My oldest graduates in December and will be looking for internships this summer. It has been a roller coaster ride with this one. Too much to go into, but since he was 14, it has been a struggle for him to grow up…tough for us and on him! He is now 22, and has matured so much, that we see a light at the end of the tunnel. It’s still flickering, but it’s there.
He admitted to me at Thanksgiving that he hates studying…no surprise there. He has executive dysfunction, and is on Vyvanse to help. He said he can’t wait to just work. He is a business major, and will graduate with a 2.3 GPA. It’s hard for me to judge him because I was exactly the same way. I didn’t have his issues, but when I got into college, I also hated studying…hated being in business school (another story), and ended up graduating with a 2.3. I have never told him because he uses things for his benefit (" well, you had a successful career" ).
I didn’t get my first job for 7 months, and thankfully was never asked for my resume. On the application for my 2nd one they wanted to know, so I lied and put a 2.8. Yeah…I know that wasn’t honest, I have no excuse. They never asked for my resume…I figured they wouldn’t think someone was lying with a 2.8. That job lasted 28 years!! I was a hard worker, and later went back for my MBA.
So…back to him. The job market is incredibly saturated with business majors, and many jobs want a 3.0. What can he say? He actually is a hard worker! And smart. But that GPA makes him look stupid and lazy…he’s not.
I’m not looking for comments of what could have been done, etc…that’s in the past and we all did our best working with him. He needs help in coming up with what to say at an interview. His earlier grades are horrendous. Lots of withdrawals, an F, a couple D’s. We almost withdrew him. He finally pulled together and has a smattering of A’ and B,s, but mostly C’ in the last couple years. Thanks for your help.
For entry level positions, almost everyone asks for a transcript…so being truthful is important. It’s important anyway!!
I agree that he should look at entry level positions where a degree is required, but where he has the potential to grow. We know kids like this who started out as clerk at Walgreens, and worked their way into store management and then into corporate office work.
@mom2collegekids …not sure what kind of job requires a degree but doesn’t care about grades. His degree is Risk Management with a minor in Financial Planning. I don’t know how he will do in an interview, but he’s not a fast talker…the sales person stereotype. I will say he is calm and personable, and I guess sometimes he surprises me how he thinks on his feet. People like him. He has fast processing skills…above normal according to his IQ test.
I appreciate everyone’s help and responses. Personally he will probably have to do something at the bottom, but at some point, more often than not, he is going to be asked about his low grades and I would like some help in telling him ideas as to what to say.
Sometimes gpa is predictive of job performance, yet there are definitely those who do much better in the workforce than school. Breaking in via connection to someone who will give him a chance in a lower stakes position may eventually open the right door (summer coverage, slightly less responsibility perhaps, etc). He needs to accumulate relevant experience so that gpa is not the primary data for employers to get a handle on his capabilities. Agree that bigger organizations might be a way for him to break in over time. Does he have any relevant employment or internship experience or a good relationship with any professors for references? Career services at school might be a resource for him to practice all aspects of job interviews.
Have hope. As you know, school is only the beginning.
One possibility might be doing temp work as a back door in. It could give him the opportunity to prove himself on a job. After graduation my D registered with a temp agency and was given a great assignment. After a bit they offered her a permanent position (which she declined for various reasons) but it was at a very good salary. She ended up moving and the experience in her temp position was key in securing her permanent position.
After she moved, she worked with a recruiter. She was sent on an interview for a company where they had a very high college GPA requirement. She had a respectable GPA at a top school, but not as high as their requirement, but since she had been vetted by the recruiting agency that requirement was waived.
For both temp work and recruiters, it’s okay to register with multiple agencies. With the recruiters, my D had to notify all of them when she was sent for an interview.
In the interview (so if he has to present his transcript and he has an interview then he got that far!) he needs to simply be honest - that should be easy! Admit your weaknesses (study habits or whatever), build your strengths (I’m motivated by a full plate, I have a knack for speaking one on one to people…). Which means he needs to be truthful right now to what has got him to the place he is - graduating, but with a 2.3.
