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Vol 9, No 5, June 2010
Dear Hiring Manager:
Many fine candidates had stellar academic careers before entering the workplace. Have you ever wondered if hiring scholastically "proven" people makes a difference in job performance? Read on for some thoughts on this timely subject as the newly minted crop of graduates "hits the market."
Betsy Harper
Managing Partner
Sales and Marketing Search
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Graduating Summa Cum L-O-U-D
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Two weeks ago my daughter, Lee, who lives in Texas, announced quite proudly, "Peter's graduating. [That's her 4½ year-old son.] Can you make a quick trip to El Paso for the graduation?" To which my response was, "Peter's graduating from what?"
It so happens that Peter was graduating from pre-school. I couldn't help but chide Lee a bit by asking, "Is he graduating Magna Cum Laude? "No," she replied, "He's graduating Summa Cum L-O-U-D!"
Well, there is no such thing as a "quick trip" to El Paso, so I passed on the ten hour roundtrip flight for the ten minute pre-school graduation (hard-hearted, I know).
But, it did get me thinking about all those cum laude, summa cum laude and magna cum laude entries that I see on resumes and what, if anything, they mean when you are hiring.
Smart, Smarter, Smartest
Here's a Latin refresher for those of you lucky ones who, unlike me, did not have four years of Latin and never translated "All Gaul is divided into three parts."
It turns out, all honors degrees are divided into three parts as well! Here they are:
- Cum Laude (that's pronounced "loud-dey" by the way) means "with honor";
- Magna Cum Laude means "with great honor";
- And, Summa Cum Laude means "with highest honor."
And, here's the difference between the three:
- Cum Laude is usually the top 5% of GPA within a graduating class;
- Magna Cum Laude is usually for students with a GPA between the top 5% and the top 3% within the class;
- And Summa Cum Laude is reserved for students within the top 3% of the class with a GPA of 3.9 or more.
There's more than one definition of these three levels, however. Some universities go by strict GPA scores to classify each level; others set their own standard (within reason) for the distinctions and requirements for each classification. But, you get the idea. Smart, smarter and smartest!
What This Means For You
By and large, if you've got a candidate with any of these distinctions, that's a good thing. It's been my experience that most people who distinguish themselves academically are real performers. They are smart. They "get it" right away (which is especially good if you are marketing a technologically complicated solution).
But if you want to find out even more about that potential high performer and why she may be seeking slightly more compensation than other candidates, here's a great interview question:
"Was making honors a "stretch" for you, or did your grades come easily?"
- If she replies that it was a stretch, you're a winner because you know that you have someone who is willing to work hard and wants to distinguish themselves.
- If she replies that it was a "cakewalk," you're a winner too because you know you have someone who is really smart and who will probably grasp their job quickly, be innovative in their approach to their job, and will want to distinguish themselves.
As you can see, either way, you have a potentially winning situation.
So remember, while grades in college aren't perfect predictors of future job success, when you've got one of those "Cum Laude's" sitting in front of you in a job interview, there's a good chance you're talking with a high performer!
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Nothing Succeeds Like Success
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This Spring I have seen many marketing departments come alive and start to grow again. I'm taking this as another small, yet positive sign for the economy. We were happy to find an Online and Demand Generation Marketer for VFA Software to add to their already talented marketing group.
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We're Bookworms!
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If I'm not dead next year, I definitely will be Younger Next Year! In an effort to stem the tide of time and keep myself energetic in body as well as mind, I'm following this guide to exercise techniques, healthy eating and why it all really matters even more as we age. It is written in a clear, concise and very entertaining style.
For us gals there's a Younger Next Year for Women as well. Check it out here.
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Answers On Our Newsletter Archives
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You may have a hiring question or be facing a retention issue that you'd like help with. If so, don't forget that all of our newsletters (9 years worth!) are archived on our website and are very easily searchable.
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