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Which is more important when looking for a job, college GPA or Interships in your specific field?

When a company is looking to hire somebody, would they put more weight into college gpa, or internships that somebody has had that is relevant to the job? #scholarship #internship #gpa #college #student #business #ceo

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Thank you comment icon Hi William, this is a great question. Although both GPA and Internships are aspects that employers heavily consider, having work experience would probably be more valuable to an employer than your GPA. This is because GPA is often not a reliable way to compare candidates for a job since colleges vary in their rigor and people have different personal lives and activities. However, I don't want to discredit the importance of having a high GPA since it still shows overall work ethic and determination, especially when you're fresh out of college with little to no work experience. Keep in mind that different employers will value different things, just try to do your research. I hope this helps and I wish you the best! Mireia
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Linda Ann’s Answer

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Greetings, William!

There is a serious problem with grade inflation in the last decade or so across the USA. So while GPA may be an indicator of your dedication to your studies and what you've learned, it may not. It depends upon the faculty members whose classes you enrolled in. Many employers know about this problem and put less weight on GPA than they have in previous generations.


You can probably anticipate where I am going with this answer: Internships probably carry more weight with many employers because of the problem with grade inflation I have mentioned in the first paragraph. Assuming of course that your internship was at least one semester long AND that you were given meaningful opportunities to apply what you've learned in some of your college courses, the person(s) who were responsible for supervising your internship would be a better gauge of your 'soft skills' than would a college professor when it comes to letters of recommendation! By 'soft skills' I mean such things as verbal communication, tact and courtesy, industriousness, perseverance and social skills (respect for peers and administrative superiors).


I wish you much success in finding an appropriate internship that helps you to develop in a high caliber professional!

Linda Ann recommends the following next steps:

Speak with your Academic Adviser about internship opportunities in your geographic region. Don't however just rely upon your Adviser.
Do an internet search for "internships" at various company's websites. Such internships are somethings listed under employment opportunities!
Attend Career Fairs offered by the Career Counseling Office. Internships might be available through the Career Counseling Offices!!! So, get to know the staff there - they are a very valuable resource for landing your first job as well.
Attend resume writing workshops and interviewing skills workshops - often offered by the Career Counseling Office.
Be persistent in looking for an internship.
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Spruce’s Answer

William,
My first answer was going to be "both". But if you have to make a hard choice, for example should you accept an internship that was four hours per evening during school for two months ending just before finals, I would first estimate what the impact to my grades would be (say 0.1 off my total GPA that I could not make up), then think about it overnight. For me now, from the comfort of my favorite warn-in leather wing-back chair, unless that 0.1 GPA might make the difference between 2.9 and 3.0 or 3.4 and 3.5, I would say do the internship. GPA is important, but an internship is real work witnessed by humans who can write letters of recommendation and make job offers, plus it gives you some idea if you like that kind of work. I really hope you're able to get some good internship time, during the summer of course. By the way, I would recommend that you get your spellchecker fixed right away. Good luck.
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Vandana’s Answer

Hello William,


Although both College GPA and Internships are important, internship would have more weightage.


All the best for all your endeavors!
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Alyssa’s Answer

Hi William. I have conducted hundreds of interviews and have never asked anyone their GPA. Don't get me wrong, it is important. A good GPA will help you get into better schools and such, but as a hiring manager, I am looking for a blend of education and experience. I absolutely value internships over the GPA but agree if you have the ability, focusing on both is the best way to go. Good luck!
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Donald’s Answer

Dear William,

In all honesty, after hiring 100's of people, I have never asked for a person's GPA - I would however, look for related experience (internship, part time work). That is not to say that a person screening applications would not, (though I've asked a few - none does) but as a final interviewer, certainly go for the best grades possible and get some kind of experience too. If I see your Phi Beta Kappa key I'll probably notice....

Regards,

Don Knapik
Thank you comment icon I agree with this. In my experience interviewing I have never had a company ask my GPA. I often had general questions about work experiences, specifically internships. Nicole Ponzini
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