IB Offer: Background Check - GPA

Do background checkers or HR have access to GPA data? A friend of mine was being recruited for FT in IB and put his last year GPA (3.8) instead of his cGPA (3.4). Is this grounds for them to rescind the offer?

 
Best Response

I think you probably already know the answer. No, I have never heard of HR fact-checking GPA's. Remember a company can fire you for any reason they want, so you want to amass more reasons to be kept than to be fired. Unless I misread, you did lie about your GPA and, again, I think you know that, otherwise you would not be looking for validation or consolation. Don't interpret this is a judgement of your character, you probably feel the GPA you used is most indicative of your true capability considering your hardships - and that's perfectly OK. But the fact remains that the GPA stated on a resume is understood to be cumulative, unless otherwise stated (i.e. major-specific; year-specific) which you did not do. I have always believed that honesty is the best policy. For me, better to be truthful (or at least not misleading) and then explain that truth, rather than avoid it. Will this come back to haunt you if you do nothing? Probably not. But if it were me, this would be nagging at me in the back of my mind. If it were me, I would find a way to clarify your GPA discretely yet formally. What I mean is: you want to be able to show that you did clarify your GPA if it ever become an issue (which, again, is unlikely). Whether you do this before or after starting the job, or never, is completely up to you.

 

I have personally not heard of GPA verification during a background check, but that does not mean it isn't possible. If you can truthfully plead ignorance as you just implied, then you are probably fine if it ever become an issue. I wouldn't worry about it. If someone calls you out on your GPA, then say you used your most recent year's GPA and did not think it improper to do so. Be confident in that and don't waver.

 

Yes I know it was more than the allowed I rounded up from my past semester's GPA which was 3.47, and forgot to change it. What do I do from this point? Can background check companies even access my GPA? Or do they just verify that I went to the school?

 

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