GPA 2.0 The Resume Dilemma

There is a myth about listing GPAs on resumes that goes around our campus every year. Let's see if you've heard it:

 "If your GPA is less than a 3.0, leave it off your resume." Sound familiar? Do you agree?

WRONG! 

Why? If you leave your GPA off your resume, an employer is likely to believe you have a 2.0 GPA. Let's say you are like Jason (not his real name), a recent alum I heard from, who graduated with a 2.98 GPA. That's a whole lot better than a 2.0. I say list the 2.98 GPA on your resume so the employer doesn't assume this number is much lower.

A few GPA tips for your resume:

Present the highest GPA first. If you list both your In-Major GPA and your Overall GPA with your degree information, share the higher number first. Your resume is your advertisement, so sharing the best view of your performance first makes sense. Don't know your in-major GPA? Check Hokie Spa, your DARS or visit your academic department or advisor for assistance.

Consider listing a more specific GPA. Did one of these apply for you freshman year?

• You majored in having fun: 
• You were in the wrong major; OR
• You took a while to get used to college course demands. 

Then, after your first year, did your grades begin an upward spiral? If yes, then think about calculating your GPA for a certain number of hours. Here's a sample:

BS, Finance, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA Expected May 2016
GPA last 60 hours: 3.2, Finance GPA: 3.0, Overall GPA 2.75

Listing this kind of GPA works for employers or for graduate or professional schools; your most current hours of study likely focus on your area of expertise.

Most recent semester been your best? Then, list GPA Fall Semester 2015 3.51 before listing your overall and/or in major GPAs.

Let's talk numbers. In math class, we learned all about rounding numbers. When you list your GPA in your resume, you do not want to round. If your GPA is a 2.9999, then list your GPA as a 2.99. You only need to share 2 percentage points, and in this case, you do not want to round up to a 3.0, which leads me to my next point...

About employer GPA requirements. Some employers get such large volumes of applications that they have to use a mechanism to pare down the number of candidates. Some choose to use GPA requirements as their method to do this. Some require a 3.0 GPA, while others set the bar even higher. This really varies by employer where some do not have a GPA requirement at all. When we've asked employers about looking at a candidate who doesn't meet a GPA cutoff, the biggest selling point to get past this obstacle is relevant experience. If your GPA is not currently as high as you would like it to be, try to get as much experience as you can before you graduate, so you'll still be competitive as employers review your resume.

If you still have GPA questions, stop by Career Services for Walk-In Advising or make an appointment with an advisor. If you would like to view some samples of ways other students listed their GPAs on resumes, visit our set of sample resumes.

Let us help you present your qualifications, including your GPA, in a way that sells.

The Hokie Nation Stands...Thankful

Thought of these writings from a few years ago as I reflect on April 16, 2007. I wrote these after Virginia Tech police officer Deriek Crouse was shot in a parking lot across the street from our office in December 2011.

The Hokie Nation Stands. Live for the 32.

Know yourself, Know your journey

Marilyn vos Savant, who is known for having the highest recorded IQ according to the Guinness Book of Records, states, “Success is achieved by developing our strengths, not by eliminating our weaknesses.” As individuals we tend to focus on “negative” traits we have, rather than identifying skills we have that are good. You may have a hard time being flexible and adaptable, but you forget your strengths in being structured and organized.

Becoming self-aware of your strengths is critical to your career development. Knowing your strengths allows you to utilize and benefit on the key components of your work ethic. Applying these strengths helps you to be more successful in your future professional development.

How you think, learn and study are all things unique to you. However, assessing your strengths on your own can be difficult. Virginia Tech Career Services provides students the opportunity to assess their strengths through a variety of self-assessments.

Strengths Quest: http://www.dsa.vt.edu/aspirations/strengths/

This assessment categorizes you into your top five strengths, out of over 30 possible strengths. Strengths could range from Positivity and Responsibility, to Strategic and Learner. According to their website, “Gallup has created resources to help you develop and use your strengths to achieve greater success in academics, in your career, and in life.”

Myplan.com: http://www.myplan.com/

This assessment focuses on interests, values, personality type, and skills in order to see a journey in to a unique career path for you. Overall, the assessment fits your strengths with career fields. You can take the assessment for free through Career Services.

