What Happens If You Lie On Your Resume
Lying can only lead to one thing losing out on your dream job.
Nowadays, the hiring process consists of initial background checks, calls to past employers, and multiple interviews. With all that, lies are very likely to get detected.
How to be on the safe side?
Just dont lie!
However, if you somehow got yourself in a position where you lied about something in your resume, we have prepared a detailed guide to show you how to handle the situation.
Where Do I Put My Gpa On Resume
Firstly, its important to know where to place your GPA on your resume. You have two options:
1. Education section
Put your GPA directly in your resume education section. Which should look something like this:
2. Achievements section
Alternatively, you can include your GPA in your resume achievements section. However, when you decide to opt for this option your GPA score should be very high.
This Is The Only Time You Should Include A Gpa On Your Resume
Your grade point average, or GPA, is a significant measure of your success in high school or college. But after leaving school, it can be difficult to know whether to include your GPA on your resume. In fact, some employers don’t even factor in GPA at all.
In a 2013 interview with the New York Times, Google’s then senior vice president of people operations Laszlo Bock called GPAs “worthless as a criteria for hiring.”
“Google famously used to ask everyone for a transcript, and GPAs and test scores,” he explained. “But we don’t anymore, unless you’re just a few years out of school. We found that they don’t predict anything.”
Still, many employers tend to regard a strong GPA as a sign that a candidate will be able to handle the pressure of a given role once hired 67 percent of companies reported that they screen candidates based on GPA, according to a 2013 survey by the National Association of Colleges and Employers. In recent years, organizations have increased their focus on other factors about a candidate, like internships and extracurricular activities, but GPAs can still play a role.
Here’s how to know when your GPA is most relevant and when it’s time to retire it.
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Key Points To Remember
Heres everything you need to know about a CV surrogate:
- Include your GPA on your CV if:
- Do not include your GPA in your CV if:
- Your GPA is less than 3.5
- You havent been to school for more than 3 years
- This is not your first application
You need to carefully select the components that are relevant and important enough to be included in your CV in order to create a great CV. Weve got you covered with these resume and cover letter guides:
Does An Employer Care About A Double Major
Employers care about a regular major, so they certainly care a lot about a double. Majoring in a subject in university means that you are an expert in that field, having spent thousands of hours researching, studying, and taking exams.
This expertise is extremely valuable to an employer, who will not want to train a new employee from the ground-up.
Double majoring means that you are an expert in two fields, which is doubly impressive.
This is especially in cases where the majors complement each other well, such as finance and economics. An employer gets someone who is well-rounded, and flexible in their expertise.
Having a multi-faceted employee is better than having an employee who specializes in only one area, so highlight this fact well on your resume!
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Can You Include Your Major Gpa Instead Of Your Overall Gpa
Yes, you can. If the GPA for your major is more impressive than your overall GPA, then it is okay to include it. If both your Major GPA and overall GPA are impressive, then you can even include both of them.
Education
Bachelor of Arts in English Literature, 2018
ABC University, XYZ City
Overall GPA 3.67 | Major GPA 3.8
How To List Your Gpa On A Resume
The education section of your resume is where your GPA belongs with the listing of schools attended and degrees obtained. Regardless of how your list is structured, always use the abbreviation GPA followed by the number and decimal places exactly as it appears on your transcript.
Here are three examples of GPA listings in the education section of a resume.
2018 Bachelor of Science in Animal PhysiologyUniversity of Toronto, Toronto, ONOverall GPA 3.74 | Major GPA 4.0
You may have additional academic achievements to include in your resumes educationsection, such as being on the Deans List, receiving Latin honors such as cum laude, and special awards or prizes. In that instance, they can be listed together with the school and degree information or in a separate education subsection under a heading such as Honors or Awards and Achievements.
Below are three examples of ways to list GPAs with other honors or awards in the education section of your resume, or in a dedicated subsection.
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Should You Put A Gpa On Your Resume
The truth is that adding this component to your resume is optional. Because of that, it can be a little tricky to decide whether to include your GPA on resume or not.
