Will my GPA matter at this point?

Hey guys I'm new here and I have a question.

I recently interviewed for a position that required a 2 year degree (I have a BS in Mechanical Eng. Technology) for a Mechanical Design position. Everything went great and I received an offer for the position. But now they are going to be conducting a background check and I was wondering if my GPA may hurt my chances (GPA 2.5). I left it off my resume and they never asked during the 3 interviews I had with them but I'm still wondering.

I personally dont think it should matter seeing as how I have a 4 year degree anyway. But I would like to get some other peoples perspective on the situation.

It could but I doubt it since they offered you a job.

I find it unlikely that it will matter.

I find it even more unlikely that it will come up in a background check.

Typically background checks are done to make sure that you do not have any hidden criminal records or anything else that may legally affect your employment status. If they found your GPA to be important then they should have asked during the interview since you omitted it from your resume.

Congratulations on finding a job in the current economic environment. Learn lots and always look to improve your skills.

FWIW, more companies are now requiring copies of official trnascripts on file as evidence of a degree. I have been with this coimpany a long time and all of a sudden HR wanted a copy of my transcripts to confirm my degree. That being said, I believe that your GPA will be known, but as others have said, I believe if they didn't ask/require a specific GPA as a term of the offer then it shouldn't make any difference.

not sure whether it will come up during the background check and I wouldn't be too worried about it, but I would have an explanation ready. Did you goof off the first 2 years, hold a full time job, etc. Try to spin it as positively as possible and show positive change (e.g., I wasn't as focused as I should have been, but once I started the advanced ME classes, I really got excited about everything and my senior year GPA was 3.5). Don't go to far though in trying to explain it away, if you messed up, just admit

logan23 said:

Hey guys I'm new here and I have a question.
I recently interviewed for a position that required a 2 year degree (I have a BS in Mechanical Eng. Technology) for a Mechanical Design position. Everything went great and I received an offer for the position. But now they are going to be conducting a background check and I was wondering if my GPA may hurt my chances (GPA 2.5). I left it off my resume and they never asked during the 3 interviews I had with them but I'm still wondering.

I personally dont think it should matter seeing as how I have a 4 year degree anyway. But I would like to get some other peoples perspective on the situation.

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There are different reasons for a 2.5 GPA, and I don't think that "goofing off" as someone else wrote is necessarily one of them. The first two years of engineering is hard...very hard...whether it be a technology degree or otherwise. Furthermore there are certain life situations going on where you can't afford all the suggested texts, or can't attend all the study sessions etc. I find it very unlikely that your GPA will matter. Good luck, and congrats on your offer!

As previously stated, background checks are generally for criminal activity, outstanding warrants, etc. Additional checks may come from credit checks, degree validation, previous employer verification, etc. I've never seen where a GPA was relevant for an Engineering Job. Where GPA is relevant is normally posted up front in the job announcement, description or interview process.

What do you call a med student who graduates at the bottom of the class?

Doctor!

GPA means little or nothing after school.

Thanks everyone for you insight, I'll post an update once I get started!

POed Mommy said:

There are different reasons for a 2.5 GPA, and I don't think that "goofing off" as someone else wrote is necessarily one of them. The first two years of engineering is hard...very hard...whether it be a technology degree or otherwise. Furthermore there are certain life situations going on where you can't afford all the suggested texts, or can't attend all the study sessions etc. I find it very unlikely that your GPA will matter. Good luck, and congrats on your offer!

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I didn't mean to imply that "goofing off" was the only reason for a poor GPA. Maybe I was speaking from expereince where my GPA was a 2.7 because I "goofed off" (a/k/a drinking beer) at college.

Peele1 said:

GPA means little or nothing after school.

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I would say GPA means little or nothing after a year or two of work experience. Right or wrong, GPA is the metric that is used a lot to judge competency for fresh grads.

It didnt matter when I graduated in 1998. BUt times are tougher these days so maybe some employers or the person hiring may have a personal preference..

