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Upcoming Job Interview and want advice on poor GPA questions
5

Upcoming Job Interview and want advice on poor GPA questions

Upcoming Job Interview and want advice on poor GPA questions

(OP)
Long story short, I did poorly in undergrad and failed and repeated 5 important classes in my major. I had terrible anxiety and off and on again depression throughout college which was the root of the problem.

I managed to get into grad school and do very well which does undo some of the damage I have from undergrad. The employer has already seen my full transcript and my gpa is also listed on the application.


I want to keep it positive and not say anything too negative. But I also dont want them to suspect that I was just plain lazy or a party animal (which isnt my personality at all). I know better than to say I had anxiety and depression in a job interview because they will be concerned I would be unreliable and its unprofessional to talk about personal problems. I also had family problems but I dont want to mention that obviously either.

Any advice on how I can tactfully address the F's on my transcript if they bring it up without sounding like I am making excuses?




 

RE: Upcoming Job Interview and want advice on poor GPA questions

4
You should be able to say that there were things going on in your private life during that time which have since been resolved, as evidenced by your graduate transcript.  If they ask.  Which they shouldn't.  If they ask you to elaborate, I strongly recommend that you tell them you prefer not to.  They shouldn't be delving into your personal life, especially your past personal life.

Do not offer any information if they do not ask.  It really doesn't matter if they think you were a lazy party animal.  If you had been, your grad school transcript would show that you've obviously grown out of it.

My first undergrad transcript looks atrocious.  My second one looks magnificent.  My grad school transcript looks decent.  Anyone looking at that first transcript can tell that I was a college kid with "issues".  No one has ever asked me about it--not even grad school.  Everyone knows about college kid "issues" and no one wants to hear about it, as long as you've shaped up.

Hg

Eng-Tips policies:  FAQ731-376: Eng-Tips.com Forum Policies

RE: Upcoming Job Interview and want advice on poor GPA questions

(OP)
Thanks, that perspective really helps. I know I will be anxious enough with the interview in general so I was worried about that particular question and not just how I answer it but my body language and confidence when answering it.

I have already thought of saying something like: "I dont want to make any excuses regarding my undergrad performance. I think that my strong graduate performance and my strong references from internships and professors indicate I am capable of doing a great job"

The only thing I was worried about was them thinking I was a party animal but you made a great point that even if that was the case my graduate transcripts would show I grew out of it.

If they kept digging for more information I could say "I had personal/family problems that have been resolved" and that seems pretty good. I dont have arrest records or anything like that so I think its likely then they wouldnt ask more more elaboration or think I was crazy/unreliable.  

RE: Upcoming Job Interview and want advice on poor GPA questions

I wouldn't worry much about your undergrad experience.  I don't recall any employer asking for a transcript post-graduation.  Mine wasn't glorious either, especially my first couple of years.

RE: Upcoming Job Interview and want advice on poor GPA questions

sounds like you are still dealing with the anxiety issues. your best bet is to just relax and be yourself and not try to control your body language and confidence levels.  When I interviewed for my first job I flew out to meet my future boss. I brought along a suit and tie so I could impress him. For the plane ride out, I just wore shorts and tennis shoes. I was picked up from the airport and taken straight to my bosses office for an impromptu meeting. No chance to change into a suit and get nervous. no opportunity to get nervous. I got the job, probably because I was able to think on my feet, but certainly not because of my gpa or looks.

RE: Upcoming Job Interview and want advice on poor GPA questions

If they ask, I'd tell the truth (that you had medical conditions that prevented you from focusing on your studies). I believe in telling the truth whenever possible, because then when they hire you they are hiring you for what you are.

You wouldn't want to work for an employer that can't handle anxious / depressed employees anyway!

Did the employer require a copy of your undergrad transcript? Since you don't feel comfortable discussing grades, I wouldn't suggest handing it out unless required. I have not had an employer require me to provide a transcript in any of the numerous interviews I've done over the years.

Cedar Bluff Engineering
http://cedarbluffengineering.webs.com

RE: Upcoming Job Interview and want advice on poor GPA questions

Presenting it as medical conditions (even though you also had family stuff and who knows what else) is a very good solution.  Because then you get into medical privacy laws (if you're in the US, anyway) and they really can't ask you any further.

