Have you ever wondered what employers think about your grades? After all, isn’t having your degree – that parchment presented at the end of years of study – all they care about?
No extra pressure, but many employers do care about grades. Larger organisations who offer vacation and graduate programs tend to have a grade benchmark. Not all will ask for your academic transcript or give more weight to higher grades – but many will. They want to see an indication of how well you’ve being doing.
Good grades are not simply proof of being clever. They can show employers that you are interested in – and can get to grips with – your subject matter. They can also demonstrate that you are methodical, organised, reliable and can perform under pressure.
If you are sitting at a course weighted average of 65% or above, that can be seen as doing well. We’d even suggest you add this info to your resume and promote it.
If you have organisations in mind you’d like to work for, check to see if they make mention of any cut off grades. If you’re looking at postgrad studies in the future, we’d also suggest you check out the entry requirements – find out if there are any cut off scores needed to get in.
If all this turns you cold and you’re thinking your grades aren’t going to cut it, think about your other qualities. Some employers consider juggling work or community obligations, such as volunteering, with study as an alternative way of demonstrating commitment, time management and determination.
So, no matter if you’re expecting a sense of accomplishment when you get your exam results or think you may not have done as well as you would have liked, come and see us. We can talk about how you’re doing and map out where you are right now in relation to the kind of jobs you’ll be looking for in the future.
This article was written by Career Development Consultant, Susan Surgener.
