Are you a recent graduate nearing the big day, busily getting resumes out to potential employers? Or, have you been in the job scene for a while, contemplating a move in another direction? Regardless of your situation, you’re wondering whether to add your GPA.
The general rule of thumb is for recent graduates to list the GPA if it is 3.0 or higher. An appropriate way to indicate that would be 3.3/4.0, telling those who look at your resume that you have a 3.3 cumulative GPA on a 4.0 scale. If your school uses a different scale, you should note that on your resume, i.e. 4.2/4.5. If you haven’t completed your degree yet, you can still list your current GPA, but note how many credits have been taken to reach that average.
Experienced workers: Usually you won’t need to add your GPA to your resume as you move along in your professional life . “As your career progresses," says Kim Isaacs, Director of Resumepower.com and co-author of Career Change Resume, "the college GPA becomes less important and can be removed.”
These are generalities, but other factors may apply:
Career field--The GPA may be more of a necessity depending on your vocation. Academic or technical fields usually require the GPA. If you don’t place it on the resume, it may be assumed that you performed lower than a 3.0. Again, depending on the amount of time you’ve been out of school may vary on the situation. It might be appropriate to ask someone if it applies.
Cumulative v. Major GPA--This is really a personal decision. Most of the time, the cumulative GPA is used. However, if you feel using your major GPA would demonstrate you being more of an expert in a certain field, then by all means use that one. Just remember to include the number of credits obtained in that field if you use your major GPA.
For additional assistance with your resume, check out our Resume Tips and Resume Templates
References
- Resumes For Dummies by Joyce Lain Kennedy, 4th ed. (New York: Wiley Publishing, 2003) 105.
- Put Your Education to Work by Kim Isaacs, Monster Resume Expert, at resumepower.com
- GPA and other FAQs at www.career.vt.edu - Career Services @ Virginia Tech
Comments
I have hired and recruited many college students into the industry. My rule of thumb is that any GPA equal to or higher than 2.8/4.0 should be listed on a resume. If I am interviewing a student and he doesn’t have it listed I assume that it is below a 2.5 or something less. A 2.8 is still considered a B minus average. it also shows that the student got more A’s and B’s than he got “C”‘s -so that is my theory to your question above
Austin,The name of the game is EARLY and OFTEN. What I mean by this is start thinking about what you want in a coellge education now and what schools would offer you those EDUCATIONAL opportunities. Leave out specific divisions at this point instead focusing on what coellges can offer you outside of athletics. Once you start coming up with a growing list of schools you might have an interest in then you can start to think about contacting those coaches. Remember, it does you no good to contact a coach without understanding what his program and school can offer you and what you can offer them. When attempting to get recognized it’s legwork. The consistent pavement beating, door-knocking that it takes to get someone to pay attention to you even for a few moments. This sometimes involves many emails and phone calls before a coach will give you the time of day but you have to persevere. You gain their attention by having a quality highlight tape, a good athletic resume, and most important- good grades.
this is required to be in cjsf and for college in the senior year at high school. This can also let the student to get a good future, and get in a good business.