How important is GPA to getting finance jobs?

Your GPA is an important screening mechanism used by many firms on Wall Street to filter the thousands of resumes that have to be processed each year. If you have a poor GPA, it won't keep you from getting a job on Wall Street, but certain positions and certain firms will be harder to break into. How much GPA matters not only varies by firm and group, but also by industry, too. Sales and trading jobs, for example, traditionally puts less weight on GPA if the applicant can show passion for the markets and impress in other areas. investment banking jobs, however, usually require 3.5 GPA or higher when going through normal recruiting channels like OCR. However, there are many ways that you can overcome a low GPA if you have strong leadership experience, started a company or are able to network effectively.

Why It's Important

Having a solid GPA shows that you put in the time and effort necessary to achieve a good education. It also shows that you're willing to do the work, no matter what it is and whether or not you like it. Most banks have a "gpa cutoff" of a 3.5. This usually isn't set in stone, but you may have trouble getting an interview with under a 3.5 GPA is you simply apply through normal channels and hope.

For target schools and semi-targets, there is a bit more leeway given to GPA. For a non-target you will probably want to aim for a 3.7+ GPA. You may very well be able to get to an interview with a lower GPA, but a higher one makes it far more likely.

Factors That Can Help You Overcome a Low GPA

There are many factors that could overcome a low GPA, including but not limited to:

• Overwhelming Personal Circumstances: parent passed away, major surgery (brain surgery or open heart surgery), devastating illness (cancer)
• Started a business: This doesn't mean you set up a website, worked on it for a month or two and then gave up. This means you worked your ass off for a year or two trying to get a business up and running, and achieved some level of success...or at the very least learned a lot from the experience and can speak intelligently about it.
• Internships: Relevant internship experience can overcome just about any shortfall in your resume. For example, having a 2.5 GPA and a fall semester PWM internship won't cut it for front office investment banking, but a 3.3 GPA with a solid internship at a boutique bank might get you an interview.

Additional Resources:

• Relevant WSO Guides: Networking Guide
• Relevant WSO Services: Wall Street Mentors and Career Coaching and Finance Resume Review
• Relevant WSO Forums: Getting A Job

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