In some cases yes, it can be a nice way of highlighting your good performance, however, in other cases it can actually harm your chances of getting a job.
How To Cite Your Gpa
Before you start typing up your grade point average, make sure you know how to put your education on your resume. Assuming you have to list your GPA , be mindful of the scale. The standard American GPA score is calculated on a scale from 0 to 4.0, though some colleges make it possible to score beyond a 4.0.
If thats the case for you, you might have to round it down to a 4.0.
Yes, a 4.3 is greater than a 4.0, but recruiters will assume a 4.0 score is perfect anyway. Being proud of your achievement is fine, but dont try too hard as it might backfire.
Note: If you were a double major, and you enclose your GPA for one of them, you should include your GPA for your second major.
If you graduated from college, forget about sharing your high school GPA. Always go with the most recent institution.
Bonus tip: In some cases, you might be able to include your impressive one-off GPA success in the achievements section.
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Questions About Resume & Cover Letter Effectiveness
9. Can I send the same resume to different employers? According to consistent employer feedback, each resume you submit should be tailored to each position and employer. This means showing how your skills and qualifications fit with those the employer seeks. Check out the Job Posting sampleshereto see how you can match your skills with what the employer is looking for, and then see how these skills are outlines in the resume and cover letter. 10. What else can I do for my job search? Check out the Career Centre page onWork Search Strategiesfor your work search. 11. How do I know if my resume and cover letter is good enough? So much depends on the competition, but you can use the resume and cover letter checklists availablehereto ensure you have done the best job possible.
How To Put Study Abroad On Your Resume
Adding a study abroad semester or year to your resume can show employers that youre a go-getter. This information doesnt need to take up much space and should be included in the education section as well.
The correct place to put study abroad on your resume is just below the university you graduated from. You can format it the same way as you format the other institutions attended. For example:
DePaul University, Chicago, IL, December 2009-March 2013
Bachelor of Arts, Major English Composition, Minor Journalism
Università degli Studi di Firenze, Florence, Italy September 2010-December 2010
- Completed coursework in journalism and international affairs.
- Became fluent in the Italian language
Everything you include in your resume should relate back to the job youre applying for. Its good to mention coursework and other activities that apply to that job when including your study abroad experience.
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Which Activities To List On Your Resume
The Activities section on your resume is optional and can be included if you are otherwise unable to fill the page or if you have significant activities you would like to highlight.
In general, you should focus on extracurricular activities which correlate directly or at least indirectly to your chosen career path. Does including the activity support your value in seeking your career objective? If yes, include it. Otherwise, do not.
Your first area of focus should be professional clubs and organizations tied directly to your career field. If you aren’t already a member of the professional club tied to your career, join now. And, ideally work toward gaining a leadership role within the club.
Secondary for inclusion should be other extracurricular activities which show particular work or leadership attributes, even though the club or organization itself may not be directly tied to your career. Were you an officer in a club related to your hobby? Or, better yet, its founder? This kind of experience can fill out an otherwise brief resume.
This Activities section of your resume is another section that will go away once you are in the workforce and have gained professional experience.
When Not To Include The Gpa In The Resume
Like we said before if including the GPA has perks then not including it has its benefits as well.
The primary thing to know is that when you have been involved in the work experience of 2-3 years then that experience weighs heavily on the resume. At that time your GPA and academics are not that valid in the judgment of the employer. What he requires is the recent development you have gone through and the skills and achievements you currently possess.
The space that included the academic records once could be utilized in other relevant and strong information that strengthens your resume. It can be work accomplishments, skills development, or other notable achievements.
Another situation where you should never include your GPA is when you have a really bad GPA. That GPA might overshadow your other personal developments and create a bad impression on your profile. It is better to leave it out.
Also, if the employer does not specifically ask for the GPA, it is better to leave it out rather than forcefully including it to fill the resume space. Always follow the instructions on the job listing in that matter.
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When Should You Not List Your Gpa On A Resume
Tenured professionals shouldnt list a GPA at all, Williams says. If youve been in the workforce for more than five years, your experience as a professional will speak volumes more about you than your college grades could. At this point in your career, consider removing your GPA even if you havent previously worked in the industry or field youre applying for. Instead you should highlight how much impact have brought to the table, direct accomplishments, and that stakeholders were engaged, Williams says.
