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Does your GPA really matter when you’re applying for your first post-grad job?

Should it go on your resume?

| UPDATED college college student guide

You've spent the vast majority of your life working on your GPA. It was one of those things people aboslutely obsessed over when they were trying to get into their dream university. Now that you're actually in school, it's hard to tell how much your college GPA will actually matter when it comes to getting a job after graduation. Do employers care about GPA at all when you're applying?

Depends on your field

Your GPA can really get you through the first round of assessment if you're in a big pool of applicants. Positions in investment banking, accounting, or pharmaceuticals tend to use GPAs as a way to narrow the field. These places are looking for high GPAs in the 3.5 and above range. That's not to say that you can't through to the interview stage with a 3.3, but you probably will have to speak with a recruiter at a job fair to explain why you struggled for a semester or two.

If you're applying to a job in another line of work, then your potential employers won't care about your GPA that much. Good experience tends to matter way more than grades. If you can show hiring managers that you work hard and can make positive contributions to the company, then that's a major plus.

Should it go on your resume?

Your GPA should go on your resume if it's 3.0 or higher. If you're not thrilled with your number, you can include your major GPA on your resume instead of your cumulative one. Just make sure you specifiy on your resume that it doens't represent every class you took.

We wouldn't include your GPA if it was below a 3.0. You got your degree and that's what matters. If the topic comes up in an interview, be honest because they might ask for your transcript later. Potential employers will understand if you struggled through classes totally outside your major, was working on top of school, or experienced an unexpected life event.

Your GPA shouldn't be the focal point of your interview. Just try to have positive stories that will emphasize why you're such a great candidate. Find a way of telling hiring managers how much you learned from the tough experiences and how it'll make you a valuable employee.