4 0 GPA and No Interviews
By Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter
“I have a 4.0 GPA and have yet to get an interview. What the heck is wrong?”
Standing Out on an Interview
Someone wrote to me complaining that they have a 4.0 GPA and have gotten no interviews. Obviously, they are annoyed and frustrated and wondering what
is going wrong.
Here’s my answer: right now, you are fixated on the 4.0 GPA… That’s great. Right now, I don’t know what school you went to. There is a difference between a 4.0 GPA from Stanford and a 4.0 GPA from school no one is ever heard of before.
Let’s assume it was a good school and concede that point. I don’t know anything else about what you did while you were in school because you are fixated on the GPA. Firms care about whether you had an internship that related to your degree. Whether you work in a part-time job. What kind of jobs are you applying for? If you are applying for jobs that require 5 years of experience or positions where you will be managing people. . . You are not qualified for those positions.
There is more than the GPA that is at play here. Without my going into, “You should pay your dues and work your way up,” I am not going to give that speech. You need to start talking to people who are already working who you know to see what is wrong. What are you doing wrong in marketing yourself that is standing in the way of you getting a job.
Now, that may seem frustrating. “Why do I have to do that?” What you are doing isn’t working. You have to adapt. The world is not waiting for another 4.0 GPA. Unless the 4.0 GPA has done something that matters to them.
I don’t know if you have a 4.0 GPA with a major in history and applying for IT positions for which you are not qualified. I could go on and on but the fact is you announcing that you have a 4.0 GPA doesn’t tell me anything that’s useful and you are probably sabotaging your own job search. Talk to people locally who you know. Talk to friends who have already landed. Talk to your parents. Talk to your college advisor. Be prepared to show them your resume and talk with them about what you are doing wrong and be prepared to talk about what you should be doing differently.
Never Use These 3 Dirty Words in a Job Interview
ABOUT JEFF ALTMAN, THE BIG GAME HUNTER
People hire Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter to provide No BS Career Advice globally because he makes many things in peoples’ career easier. Those things
can involve job search, hiring more effectively, managing and leading better, career transition, as well as advice about resolving workplace issues.
Schedule a discovery call at my website, www.TheBigGameHunter.us
He is the host of “No BS Job Search Advice Radio,” the #1 podcast in iTunes for job search with over 2600 episodes.
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