No blame game just facts. Maybe two points to explain the low grade point (I have trouble sitting for long periods to prepare for a test, I have never been the best writer to complete papers) and two points of how he has succeeded (my oral presentations in my classes I actually averaged a 3.5! or I found that verbal class discussions were my successful niche) - he has to be able to highlight strengths.
I truly think this IS the time to share with your son your story. He needs to build himself up, needs a dose of realism here. Tell him it took 7 months to get your first job. The 2.3 is on his plate. It ain’t going away. It was on your plate too. It wasn’t easy but you had to deal. He will need to deal as well. With honesty. Now and at the job interview.
Thank you all with a special thanks to @abasket . That’s the advice I was specifically looking for. He’s home in 2 weeks for break, so that will be a good time to help him come up with something and I love your ideas.
I will tell him my story…maybe it will give him hope rather than an excuse to not keep trying.
conmama, I don’t have any advice, but want to give you some hope. My son graduated with a sub 3.0 avg. I don’t know what it was exactly because he didn’t like to talk about it. He also struggled with executive function and ADD issues. Despite trying very hard, he never was able to get even one internship. I really thought he would be the kid living in our basement (if we had a basement).
And yet, 2 weeks after graduation, he got a call from one of his previous interviewers offering him a different job than the one he interviewed for. It’s not a glamour job like many of his friends landed, but it pays enough for him to support himself, and has lots of potential for growth. He is happy, and my h & I are pretty much ecstatic!
If asked during the interview, can he say a cleaned up version of “During my first year and a half of college I may have over embraced college life. Fortunately I matured and shifted my focus to academics.” I’m just trying to think of a way to address the low grades and to take attention OFF of Exec dysfunction and/or lack of focus.
They will ask for GPA, but prob not the detailed transcript until a conditional offer is made. Get him to polish up his Linkedin account where he can have a nice write up about his skills and experiences. Applying via Linkedin can be more user friendly than those computer applications from Taleo and the like. Taleo does a computer read search for key criteria before humans are even involved.
I like the above reply, that seems like a very good way to handle the situation, and many who are doing the interviewing would be able to relate, I’m sure.
My interviewing advice that I give and has always worked well, is to keep the interviewer talking. The more you can relate to them and get them to talk about themselves, the more they will think highly of you and think you have a lot in common. Have your son ask questions and be interested in both the interviewer and the company, not just talk about himself.
I think there will be plenty of opportunities where they do not ask about GPA, but it will be important to have some sort of work experience / internships under his belt.
Is the GPA higher in his major and minor or in any classes that might be relevant to a particular position? If yes, I would highlight that. Somehow, a calm demeanor seems to be the right one for risk management. And after watching the Big Short and listening to the audio book, I can’t say that those high GPA Ivy League Wall Street types did such a great job in terms of risk management . . .
My history major/education minor DD attends job fairs including those that are like speed dating. For some reason she talked to someone at a financial firm. Maybe she needed to fill up her dance card? Up front, she told the person her background and that she was bad at math BUT that they probably has customers/clients like her, and what were they doing to instill confidence in their prospective customers such that they would hand over their money. They were intrigued enough to give her a call back.
All the best to your son. Hope he can work closely with his career center. I would think an internship could dispel any doubts a company has about his GPA. My DD graduates this May and told me (who knows if it is accurate?) that she is spending an hour a day looking for a post-graduation job because she knows her major is not the most marketable.
Just random ideas - Can he say he’s really good at some things, but studying isn’t his thing? My son does really well once he puts his mind to something, but unfortunately at times during college studying wasn’t that thing.
My guy was top 2% in the world at his favorite video game at one point, for example. (Believe me - I am not bragging.)Did he do anything long term to show he’s committed? Play a sport for several years? Does he have a passion? Does he love the “cause” of whatever organization he’s applying to? Is he willing to recognize the GPA issue and take a lesser job or lower salary than he might be qualified for to prove his worth?
I have some of the same worries you have, and I have to remind myself my son Is graduating in four years, with a tough degree, from a tough school, and that in itself is an accomplishment. He won’t be looking at the huge paycheck some of his peers will be getting, but hopefully he will find a job that will be a stepping stone to something better.