Ask the Experts: Convincing an Employer to Overlook an Average GPA
Question:
How can you convince an employer to look over an average GPA? I was a non-traditional student when I went to school. However, I possess many years
of leadership and management experience. I went to school full-time while
also working full-time, but my GPA was only a 2.5.
First Answer:
There is way too much emphasis placed on GPA. Unless you are vying for a beginning spot in a top law firm or you’re going back for more schooling, I really think it’s more important to focus on what you’ve done with your life. You went to school and worked full time- that is an accomplishment. I’d say that this is getting to be more than norm and less “non-traditional” as the economy changes.
As I say in my book YOU ARE THE PRODUCT: How To Sell Yourself To Employers, it’s how you market yourself that really counts. Focus on your skills and enthusiasm, and don’t aplogize for your GPA. You’re better off with work experience and knowing how to juggle more than one activity in life, than in spending all of your time hitting the books, without doing anything else.
— Alison Blackman Dunham, life & career expert, columnist, personal public relations consultant, half of THE ADVICE SISTERS®, and the author of the ASK ALISON career advice column
Second Answer:
First of all, don’t call undue attention to your GPA. The rule of thumb is that GPAs lower than 3.0 should not be listed on your resume. If your GPA in your
major was higher than your overall GPA, you can list it on your resume —
but still only if it’s 3.0 or above.
If you leave your GPA off your resume, won’t the employer know it was lower than 3.0? Yes, probably, but you’ll still lower the odds of being
screened out on the basis of your GPA, thus giving you a chance to
explain your grades in the interview.
And how should you explain them? First, give all due respect to your classmates who did have high grades. Then explain that your job and family obligations kept you from getting top grades
(if those are the reasons), but the experience you gained while working
during college — and before — is invaluable and makes you just as
strong an asset as those with high GPAs, if not more of an asset.
You’ll probably find that some employers don’t care at all about your grades, while others, notably consulting firms, will not bend
on the requirement for a certain GPA. Your question probably comes out
of frustrating experience with employers who value a high GPA, but
don’t let them get you down. Focus on your strengths. Go into interviews
with confidence. Before long you’ll likely find an employer that’s
not fixated on GPA and will see what you have to offer.
— Katharine Hansen, former speechwriter and college instructor who provides content for the Web site, Quintessential Careers, edits QuintZine, an electronic newsletter for jobseekers, and prepares job-search correspondence as chief writer for Quintessential Resumes and Cover Letters
