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Re: Professional Help

by code-ninja (Scribe)
on Jul 13, 2013 at 22:08 UTC ( [id://1044172]=note: print w/replies, xml ) Need Help??


in reply to Professional Help

First off, sorry for posting this without reading that "Where should I post X?" thingy. Was a bit stymied with... you know how it goes, will be more discreet next time :-).

Anyways, being a bit more shameless (deliberately read honest... :-P), I'll throw in my foremost inability.

Well, my GPA is not that good, almost (1.5 .. 2.2)/4, no excuses but just assume that I'm innocent and that I found my stuff more intimidating than classrooms :-).

No, I do not consider myself as some computer genius or something and GPA won't matter to me, but I do consider myself as an above-average systems programmer and I know GPA does matter. But how much does it matter? I mean it would really suck if I step into interview room of a respectable company and three seconds later I come out being rejected because my GPA is not up to the mark.

Replies are listed 'Best First'.
Re^2: Professional Help
by sundialsvc4 (Abbot) on Jul 15, 2013 at 05:07 UTC

    (Shrug ...)   Welcome to the wonderful world of selling.   Whether you’re selling your fresh-out of-college professional services, or selling a Fuller Brush, you need to carefully consider what is your value proposition and also what are the possible sales objections.   You do not need to forward-mention your lackluster GPA, but you do need to have in the back of your mind a compelling response to that objection should it be raised.

    And ... “I found my stuff more intimidating than classrooms :-) ... (ha ha say why is nobody laughing) ... is not going to fly very far.

    Remember that you have showed-up at the customer’s front door with a box of brushes, and a value-prop.   Everything that you do should either positively advance that value-prop, or convincingly demonstrate why the objection just raised (e.g. GPA) does not, in fact, reduce it.   A customer who raises an objection centering upon your GPA is raising a doubt, and an off-the-cuff comment like that is simply going to (instantly and fatally) confirm that doubt:   “you’re not taking my question (or this interview) seriously, and you probably also won’t take the work seriously.”   The interviewer has just flipped the BOZO bit on you, and your interview is as good as finished.

    Compare this:   “Yes, I agree in hindsight that it was a mistake for me to have paid insufficient attention to my grades during my early years at college.   (Affirm the objection.)   However, I worked diligently to improve my average during my final year (I learned the error of my ways) and did particularly well in courses and projects that emphasized the particular technical skills that this job calls for.   (Address the underlying concern.)   For example ...”

    Okay, that ball didn’t go too far on the rebound, but at least it made it back over the net.

    So, when selling-time comes around (as it does in every interview), don’t be “shameless,” and never “throw in your foremost inability.”   Go to Amazon and buy The Little Red Book on Selling, and read it cover-to-cover three times.

    I am quite certain that at University you never took or were asked to take a single course on “selling.”   It is a vital skill that must be learned.   Get started.   Fast.   You might be your own worst enemy until you do.

    “In business, you don’t get what you deserve.   You get what you negotiate.”®
    -- Chester Karrass ... advertisement available in any in-flight magazine near you.

      words will be insufficient to appreciate your reply. :-).

      But a ++ vote should suffice.

      I'll keep these points in mind... especially the compare this part.

Re^2: Professional Help
by Anonymous Monk on Jul 13, 2013 at 23:44 UTC

    depends on where you get you education; in some european countries, students getting a (~2-3)/5 are more knowledgable in practical applications, than a lot of students in USA getting 3-4/4 GPA

    High GPA mostly means you attended every class and passed every test, it doesn't imply you have practical knowledge of a subject, only that you probably do

    Similarly HALF gpa means you skipped lots of classes, or you failed stuff that doesn't interest you

    And businesses know this, so I doubt they'll judge you on GPA (one single number) alone , they'll probably ask for your transcript

    In some professions , where they use their employees credentials as advertisement, they might care about GPA, but IT usually isn't like that (or so I've heard)

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