Hg

Eng-Tips policies:  FAQ731-376: Eng-Tips.com Forum Policies

RE: Upcoming Job Interview and want advice on poor GPA questions

HgTX,
I think your first post was perfect.  I wouldn't go a step beyond it.  "I had some issues in my life, they have been resolved" is a great response.  Going beyond that (or talking about medical issues) is really bad strategy (sounds defensive).

newgrad321,
They've already seen the transcript.  If they had a big problem with the poor grades they would have thrown your application in the trash.  Start from strength.

David

RE: Upcoming Job Interview and want advice on poor GPA questions

Weird that they are asking for a copy of the transcript...I never even had to show proof of my degree.

drawn to design, designed to draw

RE: Upcoming Job Interview and want advice on poor GPA questions

never had to show any employer my transcript nor do i put my gpa on my resume.  

RE: Upcoming Job Interview and want advice on poor GPA questions

I would point out that you are, hopefully, very social and that if the employer is interested in hiring an introverted, socially inept individual that they should go for the high GPA. You can easily make a case for brains not being everything.  

I think that you can also make the case for not quitting a project in the face of adversity.  Anyone can drop a class at the first sign of trouble.  It takes someone who is willing to take a risk to ride out a class until the end and then fail.  You may be a lot more entrepreneurial than most engineers.  Explain that you aren't afraid to try and fail and then learn from your mistakes.

RE: Upcoming Job Interview and want advice on poor GPA questions

If you think saying you had depression would make them worry, being vague about 5 F's will lose you the position fore sure.  If they bring it up I think you just need to suck it up, look them in the eye and tell them what happened AND MORE IMPORTANTLY what you learned from the experience. If you sound confident and direct, IMHO you'll be fine and they'll respect you for it.

When I hire and see a major void, I expect a reasonable answer.  Honestly, I think GPA's are a joke, but they do tell some story.  Medical problems can cause one F, but five means something more.  A vague answer will instill more apprehension than keep you safe.  It would sound like you're hiding something.
 

RE: Upcoming Job Interview and want advice on poor GPA questions

FWIW, if a prospect tried to tell me that high GPA people are socially inept as DVD is indicating, I would probably count that against you.   

RE: Upcoming Job Interview and want advice on poor GPA questions

Trying to explain a GPA is a sticky situation. As a college kid, my GPA meant the world to me. As an adult, I would prefer hiring someone with a high GPA but would never say a word about a low GPA during an interview. It's highly personal and dependent on many things beyond the students control.

For the record, I graduated with honors from my university.

Cedar Bluff Engineering
http://cedarbluffengineering.webs.com

RE: Upcoming Job Interview and want advice on poor GPA questions

I have a few F's and retakes on my transcript.  I think the advice above is generally good, but I'd like to throw out some other options for you.

If all 5 F's are close to each other, that is in one or two consecutive semesters, saying you had a family issues, anxiety or depression, however you word it, would be perfectly understandable.  If they are randomly sprinkled across your college that explanation may not wash.  

Some of the classes I've done poorly in was just because I didn't get that subject.  Controls comes to mind,  I just never got it.  Of course I was focusing on Thermo/Fluids as my emphasis so when challenged I usually say that subject was not my strong suit.  

No one is expected to have a perfect record and most engineering students struggle through at least one or two critical courses.  And there is no one course that is critical to an engineer.  I would posit that even calculus is not used by engineers on a regular basis.  Don't be ashamed of the struggle.  Highlight the determination to succeed and that you probably know that subject better then most graduates because you struggled through it two or three times.  

The number one thing a hiring person should be looking for is, Does this person communicate well?  Good communication is three quarters of every job.  If they ask tough questions they may be more interested in how you handle pressure more then what your specific issues were.  I've found that being relaxed, open and honest shows them that I can communicate well.

Remember, there is an island of opportunity in the middle of every difficulty.  Miss that, though, and your pretty much doomed.  (on of my favorite demotivators from despair.com)

-Kirby

Kirby Wilkerson

Remember, first define the problem, then solve it.

RE: Upcoming Job Interview and want advice on poor GPA questions

A job held during studies is a good alibi for low grades. I had several. Also explain that certain courses were used to 'separate the men from the boys.' I got some low grades in areas in which I later worked with some authority. Nothing to be ashamed of.

RE: Upcoming Job Interview and want advice on poor GPA questions

Nothing to be ashamed of other than lying to your employer upfront.

