When applying for positions, how much will individual grades or overall GPA affect your chances, if at all? I’ve heard that transcripts are only requested for degree verification purposes, which is all they care about.
For example, how badly would it impact somebody’s future in computer science if he/she had a B+ average or so, but then got a really shitty grade in a single major-related course, but retook it and did fine?
Some employers may have a cut-off GPA, reputedly most commonly 3.0 (though other values are possible), where new graduate applicants below the cut-off GPA are not interviewed unless the employer really is desperate.
Yes, keeping a GPA above 3.0 is a plus for a first job. After that, it won’t matter any more. If your GPA is lower than the 3.0, you can improve your chances by getting an internship and performing well.
Of course, employers hiring for internships (which should be paid) may also have cut-off GPAs for interviewing applicants, so low GPA students may have somewhat more difficulty on that front than high GPA students.