I’m looking to get my first engineering-related internship now that I’ll be a rising junior (I’ve only worked retail in the past). I’m in a major where people traditionally have very low GPA’s (sub-3.0), and job postings reflect this (min. GPA requirements is usually around 2.75). I’ve been involved in undergraduate research opportunities, and am currently participating in a university-sponsored race team. I have a 4.0 GPA, and am ahead in the curriculum.
The recruiters I met at my university’s fall career fair seemed to like me a lot and were very surprised after talking to me to see that I had a 4.0 GPA. However, I have been almost immediately rejected for every online job that I’ve applied to. I meet all of the minimum requirements (graduation year, software proficiency, etc), and my resume has been critiqued by professionals at a resume blitz, and then again by my university’s career center.
So, what could I be doing wrong? How do I get my foot in the door when applying online? One of my good friend’s older sister struggled to get a first internship with a 4.0 and was told it was because of her GPA.