Steve was graduating in engineering from a private university. He applied to several companies, but his

Question

first choice was Silar Corporation. His resume, cover letter, and application for employment got him an
interview. He thought the interview was successful because he felt comfortable with the interviewer
and solidly demonstrated how his qualifications fit the needs at Silar. He was encouraged by the positive
feedback he received from the interviewer.
Steve was shocked when he received a cordial letter of rejection a week later. The letter emphasized
that his 3.2 grade point average didn’t meet that of the competition. Many applicants would have
accepted the rejection as final proof that this particular job wasn’t within their reach. Not so with Steve.
He discussed the subject with his professors and other members of his support network and decided a
follow?up telephone call would be appropriate.
Steve had not made it clear during his interview that he had worked full?time while earning his
university degree. In addition, his performance was below average in the first year while he clarified his
degree objective and learned to develop good study habits. This is typical of many students. Because his
grades were excellent the last three years, Steve thought an appeal to Silar based on his demonstrated
improvement and achievement was in order.
Steve called the department manager with whom he interviewed at Silar Corporation. He said that he
had received the rejection letter but believed additional circumstances should be considered. He
explained that he had worked full?time during his four years in college and that he didn’t clearly identify
his degree or career objectives until the latter part of his first year. After the first year, with clear goals in
mind, his academic performance was excellent, including a 3.8 grade point average in his engineering
major.
Three days later, Steve received a call from the department manager offering him a job! The manager
explained that Steve’s initiative and belief in his qualifications convinced him and his colleagues that
Steve had the qualities they were seeking.

Answer 1

Steve’s problems started with his not knowing that his relatively low GPA could be a problem,
which indicates that he did not do enough research about his career field. Presumably the
engineering professors he consulted after his failed interview could have told him ahead of time that
3.2 is a low GPA for their field. A career counselor would have told him to list his higher
engineering GPA on his resume.
Steve didn’t prepare enough for the interview. He failed to look at his overall qualifications from an
employer’s perspective. If he had, he would have realized that he should be prepared to explain his
relatively low overall GPA, if asked, or bring it up himself if the issue didn’t arise (which it didn’t
in the Silar interview).