pretty confusing. I was not aware that ppl with a low GPA are mentally retarded. THanks for enligtening me. I better start applying ot my local hamburger joints real soon, before they have been taken by other mentally retarded folks.
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*Originally posted by Fraudz: *
Ira you can showcase other things to make up for a low GPA, leadership, community service, atheletics..try to present yourself as a full package.
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Don't listen to Fraudia. Your leadership role in the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws which you view as a community service could be an explanation for your low GPA, but it is unlikely to impress a potential employer. Further, not many potential employers will be impressed with your athletic prowess from competing in the two meter dash in the Special Olympics.
Finally, I didn't say that a low GPA meant you were retarded. I said that you could probably compete quite well even with a low GPA if a lot of your co-employees were retarded. Sheesh...how could you not understand that? What are you...retarded or something?
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*Originally posted by myvoice: *
Don't listen to Fraudia. Your leadership role in the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws which you view as a community service could be an explanation for your low GPA, but it is unlikely to impress a potential employer. Further, not many potential employers will be impressed with your athletic prowess from competing in the two meter dash in the Special Olympics.
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Thank You MV for letting us know of your extra curricular activities. But roles such as chair for a student govt representing 30K+ students or competing in division 1 varsity sports, or serving as an editor for a respected college newspaper are among the extra curricular activities that are not only viewed favorably by employers but also help build the type of skills that help further a career.
holiday season really getting you down eh? well look at the bright side, there wont be too many of these to deal with.
or have u given your password to some other scholar :)
holiday season really getting you down eh? well look at the bright side, there wont be too many of these to deal with.
or have u given your password to some other scholar :)
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Not at all. I love the holidays. Getting a little break from the workload allows me to engage in one of my favorite activities: harrassment for sport. :D
Just for the record and in all seriousness, Ira should consider the following.
Q: What do you call the doctor who graduated at the bottom of his class in med school?
Ira, You have plenty else to showcase other then gpa since I have had a chance to look at the resume before. However, what you do need to change is your lack of self confidence because that very often carriest into interviews. You need to be much more focused on not worrying about things. The worst that would happen is they would say no, but its not the end of the world.
As for your GPA, I would say recommendations, your previous work experience and your level of communication are waaaaaaayy more important (at least an order of magnitide more) important then just your GPA. Yes some companies use GPA to separate out people but trust me most companies dont really care as much and would be much more impressed by your communication and how you explain things to them during the interview.
amelie: thanks for sharing your experience. Wat happened to your job offer?Have you heard from them yet abt the other opening htey had?
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I got an offer from one job...it's an adminstrator of a health care program...
the second one they didn't offer me the one that i interviewed with them for BUT they are trying to come up with something I would like to do and can possible keep them with them.. to be honest I am planning on taking the job I was offered...both are with the same university here in New York and very prestigious so....the difference is job function.
it depends how low ur gpa is... i mean if ur graduating with a 2.0 then its goona be tough to get started at a decent job... i think u said that ur marks fell in the last year? in that case, if u had good marks before that in all your previous yrs, then employers may realize that there might have been circumstances as to why u couldnt maintain ur marks...if u had mediocre marks throughout uni then it'll be tough...but like some ppl said some companies dont even look at gpa's but then u need to have good experience to make up for that...these days its all about contacts and networking anyways so focus on that
