I’m sure you have been lectured most of your life on how important your grades and GPA are and how they reflect on you as a person.

While this may be true to a certain extent, believe it or not, there are several things that employers find to be more important than GPA.

I, too, used to be the student that was disappointed with anything less than a solid A. But now that I have been to college and gained experience in job searching, I’ve realized that grades are most certainly not everything. So sit back, relax, and read these 4.0 college things that are more important than your GPA.

1.0 - Real World Work Experience.

If your resume is blank, your 4.0 GPA won’t matter much to an employer. The job market is too competitive. Even for those entry-level jobs, you will need experience, no matter how little it may be. This could be in the form of internships, which many majors require anyway in order to graduate, or even part-time jobs while you’re in school. Not only does work experience increase your chances of being hired, but it also can help you explore different career choices and help you determine your career path in the future. Not to mention, you learn about 80% of career skills through actually being out in the field.

2.0 - Clubs And Volunteer Work.

Again, nobody is going to be impressed by blank spaces on your resume no matter how high your GPA is. Plus, being involved with clubs and volunteer work shows you are willing to go the extra mile to improve both yourself and your environments. It builds character and displays an interest in learning outside of just the classroom setting. Getting straight A’s is great, but if the only skills you have acquired over your college experience are test-taking and writing last minute papers, you won’t go far in the workplace.

3.0 - Your Network And Connections.

I’ve found that, most of the time, students who landed a job shortly or immediately after graduation were able to do so through their network and connections they had made during their time spent at college. When people say, “it’s all about who you know,” they weren’t kidding. When you meet important people at college, ask for business cards. Build strong relationships with the professors and administration within your career field. Earn those letters of recommendation for your job applications. Attend career fairs and boot camps. Your chances of landing a job will increase tremendously when people in your field already know who you are. Make yourself known and leave your mark.

4.0 - How You Carry Yourself.

Learning to carry yourself is one of the most important lessons to be learned. Being respectful and well-mannered, speaking well, and behaving appropriately are qualities that will put you far above other applicants for any job in any field. Smarts are important, but so is professionalism. Learn how to dress appropriately for those job interviews. Learn how to answer interview questions to the best of your abilities. Those qualities appear more promising to an interviewer than simply what is on your resume.

I’m certainly not saying, forget about your grades completely and just party every day. Grades are still key. However, it is not impossible to get a decent career without the perfect GPA. These four things will most certainly be valued by a company much more than any grade you have received in the past.