GPA plays bit part in hiring,
say employment specialists
By Stan Nelson
Of the Emerald
Grades.
For some, a grade point
average will make the dif
ference between acceptance or
denial to post-graduate studies.
But for the recent college
graduate seeking initial
employment, a high GPA is not
a large consideration, according
to employment specialists.
“You can't downplay the im
portance of a good GPA. . .yet
we haven't seen a trend (of
GPAs) as a major consideration
if the other factors are there.’’
said Dan Shankle, a profes
sional placement representative
for the state Employment
Division.
E m p loymenl I) i v i s i o n
counselors stress transferable
skills and the quality of per
sonality as well as the quantity
and quality of the education,
Shankle said. Interpersonal and
communication skills, along
with how well the person will
fit the company’s group
dynamics, also are large con
siderations. lie said.
“Employers are looking for
individuals w h o c a n
demonstrate they can be suc
cessful in a number of
endeavors.’’ said Lawrence
Smith, director of the Universi
ty Career Planning and Place
ment Service. Smith emphasiz
ed leadership experience, suc
cess in competitive situations,
and speaking and writing skills
as characteristics employers
desire.
Communication skills have
become increasingly important
in the banking industry now
that automation has shifted the
emphasis of most banking jobs
to personal service, said Pat
Stoll, regional service officer of
the southwest region for First
Interstate Bank.
A grade point average alone
will not tell an employer what
type of person the applicant is.
and the subject is not brought
up in an interview unless noted
in the applicant’s resume, she
said. Most interviews last bet
ween 30 and 45 minutes, and if
a good rapport cannot be built
during that time, it is a good in
dication the applicant will have
difficulty building rapport with
a customer in an even shorter
period of time, she said.
“You can be a technical whiz,
but if you can’t relate to
customers and employees, you
won’t have a very high success
rate,” she said.
An applicant’s experience
and presentation during an in
terview are emphasized by The
Oregonian, said Mary Crook,
Oregonian assistant personnel
manager. Applicants also .ire
tested tor skills required tor the
position, she said.
“We are interested in what
(the applicant) can bring to the
job from the first day." she said.
Transcripts are not required,
although Crook said they are
appreciated.
"The l Iniversitv environment
provides students with in
numerable opportunities to
demonstrate success," Smith
said. From participation comes
a mature personality, and that is
what employers want, he said.
“If you sit in the library and
crack books for four years and
get a 4.00 (CPA), it makes one
wonder if you can even speak,”
Smith said, noting the need for
outside interests.
Accounting and engineering
firms often use CPAs as a form
of sere e ning p o t e n t i a 1
employees, but they are not
representative of most other
career areas, he said.
A high CPA becomes a
deciding factor when two ap
plicants are equally qualified
for a position, but otherwise are
not requested often by
employers, said Lillian Stewart,
employment counselor for
Young’s Kmployment Service.
The Hast Coast places more
emphasis on academic creden
tials, Shanklc said, but on the
West Coast, it has all but died
away.
"You don’t see that kind of
snobbery in the area," Shankle
said. No more than 2f> percent
of the total emphasis is placed
on a CPA during an interview,
he estimated.
university
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to pay about 73 percent of the
cost of teaching 14,343 full-time
equivalent students, and tuition
covers the remaining 27 percent
of the cost.
The number of FTE students
is determined by adding the
total number of credit hours for
which all students are enrolled,
then dividing by 15.
However, the 1986 fall-term
enrollment at the University
was actually 15,304 FTE
students. That number exceeds
the University’s corridor and
also exceeds the 15.030 FTE
student enrollment ceiling the
State Hoard has established for
the University.
"We originally weren't to ar
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To meet this dramatic in
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Turn to Budget, Page 10
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