"Should I Put My GPA on My Resume?"
October 08, 2008 (10:00AM) by Julie O'Malley, CPRW
When you're in high school, and even more so in college, your grade point average (GPA) can seem like the one-and-only measure of your success. But how important is your GPA after graduation? Should you put it on your resume? Do employers really care if you had a 2.8 or a 3.0? Can a low score ruin your chances of getting hired? The answers may surprise you.
Just so we're all clear, GPA is a cumulative average of all the grades you've earned in your four (or so) years of classes. In most cases, a perfect score is 4.0. The average score is around 2.8 (depending on variables such as grade inflation).
Yes or No?
Before I go any further, this advice is only for new grads. Once you have a few years of professional experience, your undergraduate schooling diminishes in importance. If you're still bragging about your GPA when you're 40, it might seem a little odd.
So what are the general rules of thumb?
- Only put your GPA on your resume if it was 3.0 or higher.
- If your total GPA was under 3.0, but the GPA in your major was higher, put THAT on your resume. (Here's a GPA calculator to help you figure out your Major GPA.)
- Relevant summer jobs or internships will strengthen your resume more than just a high GPA, so don't laser-focus on grades.
Don't forget, employers can ask for copies of your transcripts, so it’s important to be truthful about your GPA, if asked.
Do Employers Really Care?
Just how important is your GPA in the real world? A recent Harris poll conducted on behalf of CareerBuilder asked 3,147 hiring managers and human resource professionals about this topic, and you may either be heartened or disappointed to learn:
- 62% require no minimum GPA;
- 31% require a 3.0 or above; and
- 11% require a 3.5 or above.
I think that's actually good news for grads on both ends of the GPA spectrum. Those who worked super-hard and got a super GPA will find employers that demand nothing less. And those whose excellence manifested itself in areas other than academics can still find plenty of employers to value their contributions.
Bottom line: A high GPA is remarkable and should be emphasized on your resume. An average GPA isn't necessarily bad, it's just not particularly noteworthy. Since your resume is all about summarizing your most noteworthy accomplishments, leave out that 2.7 and focus on your other qualifications. And relax... by the time you're about five years out of college, GPA will be a non-issue.
As a former '80s party girl, I was (fortunately) never asked about GPA, and the one time I was asked to provide transcripts was after I had accepted the job offer. What about you? Has your GPA made a difference one way or the other?
GPA doesn't matter at all. I have never even asked an applicant for their GPA or for their transcripts in 20 years of interviewing. Honestly, I just took a mini survey around our office and of the 20 people I asked, they have all interviewed fresh college grads at some point in time and not a one has ever asked.
To those who earned the high GPA, CONGRATS! I envy your perseverance to stay those extra hours in the library when the fun was pulling me out of the library. I could not imagine being a college student in this technological era where my cell phone could be delivering invitations to fun and parties via voice mail and text messages to me in the library. I would not have even stayed in the library 5 minutes.
Party On is spot-on. GPA isn't an issue. I even brag about my huge 1.2 GPA during interviews because I think it's a useless number and I know those doing the interviewing think it's useless also. I've never blown an interview!
I agree - those weenies who stayed in the library with their noses buried in books on Saturday nights and got that 3.75 GPA should put it on their resume. But those of us who did average or below average did so by learning other important skills - how to have fun and interact with people. That, to me, is just as important as being book smart or, sadly, boring.
C'mon, people, managing your career and hunting for a job isn't rocket science. If you're talented at something, you can get the job even if you suck at interviewing or managing job leads. All it really takes is some common sense and at least half a brain, like my 1.2 GPA brain.
Party on! And to my friends back home, Sparty On!
I personally feel like GPA isn't important, but it can definitely be a downer when you find the perfect job but they have a GPA requirement... that is way above your GPA. My GPA was a decent 3.1, but many of the jobs I came across required a 3.3 to a 3.7(!!!) GPA requirement. Sometimes, I still sent in my application. Maybe they just threw it away after seeing my GPA. I didn't expect to hear back, but if they did call back, all the better, right? It doesn't hurt to send out your application if your GPA is a little bit off the requirement. And with some internship experience or campus involvement (not parties), the company might want to chat with you and find out you're an awesome person!
@Parties in the Library Congrats on that 3.1! I think you're wise to submit your application even if you miss their GPA cutoff. The requirements in job descriptions are usually just fantasy lists. There's probably no one who fits every criterion exactly. And if they did, who's to say they'd have a good personality? -- Julie
In Puerto Rico some jobs require the GPA of the students. The bottom line for me as a resume writer is that if it is going to do more harm then good, don't put it on. Good advice about telling the truth regarding your GPA.
* Required Fields
|