<p>I am graduating in may 2011, will very likely have a 3.0 (Aerospace Engineer - concentration in astronautics). I currently have a 2.91 GPA, but I work 15-20 hours a week and have been involved with research since freshman year. I am project manager for two of the research projects on campus and have held many leadership positions with various organizations throughout my college career (President of Society of Women Engineers, vice president of our amateur radio club etc). I am also a mentor for the college of engineering for incoming freshman students.</p>
<p>Anyway, I have somehow landed an interview with a defense company and I was wondering how heavily GPA will be weighted. They have expressed a desire for me to have a 3.0 by the time I graduate but what if have a 2.95-2.99 at graduation? Will they just completely take away my job offer (if I am to receive one after my interviews)? Or will my many experiences be enough to still make me a desirable hire? I feel my experiences have made me very qualified for the job I am interviewing for, but I know GPA is important to some extent. </p>
<p>Don’t know the answer to your specific question about what the co. will require. But I do think your resume of experiences is stellar!</p>
<p>I would suggest that you concentrate on ways to get that GPA where it need be. For your current courses and the ones you take next term… make an appointment with any prof where your grade is/is likely to fall short. Tell them exactly what you’ve said here. You’ve got a job prospect/offer and you need to get your GPA up just that tiniest bit. What can they recommend to help you raise your grade a bit in their class? Then do just what they advise you.</p>
<p>Is it possible to work fewer hours so you can concentrate more on enhancing your GPA? Are there easier courses that you might register for the next semester, assuming that you will have met all the requirements for graduation? Would it be possible to obtain study materials, including previous exams, in the subjects that you are thinking of registering, so you are able to prepare for better grades from day 1?</p>
<p>As the previous poster mentioned, it is always to one’s advantage to speak with the professor so as to get recommended action plan for better grades. </p>
<p>Also, some companies may like to sponsor their engineers for a part time masters program, while they are working full time; Graduate school requires a GPA> 3.0 and that might be driving the requirement.</p>
<p>As Andale recommended, talk to some of your professors and do what you can to raise your GPA, but don’t feel like it’s the end-all be-all of achieving engineering employment. When you talk to potential employers, don’t call attention to your GPA. If they care, they’ll ask. A lot of times, they don’t even care-- the fact that you have a degree and leadership experience is what they’re looking for. A lot of companies figure that all engineers by definition can do calculations, but a major distinguishing factor between candidates is how well they compose themselves… After all, they’ll have to be able to give presentations to upper management and clients eventually.</p>
<p>If someone does ask what your GPA is, answer truthfully, but have a line prepared about your plans to raise your GPA above a 3.0, and about how you know that your potential exceeds what your GPA indicates, something like that. Meanwhile, concentrate on the other tangibles you’ve got on your resume, be really on-the-ball with everything that they ask you for (take extra copies of your resume, lists of courses taken, recommendation lists, spare cover letters, copies of presentations you’ve given, things like that), be sure to make eye contact with everyone you meet, smile and try not to look petrified and overwhelmed.</p>
<p>Keep cool under pressure if they ask you any technical questions; answer them as best you can and try to think on your feet. When they show you projects they’re working on, try to come up with some intelligent questions that show that you understand what it is they’re trying to accomplish. Be confident, show that you can handle the work and that you can handle pressure, and don’t underestimate the importance of making a good first impression.</p>
<p>There’s a lot more to you than your GPA. A couple of hundredths of a point one way or another isn’t going to make THAT much of a difference… While getting a 3.0 obviously carries some sort of a psychological advantage over a 2.99 (graduate school aside-- as the previous poster mentioned, you may need to drag your GPA up in order to be eligible for a masters’ degree right away, so take that into consideration), it’s still not a 3.5 or a 4.0. It is what it is; try as hard as you can for that 3.0 but don’t kill yourself over it. Just flaunt what you’ve got-- honestly, your leadership skills are probably going to carry you further than a few extra hundredths of a GPA point would.</p>
<p>Ask lots of questions about the company and their engineering projects. Show that you are interested in what they are working on by asking follow-up questions and relating your education & experience to what they are doing.</p>
<p>Basic rule of interviewing in engineering. People are looking for three things.</p>
<ol>
<li>Are you smart?</li>
<li>Do you get things done?</li>
<li><p>Are you a reasonable person to work with.</p>
<ol>
<li>is generally going to come from grades colored by how well you answer technical questions. Sometimes the answers are more important than the grades, but not normally.</li>
<li>is generally going to come from discussions about work you’ve done. So have a project or two ready for discussion. Class projects are less than ideal, but your senior design project will generally be okay. They are looking to see if you pulled you own weight and actually understood what you did as well as the context for the project.</li>
<li>is generally social skills. Sometimes they are looking to see if you are fun to work with. Other times just checking that you aren’t a jerk. It depends. People who you are going to be directly working with will generally weigh this more heavily than a general engineer who will be working on the other side of the building.<br></li>
</ol></li>
</ol>
<p>The ratio varies by company. I’d roughly say that 40/40/20 or 45/45/10 isn’t unusual in a large company and 20/50/30 isn’t too unusual in a smaller one (again, I’m making up these numbers). But things like 60/35/5 isn’t unheard of (company hires smart people and figures they can work with them to make them productive). Microsoft is legendary for ignoring #3 as a metric unless the person is so bad no one can imagine working with them. I think it’s just a myth (no company could survive that way and those who have to work with the person will always weigh 3 fairly highly) but probably has some basis in reality.</p>
<p>There is a book (about high-end software hiring) called “smart and gets things done” that has some real insights here. But it’s pretty software centric.</p>