Its subjective in my opinon. who worked harder, the kid whose mommy and daddy paid for the college, the kid never worked and they got a 3.5 GPA or someone who worked their way through school with no help and got a 2.8?

personally I'd hire the kid who flipped burgers or bartended through college and had the 2.8..

EE 2.1

+

DONE!

...is what was written on my mortarboard at graduation

:th_rockon:

we rented ours...wasn't going to pay the damage fee to do something like that

Wolverine said:

EE 2.1+

DONE!

...is what was written on my mortarboard at graduation

:th_rockon:

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EE FOR HIRE! on mine.

Most everyone I work with says the same thing, you don't graduate with a degree if you're a total slacker. Academia just proves that you can be taught. You're only taught concepts and theory. It's the real world experience that really teaches you.

logan23 said:

Hey guys I'm new here and I have a question.
I recently interviewed for a position that required a 2 year degree (I have a BS in Mechanical Eng. Technology) for a Mechanical Design position. Everything went great and I received an offer for the position. But now they are going to be conducting a background check and I was wondering if my GPA may hurt my chances (GPA 2.5). I left it off my resume and they never asked during the 3 interviews I had with them but I'm still wondering.

I personally don't think it should matter seeing as how I have a 4 year degree anyway. But I would like to get some other peoples perspective on the situation.

Click to expand...

The background check is pretty standard anymore. It doesn't have anything to do with your GPA. They may even check your credit as part of it. Not that they care much about your credit but fraudulent activity can be seen sometimes. This may be an insurance requirement and not even up to the people trying to hire you.

The background check is something that has transpired since 9/11. As said previously, they are checking for undocumented criminal activity (undocumented== not mentioned or identified on job application). If you were to get straight honest feedback, an engineering student with a 2.7 GPA is probably more typcial than one with a 3.8 GPA. As mentioned previously, engineering is tough-- the first two years is rugged, physics, calculus, chemistry, statics, circuits. If there was a death in the family, your parents got a divorce, you little sister injured in a car accident-- all can impact on your academic performance.

I always ask about the GPA when hiring-- not sure that it makes any difference, however, I always ask. Transcripts from the college is something that is new within the past 10 years as well. Why? Many folks have falsified their academic credentials and have been quite successful. When they are caught, everyone in the chain of command looks like a dope. That is solved by having the college/university send a transcript to the company-- no questions on what your degree was or if you earned it.

If they offered you a job, rejoice and go pray that you got one. Get focused on the new assignment-- the rest of the things will work out just fine.

If you have not taken the FE, get that done and then focus on the PE-- your 4 years will be up before you realize it.

For the record, I just want to verify that this is not a position with the Federal Gov't. Their background checks stop just short of a rectal exam. Besides the usual reference type things, they also want people who have known you for at least 7 years...and they actually contact them. Several of my friends got a bit freaked out when they got a letter from the Gov't asking about me. They also throw a credit report in there just for kicks, presumably to make sure you're not in debt up to your eyeballs and more likely to be "bought". They also want school information and ask if/when you graduated, but nothing about your GPA, not that they couldn't get it if they wanted, but I don't think they're all that worried about it so much as they just want to verify your education.

Well, at least this thread isn't like some I read- where everyone writes down the hiring policy in their organzation as if it is the model for everywhere else.

The answer is that there is no set answer. Some places it doesn't matter, some places it may matter a little, some places it may be used to break a tie or sort out intial resumes, some places it is the most significant factor. And it may vary depending on the group in a company, or who interviews you, or who is making the decision.

Obviously, it's probably better to have a higher GPA. Unless you run into some manager who doesn't want to hire anyone with a higher GPA than their's.

If you're an EE and want to work at JPL, or if you want a job at Google, it probably won't help to have a 2.5 GPA. And it's tough out there right now. But as somebody else posted, there are a limited number of high GPAers, and at some point mom and pop companies need to find workers someplace.

So if you're still in school, get the best GPA you can and try to get an internship. If you're out, there's not much you can do about it - just keep looking and try to build a network.