Listing Your GPA On LinkedIn
LinkedIn is perhaps the single best social networking site for entry-level and career professionals alike.
It allows you to connect with former and current colleagues, friends, and family and to maintain a “virtual resume”.
This virtual resume allows you to list current and former employers and any skills and experiences you may have gained.
For college students looking to make a foray into the professional world, LinkedIn can still be an invaluable tool.
It will help students build and maintain connections with their classmates, professors, and teaching assistants.
In addition, LinkedIn is a great way to find local internships and jobs which can be useful for future career growth.
Listing your GPA on LinkedIn is entirely optional.
In some cases, it may be preferred to list your GPA on LinkedIn, especially for internships.
Having your GPA listed on your LinkedIn profile will help recruiters and hiring managers narrow down the list of potential applicants.
For employers active on LinkedIn, they may actually reach out to you directly to apply to a position or internship if they see that you have maintained a healthy GPA.
Although listing your GPA on LinkedIn is entirely optional, we recommend not doing so if your GPA is not strong.
The general consideration of a strong GPA is a 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 grading scale.
Anything below a 3.0 is considered a C average and should not be listed on your resume or LinkedIn profile.
We also do not encourage your listing your high school GPA on your LinkedIn profile.
Most employers simply do not pay attention to a high school grade point average.
Placing your high school GPA on your LinkedIn profile will detract from your larger and more relevant work experience.
In addition to listing your GPA, LinkedIn has implemented new tools and features for students to highlight their skills and achievements.
Whereas most career professionals have multiple years of experience to highlight their skills, most students do not.
Therefore, LinkedIn has introduced tools which will help students to stand out from their peers.
Projects – LinkedIn has introduced a projects section for students.
This section allows students to discuss their projects completed in a classroom setting which may be potentially valuable in a professional setting.
Honors and Awards – from the Dean’s List to champion of the debate club, you can now list honors and awards achieved at your college or university.
This helps students to stand out from their peers and list what achievements they were awarded while in college.
Organizations – college is more than just classes and homework.
LinkedIn now allows students to list organizations and clubs they may have been members of.
Doing so allows students to connect with other members who may have also been in the same or similar organizations.
Courses – lastly, LinkedIn has included a courses section for students.
Though you shouldn’t list all courses you’ve taken, you can include a list of difficult or career-specific courses you took.
This will help you to show employers your grasp and proficiency on certain topics.