Another reason to exclude your GPA, even early in your career, is that having too low of a GPA can sway an employers attention from your capabilities as a leader, a doer, or even a subject matter expert. So if your GPA is 3.69 or below, leave it off your resume. Not including your GPA wont shut doors that were meant to be open! Just make sure your resume highlights your skills and experience in a way that shows youre an achiever.
If your GPA is low, my advice is dont sweat it. Many people struggle in a traditional classroom setting, arent good test takers, have personal issues come up during their studies, or just learn better by doing. In these and other cases, your grades might show no correlation to the wealth of knowledge and skills you actually gained during your education. And they certainly wont show the foundation you built or could build once youre in a real-world environment.
Is It Even Worth Going Through The Gpa Fiasco
The answer to the question goes in both positive and negative aspects.
Academics
At Academics Level, having a GPA is all about your performance. IF you have a bad GPA then there will be pretty harsh consequences to this. You might be placed on academic probation or face program dismissal as well. Worst case scenario you might even be removed from the university.
However, a good GPA will result in many perks. You will be showered with praises, might get on the Dean’s list, and will always or mostly be chosen for competitions/events and much more. A high achiever lives like a King in University.
Getting a high GPA requires effort and the reason why high achievers get plucked by multinationals is that they worked hard in their academics to achieve the GPA. This motivation must be enough to study hard and get a good job.
Professional
Like we stated before. GPA really matters at the start of my career. However, different companies have different recruitment styles. Large Corporations and Multinational Firms tend to choose the candidates from among the high achievers i.e. those who have a high GPA than other people. They even come to the universities for the recruitment cycle to choose few candidates from high achievers for their firm. So, it is relatively easier for a high achiever to get a job in a good company.
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If You Haven’t Acquired A Latin Honors Title
You might consider including your GPA on your resume if your degree title did not include a Latin honors title such as magna cum laude or summa cum laude. If you did earn this honor as part of your degree, it implies that you received a high GPA and therefore you do not need to include a GPA in addition to your Latin honors title.
Shall I Include The Gpa In Cover Letters
We have already covered what content to include in the cover letter. Basically, a cover letter is literature that compels the employer to hire you because you convince him through the letter that why you are a better candidate. Hence, including the GPA that is already stated in the resume is not a good option here. Instead, fill the letter with material that highlights your key strengths, work ethics, and determination to work.
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How To Include A Double Major On Your Resume Pro Tips
Obtaining a double major is extremely impressive and is the perfect piece of information to help you stand out on a resume.
Education is often listed at the top of a resume, helping employers to see right away that this is someone who has a vast wealth of knowledge.
In order to format this information to be clearly read and understood, there are a few rules we need to follow.
A double major should always be included in the education section. The education section is typically placed directly under the contact information. For new graduates, a double major may be written with additional details. For those with practical job experience, simply list the necessary information.
What If You Have A Low Gpa
Letâs face it – thereâs no way to completely hide your low GPA, especially if itâs required by the job description. However, many employers know that academic performance isnât always the most accurate measure of how youâd perform in the job. There are a couple of things that you can do to make your candidacy stand a better chance.
One option is to split your GPA into different groups of coursework. For example, you could calculate your Major and Minor GPA separately, or between irrelevant and relevant coursework. This is ideal for someone who would be able to report a higher GPA from classes that are more relevant to the job opening. For example, if youâre applying to a role in finance and have performed well only in Math related courses, perhaps you can report on a separate Math GPA vs Non-Math GPA.
Another way to deal with a low GPA is to highlight any leadership experience and accomplishments beyond the classroom. Whether youâre a fresh graduate or a current student, there are always ways to get involved in community organizations and show initiative. Look up volunteering opportunities near you online.
The third way is to take additional courses and acquire certifications. As long as theyâre listed in the right place on your resume, certifications can be an effective way to make your resume stand out.
See how this IT Specialist resume example uses certifications instead of a GPA to stand out.
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