Question:
Dear Donna,
Should I include my GPA on my resume? I?ve heard different opinions.
Wondering About GPA
Dear Donna replies:
Dear Wondering About GPA,
I presume you are asking about including your nursing school grade point average on your resume. While this is advice sometimes given to student nurses and new nurses, I do not recommend it. Let me tell you why.
The vast majority of recruiters I have spoken to agree: A GPA does not really tell them much about you. You can have a 4.0 average and not be good clinically or not have good communication skills. Likewise, you might have a 3.0 average and be top-notch in the clinical setting and have great social skills. Since the same GPA can impress one recruiter favorably and another not so favorably, you?re better to leave it off all together. Of course if a recruiter asks what it is, you should tell them. Likewise, if a job application calls for it, you would provide it. There?s no need to offer that information
unless asked.
Should you opt to include it on your resume, once you get your first job in nursing, it has even less relevance and should be excluded afterward when seeking employment.
Best wishes,
Donna