Do What You Are: This assessment can be given through an appointment at Career Services

The assessment is based on your initial preferences to certain values and traits. When you take this tool, you have the possibility of being one of 16 different personalities. After finding your results, you can be categorized into personality areas that fit best with certain areas of study and work.

You never know what strengths you have, that maybe you don’t even consider as strengths. It is important for you to understand these strengths when deciding and exploring your future journey. Identifying your strengths can help lead you down the path that suits you best. The positivity of focusing on your strengths, rather than your weaknesses, can open so many doors of possibilities.

Be sure to make an appointment with an advisor at Career Services to better help you understand your self-assessments and strengths. To find out more about who you are and your strengths, check out the links provided in this page of our Career Services web site: http://www.career.vt.edu/MajorCareerExploration/SelfAssessment.html

Feel like time is running out to make your summer plans? Try these 5 resources

In the past ten days or so, I've met with a number of students who are about to give up looking for an internship or summer position because they think they are too late. Do you feel like time is running out like the photo above? Don't give up just yet.

Why? Even though our semester ends in early May, many employers are still nailing down their summer employment needs. And, some employers may receive a new client, nail a big order, or start a new product line within the next month where their hiring needs will drastically change; they may be desperately searching for some summer help. One student I met with recently said he had heard that after April 15 was just too late to find a summer internship. I'm happy to be the myth buster.
This. Is. Not. True.

Here are 5 sites you can tap into as you seek to finalize a plan for your summer:

Hokies4Hire: Access this site to view openings employers share with Career Services. In a recent search of internship listings on this site, I found over 580 postings. Too late? I don't think so!

CareerShift: This site is great for location specific searches and if you seek a contact at a particular employer. I did a sample search with "internship" as the key word and Washington, DC, as the location. Over 1200 listings came up in my search. Still think you're too late?

GoinGlobal: With over 40 US City Guides, you can search for job listing sites specific to a certain city. If Denver sounds good to you, I found over 740 listings using one of their local sites linked in the City Guide. OK, are you still doubting that there is an opening for you?

Hokie Nation Network: Alumni can post job openings on this site. There were 5 internship listings and 12 part-time listings when I did a recent search. You can also join the Alumni Association LinkedIn Group and access job listings shared by group members. See, even a Hokie still might hire you this summer!

LinkedIn Student Jobs Portal: To access the portal, you have to have a profile in LinkedIn. In a recent search for Public Relations Internships, I found 115 openings. Have I convinced you yet?

There are still opportunities out there. Come see us in Career Services to learn about even more places to search.

Experience matters. Go find some.

The More People You Know, The More Places You'll Go

Networking is essential in terms of professional development for students. It’s all about making and keeping up with connections. It’s incredibly important to do; our most current Post-Grad Report shows that a large majority of students gained connection with their first job through networking. 70% of students reported that they gained contact to their first employer through networking; this included working for the employer in the past and contact through employees, a professor or other faculty member, friends and family, alumnus/alumnae of Virginia Tech, a peer from a club, sorority or fraternity, and career and job fairs.  With 70% of students reporting that, it’s hard to deny that the saying, “It’s all about who you know,” is largely true.

Results compiled from Virginia Tech's 2014-2015 Post Grad Report

So how do students go about networking? Well, there are many ways to go about doing this. Let’s start with the most common one: job and career fairs. We are fortunate enough to go to a school that hosts a variety of career fairs every year with hundreds of employers. Be confident enough to attend them! Do your research; figure out which companies appeal to you and what kinds of experiences they’re offering. Practice your elevator speech and make sure that it sounds natural. While going to career fairs and speaking with potential employers can be daunting, at the end of the day, you’re just having a conversation with another person. They’re not scary and they don’t dislike you. They’re there to talk to you about their company and help you figure out whether or not you’re a potential match. Once you make the connection with the recruiter at the fair, be sure to ask for a business card and contact information so you can send them a thank you note or email after having your conversation.

