Ask the Experts: High Grade Point Averages Effect Getting Hired and Starting Salary
Question:
Are employers looking for college graduates with high grade point averages and is a high grade point average a determining factor in the starting salary that the graduate can expect to receive?
First Answer:
I can answer authoritatively only for graduates of professional graduate schools, but I think the answer holds true across the spectrum.
A high grade point average is a factor in an employer’s assessment of the desirability of a recent graduate candidate whose worth is not yet proven in the workforce. I have seen employers use GPAs in weighted-average models of assessing students, but to rank their desirability more than to impact starting salaries. In other words, your GPA may screen you in or out as a candidate, so it may affect whether or not you get an offer from a particular employer.
Once an employer decides to make you an offer, however, my experience is that they make that offer based on your overall qualifications for the job within the range they have set as “market worth.” If in their overall assessment, you minimally meet their qualifications, they’ll offer the bottom of the range; if you are a perfect match, they’ll offer the middle; if you exceed their qualifications (a 4.0 GPA where they hadn’t predetermined to hire only the top 3% of the class, more experience, higher degree, a foreign language where one is a plus but not required, for example), they may offer the top the range and you may be able to negotiate above the range. That’s happened to my students who were coached to sell their ability to “hit the ground running” and outperform their competitors, faster after hire.
So it’s the whole package you present as being the best “fit” for the job, not just a great GPA, which determines job and salary offers.
— Carol Anderson, Career Development and Placement Office, Robert J. Milano Graduate School of Management and Urban Policy at New School University in New York City
Second Answer:
The answer to this question depends on your industry. If you are an entry-level job seeker, some fields need a kind of precision and expertise that can only be measured through your grades. Other jobs require more social skills or a visual portfolio. I have worked with employers who would not consider anyone without a 3.0 gpa. Others will go as low as a 2.5 gpa. But if you are considering graduate school, you better keep it above a 3.5 gpa for most any major.
For the most part, employers are looking for a whole person – not just a grade point average. Do not weigh any one part of your resume/credentials more than another. Choose your part-time jobs and extracurricular activities wisely. If at all possible, get involved in the professional organizations related to your major. Immerse yourself in the current trends of your field, and meet these people as a student – before you need a job. That way, you have connections when you graduate.
When I work as a consultant, I always want to know the grades. But it counts for about 25% of my overall opinion of the candidate. If you cannot pass your classes with B’s, it makes me wonder how much you value your education. Your grades show that you can commit to something and see it through.
— Holly Lentz, Lentz Productions
Third Answer:
I think a well-rounded character is more important, as being productive with teams/co-workers is essential. If you have a 4.0 and no extracurriculars, vs. a 3.2 who is active in student government, I’d take the latter.
— Kevin Donlin, Guaranteed Resumes
Fourth Answer:
I always encourage students with good GPAs to list in on their resume. If they are graduating cum laude, magna cum laude or summa cum laude, that should be included along with membership in their collegiate honor society and academic scholarships.
When an employer sees the fact that a prospective employee right out of college had excellent grades, I believe that either consciously or unconsciously that can play a part in who gets the interview. Most people believe that if you got high grades then you are smart and have the skill they need to do the job.
For most employers, I believe that they are more interested in the skills and abilities a person brings to the job rather than the grades they got.
— Linda Wyatt, Career Center, Kansas City Kansas Community College
Fifth Answer:
It can be a determining factor, but not the only factor, as they do look at other qualifications. In cases of a high number of applicants per position this may increase your chances of making it to the interview. This importance of grade point average varies with different industries.
As to the question of GPA being a determining factor in the starting salary, this will also vary with different industries. It could be used as a selling point during the final interview.
— James Aure, A and A Resume
