<p>(I hope this is the right forum for this. If not, then feel free to mock me.)</p>
<p>I just recently graduated this fall semester with a B.S.B.A in economics and have been looking for a job. Unfortunately, many companies seem to turn me away instantly because of my low GPA. I was, what you would call, the proverbial late bloomer, as I didn't take college seriously my first couple of years, doing progressively worse as the time went on, eventually getting put on academic probation and losing whatever scholarships I had (I was down to a 1.6 GPA at one point). Luckily, though, I finally buckled down and did what had to be done to graduate, albeit with only a 2.24 (Over the final two years, my GPA was approximately a 3.21). The problem I'm having is two-fold. First of all, because I had a low GPA, I couldn't apply for any internships (I was lucky enough to be involved in a bit of field research my freshman year when I was a marine biology major, but I'm fairly sure no company cares about that as it's not related to my current field), so I get hit by that when I apply for jobs. And then there's the entire "Low GPA" thing. Even though I try to play up the GPA from my final two years in school, most employers seem not to care.</p>
<p>So now I'm stuck between the proverbial rock and the hard place and don't know what to do. Given the state of the economy, I can only expect things to get worse in the short-term. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.</p>
<p>Are you living at home with your parents? If so, I think right now your first order of business is to get some experience whether it's doing an unpaid internship or doing some temp work. By doing this you gain work experience and a potential referral which will look good for the future....other than that, all I can say is I hope you have good connections to hook you up because this economy doesn't look like it's going to turn around for at least a year...good luck.</p>
<p>Well, I'd just not put my GPA on my resume. Make any and every experience I've had look good. And cross my fingers. At some point you will have to explain--during an interview I guess (which hopefully you could get if you neglected to give your GP)--why your GPA is so low. If you explain this well and show how much you've sprung out of that hole and are changed, determined, hard working, and so on... they might see that and fine with it.</p>
<p>The interview is the big thing anyway, so connecting with your interviewer and showing them you have what it takes his huge. Especially for someone in your scenario.</p>
<p>Instead of looking at big-name places, why don't you search the local places? Why not get a temporary job at a staffing agency? Don't list your GPA on your resume.</p>
<p>I would work for free for a bit for a local company. If a local company doesn't want allow you to work for free for them, then something is really wrong.</p>