Another great way to network is using your existing connections. Don’t be afraid to ask your friends about what their internship positions have been like and if they have a contact that you could use. Your friends and peers can be one of your best resources, and so can your professors and other faculty or staff members. Faculty members in your major can be wonderful resources. They’ve likely made connections both within and outside of academia and have worked with hundreds of students before you and know who could be good points of reference for you.

Lots of students have a LinkedIn profile but aren’t totally sure how to use it, in a way that is helpful for them. First, make sure you have a strong profile. Include a professional headshot, a summary, past experiences, education, and skills. Start adding people you know—send them a customized invite stating how you met each other and saying you’d love the chance to connect. Something great LinkedIn offers is a Student Jobs Portal. This site allows you to search for internships or entry-level jobs and shows you if you have any connections with people at the organization.

Networking is all about communicating with others professionally, and it's definitely something that needs to be practiced and developed. Although it can be daunting, it's a great way to find a path to a good internship or first job. After all, the more people you know, the more places you'll go.

Welcome to Blogger, Brianna Hamade

Brianna Hamade is a senior studying Public Relations with a minor in Leadership and Social Change and cognate in Marketing Management. Brianna has been very involved in her sorority, Kappa Kappa Gamma, where she served in multiple roles, including Sisterhood Chair, Standards Committee, Recruitment Chair, and currently acts as the House Supervisor. Brianna loves watching musicals and spending time with her friends and family. Last summer, she had an internship at Booz Allen Hamilton and is planning to return there full-time after graduation this May. Brianna's favorite parts about being a Peer Career Advisor in Career Services are getting to meet and interact with students and helping them to become successful in meeting their goals. 

Getting EXCITED about getting EXPERIENCE

As the trees begin to blossom and the grass becomes greener every day, a lot of us are distracted by what is going on OUTSIDE. Spring semester is coming and going faster than we may think, and you may be thinking more about your summer or future break plans. The great news is we are here to help you figure out how to start gaining some experience OUTSIDE the classroom.

Your degree and classwork are very important to your career path, however they are not solely reflective of your skills. Classes are great for theorizing, time management, and providing background knowledge in your major. Gaining experience helps you to be more self-aware and discover what you are looking for in the future. You may enjoy working on a computer, but learn through an experience that you want to work more with people. This is always better to do sooner rather than later in what we call the “real world.”

Employers are consistently looking for work and relevant experience on a student’s resume. You can gain experience through a variety of ways, including: internships, externships, summer jobs, co-ops, volunteer experience, extra-curricular activities, student organizations and undergraduate research.

It is never too early to start gaining experience in your field of interest, so start as soon as you can! However, it is important for juniors and seniors to actively look for these experiences, as they are entering the work force much quicker than underclassmen.

Research before and during your experience searching is key. Be sure to understand the types of jobs that would be a good fit for your interest and skills. Once you have an understanding for what you are looking for, you can tailor your searches better. 

In keeping an open mind, learn to think beyond your major. Check out our post graduation report to see what other graduates are doing after graduation, and possibly what companies they are with as well.

Career Services has other resources that can help you in your job and internship search. All of these resources are linked through our website.

Hokies4Hire

• Hokies4Hire is a database that lets students search for co-ops, internships or full-time positions that have been posted by employers specifically looking to hire Hokies.
• The database also allows you to participate in the on campus-interviewing program, and post your resume to the online resume database.
•  https://www.myinterfase.com/vt/Account/LogOn?ReturnUrl=%2fvt%2fstudent

Career Shift

• A comprehensive online resource that allows you to bring everything together to search for jobs in once place and you can save your searches. Great for location specific or industry specific searches and you can find contacts at a particular organization.
•  http://www.careershift.com/Default.aspx?sc=VT

GoinGlobal

• This resource allows you to search for international job postings and tips on relocating to a new country, as well as over 40 major U.S. cities.
• https://www.career.vt.edu/scripts/GoingGlobal/login.asp

The important thing to keep in mind when attaining these positions is to keep your options open. Know that there is no one-way to search for experiences and you can create your own path. But you never know where experiences might take you, with whom they might connect you, and what skills you will gain along the way!

To find out more about how to attain experience, start with this site: http://www.career.vt.edu/Experience.html