If you go to a millennial and ask him about what their parents forced him about the most, the answer would definitely be “Getting Good Grades in class”. It is because the parents of our generation firmly believed that getting good marks in the subjective curriculum is the only thing that matters for an individual to become successful in life. Well, sorry to burst the myth for them, but this isn’t the case. 

No, your good grades will not be sufficient to get you a good-paying job, or a high-endn professional career. This, in any way, does not mean that your grades don’t matter at all. They do, but they would be the last thing that counts. Besides good marks, modern-day employers consider a great chunk of abilities and attributes, that an individual has, which would qualify them eligible for a job. May it be the IT sector, Finance Sector or Media Sector.

This little piece of information floated when employers were asked about the most important parameters that play a role in hiring graduates. As per the study, Reputation of College or university where the student graduated from, marks obtained by the student and in fact course or degree/diploma pursued by them would be the last things, that are considered before hiring employees.

Then What’s Important?
As per the study conducted by the Chronicle of Higher Education, Internships pursued by individuals, a candidate’s on job experiences, volunteering work done by them, their involvement in extra-curricular activities are some of the first and foremost things, that an employer looks for in an individual to qualify for a job.

The survey done by the said organisation has clearly suggested, that when recruiters come to college campuses, or universities to hire individuals, they know that what university of college they are hiring from and are well aware of the academic background of the institutions and hence have a basic understanding of a student’s curriculum. However, what differentiates an individual from the other are their personal skills and abilities. What kind of internships they have done, no matter paid or unpaid, how they have been involved in extra-curricular activities in and outside the institutions, how have they assisted their professors in work assignments, and how do they pursue their hobbies along with their studies, are the most important things considered by the recruiters.

In fact, Internship/Assistantship/ Work experience is the most important things to be looked upon, because a student may excel in a class test or a college exam, but this is not the conclusive evidence of how they will perform on the job. A candidate who has a job experience already will be put on priority than those who have not or comparatively, have been in  /internship for a shorter period of time.

Does that mean grades don’t matter at all?
No. It does not mean that. To get a good job, you need a good internship training. And to get a good internship training, you need good grades in class. There you go. Sorry, Spoiler Alert, grades do matter, but to an extent. They are not the concluding factor for your dream job.


What Else Matters?
Recruiting candidates for a job is a complicated task. It has different layers and different aspects. Also, the recruitment process for different industries varies a lot.

Taking an example, if you wish to make your career in media and communication industries, then you need a good chunk of internship experience to get hired. Because it determines the amount of experience you have and that is all that matters in the media field. They are more concerned about practical knowledge than a theoretical one. On the other hand, Jobs like healthcare, finance, Software development, etc are the field that gets a lot of job applications. Hence, they use grade as a filtering system to eliminate academically weak candidates. Thus, it also depends on what kind of Industry your dream profession belongs to. Make a proper study about how the recruitment process goes before reaching any conclusion.

Instead of getting confused about curriculum, become an all-rounder and focus on pursuing your interests and career with greater zeal. This will definitely yield you the dream job because hard-work never goes in vain, it pays off.