RE: Upcoming Job Interview and want advice on poor GPA questions

B16A2,

I don't think anything plasgears said could be considered lying.  I think his point was that if you had a job during studies that would be a good explanation of poor grades.  Not everyone can spend 4 years on someone elses dime to get a degree and working through college to pay for it does hurt academic performance.  Also some classes are "weed out" courses.  They are taught at a faster pace and at a higher level to narrow the field.  I don't agree with the practice, but it does happen.  Again if this was the case then it would be completly honest to say so in a job interview.  

I did not read plasgears comments as saying "Say these things to pull the wool over the employers eyes and get the job."  I read it as "Here are some other reasons why you may not have performed as well as your classmates which if true for you may be a valid explanation to an employer."

Just my thoughts.  And I would never suggest lying to an employer (or anyone).  Honor is important.

-Kirby

Kirby Wilkerson

Remember, first define the problem, then solve it.

RE: Upcoming Job Interview and want advice on poor GPA questions

It took me 16 years to get my BS-Math. Along the way I failed courses or had to drop them due to changes in work hours. I think I took Calc I three times! It took me several years of signing up and dropping the required Physics classes before I was able to maintain a work schedule long enough to complete them. In the end I took a year off from work and finished the degree without distractions. I graduated with a 3.0/4.0 but it hurt to know I could have done better, but I don't lose any sleep over it.

If a prospective employer wants to know I just tell them the truth. Working full-time, maintaining a household, and going to college all at the same time can be very difficult. Most companies I've worked for thought it showed personal responsbility and the ability to stay focused on the prize.
 

 

RE: Upcoming Job Interview and want advice on poor GPA questions

I graduated with a 2.9/4.33...My tactic is to leave it unsaid but to draw attention to the many A's I got in all my design courses, the competitive team projects we won, and other relevant highlights of my school/employments. I'm a good guy who tried hard but made some sacrifices through school so I did not go completely insane.

Then if it does come up I am honest and tell them I failed a few courses because of the difficulty and ridiculousness of the material/grading. I'd always get A's in labs, homework assignments, and sensible exams, but then when a 50% final rolled around consisting of 2 questions I've never seen before I would often just scribble what I could for part-marks.

RE: Upcoming Job Interview and want advice on poor GPA questions

i got a 2.4/4 and now work with people that all had +3.0...

i got a little lucky along the way but it I have always been asked why my gpa is low...

I did alot of activities some good some not so good...but i point out that my last two years were 3.0's w/ two graduate level classes... which shows I got my S### together.
And I got my F.E.

For some people this works for some people it does not.

Good luck.

 

RE: Upcoming Job Interview and want advice on poor GPA questions

newgrad321:

I think in all of high school, I did a total aggregate of 40 minutes of homework.  It wasn't a real "college preparation" experience.  Then, I went through a year of college prior to transferring into my degree program to pick up the core curriculum stuff that my high school didn't offer which were prerequisites for admission to engineering.  In my first year of college I was about a 3.9/4.0 student; when I transferred to university, that dropped down to 3.5/4.0.  So, I concluded that in my second year, I could become a full time athlete.  That decision landed me in academic probation in the next year, and pretty much ended my "career" in sports.  There were also the typical issues with growing up away from home, putting my way through university with not enough money, living in scuzzy basement suites...you name it.  I spent my last two years clawing my way back to respectability after an unsolicited heart-to-heart with the faculty Registrar, who to her credit, cared enough about me to call me into her office to ask what was going on.

It was BTO who said, in song, "What comes too easy is thrown away."  Sounds to me like you slogged it out and, despite the setbacks, you got yourself through grad school.  Personally, I don't see too much to criticize in that.  If I was you, if asked, I would be inclined to just state that you ran into some issues that you had to overcome, which you subsequently *did* overcome.  In a sense, that probably gives you some savvy that other people who had an easier time might not have developed.

Regards,

SNORGY.

RE: Upcoming Job Interview and want advice on poor GPA questions

I wouldn't be exceptionally concerned about grades.

In my experience (3 different jobs, 8 years out of college) most Managers/Vice Presidents were not straight A students.

Typically I have been hired because I had a BS in Engineering (so they figured I was some combination of smart/hardworking), could carry on a conversion, am usually upbeat and enthusiastic, and a good dose of confidence.

My GPA was 3.2 or so. In my first Job Interview out of college the President of the company asked me about my GPA and said it was lower than the other candidate they were looking at.  I got the job anyway and in actuality he had confused me with the other guy,..... I actually had the higher GPA.  

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