| "Should
I include my GPA?" and other FAQs |
| |
|
| Q: |
Should I include
my GPA on my resume? |
| A: |
The answer depends on
your GPA, the career field you are pursuing, and the other qualifications
in your background. In technical fields, employers tend to place
high importance on GPA, they want to know it, and they are going
to ask for it eventually. That's just a fact of life. In fields
in which employers care about GPA, if you leave your GPA off, you
risk employers assuming that it is very low. (If you have a 2.7
and leave it off, do you want an employer to guess that you have
a 2.1?) In some career fields, GPA is not as important a factor
in employers' decisions. For graduate students, there is often an
assumption that your undergraduate GPA must have been strong for
you to be admitted to graduate school, and once in graduate school,
strong academic performance is simply expected. If you are uncertain
about including your GPA, ask a Career Services advisor for recommendations
based on your individual circumstances. (Also see other GPA-related
questions below.) |
| |
|
| Q: |
Should I include
my in-major GPA? How do I find it out? |
| A: |
By the time you are a
junior or senior, you have generally established an in-major GPA.
Most students have a higher in-major GPA than overall GPA, so it
can be helpful to include this — it lets the employer know your
area of strength. If your overall GPA is very low and your major
GPA is very strong, you could leave off your overall GPA and just
include your major GPA. To find out your major GPA, contact your
academic department. And again, if you are unsure about what to
include, ask a Career Services advisor for recommendations based
on your individual circumstances. |
| |
|
| Q: |
What GPA is too
low to include on a resume? |
| A: |
There's not one number
that's a magic cut-off point — the answer depends on several factors.
Don't let anyone persuade you that you have to have a 3.0 GPA or
better to include it on your resume. The answer will depend on several
things. Are you looking for work in a career field in which GPA
is (or is not) important? How competitive is the career field you
plan to enter? What other credentials are in your background? Did
you work during school to pay for your education? Did you hold leadership
positions in school or community organizations? Do you have good
experience related to your career goals? Did you start out in a
difficult major that hurt your GPA and then raise your grades significantly
after changing into your current major? If you are unsure about
including your overall GPA, your major GPA, or both, ask a Career
Services advisor for advice based on your individual situation. |
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|
| Q: |
Should I include
two addresses on my resume: home and school? |
| A: |
Absolutely (unless your
home and school addresses are one and the same). You want to make
it easy for employers to reach you. If you graduate, or go
home for the summer, and are still looking for a job or summer position,
an employer can't find you at your school address. If "home"
is abroad and would be difficult or costly for an employer to telephone
you there, indicate an alternate permanent address where you can
be contacted if you will leave Blacksburg for the summer. |
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|
| Q: |
What size font
should I use? |
| A: |
Generally, fonts between
10 and 12 are okay. However, beware: All font sizes are not the
same size -- size varies by font style. For example, a Times New
Roman size 10 is smaller than an Arial size 10. |
| |
|
| Q: |
Do I have to put
an objective on my resume? |
| A: |
Usually yes. You don't
want an employer to have to guess from your resume what type of
position you are seeking. If you're not sure what kind of position
you want, you'll need to do some research. It's not the role of
the employer to be your career counselor. If you have more than
one type of position you're pursuing, do alternate versions of your
resume to support each objective. When you mail your resume to an
employer with your cover letter, you can elaborate on the position
you are seeking in your letter, and in that case could leave the
objective off. However, be aware that your resume could be separated
from your cover letter, and again, you may be leaving someone to
guess what you want to do. |
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| Also see: |
|
Purpose of the resume |
|
Resume formats and samples |
|
Resume software and templates |
|
Vitae (curriculum vitae) |
|
Length of your resume or
vita |
|
Content / sections of your
resume |
|
Most frequent resume mistakes |
|
Scannable resumes |
|
Resume critiques |
|
E-mailing resumes |
|
Printing, photocopying
& mailing resumes and vitae |
