According to a study released this month by Collegegrad.com, a leading entry-level job resource site, grade point average is not the most important factor in the job hunt.

The survey asked employers to pick the criteria from a list of eight that they find most important in college graduates. Only 6 percent of employers surveyed found GPA to be the most important.

But a student's major was ranked most valuable by 37 percent of employers. The job interview and internships or experience were also ranked highly. And only 3 percent of employers reported that they considered where a student's degree came from most important.

The diminished focus on where a student is educated was unexpected for Northwestern University sophomore Angela Munoz.

"Everyone always said that since you go to Northwestern, you're guaranteed a good job," she said.

Munoz said she was pleased the survey revealed employers' emphasis on the person, through the focus on interviews. This evens the playing field for students who did not go to a brand-name school.

Dianne Siekmann, associate director for employer relations at University Career Services, said she was surprised by the survey.

"We've spent a lot of time moving employers' (focuses) off majors," she said.

Siekmann said most employers realize a "broad spectrum of students" exists and aim for the well-rounded student, although they realize that specialty majors such as engineering and the sciences are unique cases.

The example of an "art history (student) taking banking" is the ideal for employers today, Siekmann said.

She also said that although employers in general may focus less on GPA, those in specific fields, such as consulting and banking, consider grades a crucial factor in the hiring process.

Weinberg junior Jonathan Moore said the diminished importance of GPA made sense.

"This shows that people don't necessarily equate job skills with academics," he said.

However, he disagreed with the emphasis on majors and said that experience should count for more.

"Can you think like a real person?" should be an employer's first concern, Moore said. This concern could be alleviated with more real-life experience, he said.

To help students with the interview portion of the job search, UCS holds interview clinics and mock-interview practices.

Siekmann said it is obvious when prospective employees have not prepared for their interview, such as when students do not know basic facts about the company for which they are interviewing. Practice makes a noticeable difference, she said.

Siekmann said she did not take the results of the survey too seriously after seeing the emphasis the survey placed on students' majors.

But McCormick senior Theng Khuan Low agreed with that emphasis. Low said the specialized skill sets necessary to work today, especially in an increasingly high-tech world, require a certain degree.

Low, an industrial engineering and economics double major, will be starting work for a consulting firm after graduation. He said his major is an asset to his future job and will prepare him for a consulting career.

Copyright ©2006 Daily Northwestern via CSTV U-Wire

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