Inconsistent Grades

[watodo]

I have completed my university and my my grades are really all over the place. I would have a few of As, a few of Bs, a few of Cs and a few of Ds in a school year. And they vary by couse difficulty too (like, I would get an A in a difficult course and a C in a "bird" course).

the only promising trend is that my GPA increased steadily (though only a little) over the 4 years.

I think my range of grades is mostly due to the fact that I did not know what I wanted to do in university, so I would take a little bit of everything....you name a course, I probably took it..and I changed my intended major 3 or 4 times

So what I am getting at is.....if an interviewer questions about my inconsistent grades, how can respond and turn it into a good point? Or if I write in my cover letter, how can I explain it so that the inconsistency doesn't sound so bad?

Say my avg is 70-75% (with all the As and Ds offset each other)...how can I set myself differently (in a good way) when compared to other 70-75 students who are consistent at getting C+s and Bs...but no (or very little) As and Ds?

i dugged myself a big hole :( whoever said that University is for us to take all sort of courses and explore to find out what I like failed to mention the impact on grades when you took a course you hate..and that dropping courses is wasting money if you can't take the financial hit

[Yaowsers]

I guess it all depends on the job.

I have been working full time in the IT field for 7 years now. Not once has any employer ever asked me anything about my academic records.

[ullyeus]

With some exceptions a lot of places just don't care about grades, your experience matters more.

[codex]

Wow, your story sounds a lot like me!

I think you're worrying way too much. As others have already said, most employers really don't care that much about grades. The exception would be if you were applying to Google or Goldman Sachs or some other top tier organization where competition is intense. And even then, your grades would just be used to screen the initial candidates--so, unfortunately, you'd never actually have a chance to explain yourself in those cases.

While my overall average was a bit higher than yours, I too had the big variance of grades and yet I had all sorts of great opportunities upon graduation (although largely due to the co-op/experience factor). None of the companies I interviewed with ever asked me about my grades. During one VERY top-tier job I interviewed for I accidentally brought the issue up--and the employer actually admitted that he hadn't even looked at my transcript.

When it comes down to it, while grades may play a small role, most companies (and any company I'd want to work for) care a lot more about other things than just your grades. Plus, usually once you to an interview they'll be questioning you about more important things... such what you actually know, how you can contribute, and simply getting to know your personality rather than drilling you about your grades. That said, you should definitely have some sort of answer prepared just in case it comes up... I'd say to just be honest and highlight the positives rather than focusing on the negative aspects... employers like honesty.

[xtrader101]

With some exceptions a lot of places just don't care about grades, your experience matters more.

You guys keep saying that grades don't matter. What if the person has no experience at all and he is applying for a coop/internship. In this situation, if I am the interviewer I will definitely look how he performed academically. This of course is just one of the factors affecting my judgment in hiring him/her or not.

If his grades are below average, then i will not waste my time with this person. How can I let him/her work in our company if he doesn't even care about his studies. However, for a person with above average grades I will give him/her the benefit of the doubt that he/she can perform the job unless proven otherwise.

[grant]

Well.. you could try being honest... maybe that's a crazy thought for you...

"I did not know what I wanted to do in university, so I would take a little bit of everything...."

If you have the urge to spin it, point out that you did very well on even the difficult courses you found interesting.

[watodo]

thank you for all the responses..

let's just say I have an interview who asked me to bring in my transcript, or looking at jobs that said to apply with transcripts.........to avoid all the answers that didn't really answer my Q..

I have excellent work experience..and i'm not talking about retail/mcDs type of jobs..(performed very well..lots of praises....got raises and were given more responsibility etc in less than 6 months)...

I had lots of volunteer work/extra curricular activities (ie/ leadership wise)/joined many sports teams..

I would say I am decent in social skills..

so...my only downfall is my grades........sign......

.many ppl say that grades doesn't matter that much..and it's the intangibles that you bring matters the most.....but without the grades, you won't get to showoff your intangibles...so let this be a lesson to all you young ppl...grades do matter...

this whole switching majors and taking a bit of everything really screwed me over........like I did well in the courses I enjoy...but horrible in the courses I did not enjoy, or just didn't have the basic fundamentals to begin with (so couldn't understand it no matter how much I study..ie/ programming)....

[codex]

this whole switching majors and taking a bit of everything really screwed me over........like I did well in the courses I enjoy...but horrible in the courses I did not enjoy, or just didn't have the basic fundamentals to begin with (so couldn't understand it no matter how much I study..ie/ programming)....

If you did well in courses you enjoyed then I assume those courses are the ones that are relevant to the jobs your applying for. Once again, I personally think you're worrying too much.

Even when an employer does look over your transcript, (most if the time) they'll be looking for relevant courses and how you did in those. If the job opportunity isn't in any way related to programming then the employer isn't going to put much weight on your low mark in programming class.

You also mentioned you have good experience and extracurriculars... for nearly all jobs those are much more valuable than top grades in all your courses.

Just be sure that your experience is presented well on your resume, and that you focus on it during interviews. If they question you about your grades then be honest (don't make excuses--tell them the truth and how you'd do it differently if you got another chance, and also how you could have done better in those courses you didn't do well in... show them that you aware of the issue but have learned from your mistakes).

[bk33]

so...my only downfall is my grades........sign......

this whole switching majors and taking a bit of everything really screwed me over........like I did well in the courses I enjoy...but horrible in the courses I did not enjoy, or just didn't have the basic fundamentals to begin with (so couldn't understand it no matter how much I study..ie/ programming)....
I'm sensing negativities here and if I can sense it through a message board, recruiters can probably pick it up during face to face interviews, you gotta be more positive...so DUDE, WATCH YOUR ATTITUDE ;)
You know how many people would love to say "my only downfall is my grades...and it isn't even that bad"?
You didn't get "screwed over", you at the very least found out what you don't like which is more than a lot of people can say, and it's better you did that during university than later on in your life right? imagine a 50yo with kids to feed but keeps changing field coz all he did in Uni. was to take his major and had no idea what other fields were about, he probably hopes he did what you did.
On top of all, taking different courses shows you're willing to take chances and experiment, or you want to keep yourself well rounded, and those are qualities that people look for.
If you did better in the courses of your major, you can have that as a separate section on your resume "GPA in professional courses" or "GPA in 3rd, 4th year"
Don't let the 4 years of school define the 40 years of your career, so try to look at the bright sides.

[watodo]

great responses, thanks! I feel better now

[bmw_xperience]

Well competition is intense... so all I gotta say is keep trying!

During interviews smile and be cheerful and worryfree...

They don't want a person that is stressed all the time. I know it is stressful not having a job.

[Nyte]

My marks are like that too. Don't worry about it.