maybe the title should have been 'why is CGPA NOT all that important'

All said and done, CGPA is the most important criteria. You can only compensate your CV if you don't have a good CGPA with lots of publications, editorial positions, moots, debates, conferences and such other extra curricular activities. But its quite tough to compensate if your CGPA is really low. An average CGPA can be compensated.

But all said and done I would once again state that CGPA is the most important criteria.

For an employer the resume is the first thing they see. Guess how many resumes they get. And which is why they separate the resumes with good CGPA from the ones average CGPA. Note this is just one step.

Time is money; nobody wants to read till page X of your resume when the first page tell an employer or an HR person that chances are if the CGPA is average, the person is average too.

It is the law of averages.

Suggestion: Be focussed. Know your target, know it well and prepare a covering letter that gets you a foot in the door.
Prepare your resume highlighting your achievements.

Good luck.

Dear Friends,

What shall be done if the person is already passed but not with a good marks. Just pass but not eligible for exams in master or some govt jobs

I think I am right in believing that CGPAs are not given on a uniform basis across universities As a result, many employers don't pay a great deal of attention to them. There is no way of knowing whether 4.3 on a scale of 7 is better than 3.1 on a scale of 4. In other words, what is unclear from the GPA scores is where the person is relative to the others in their graduating class, which is the more important criterion. Also, places like Delhi University and the UK Universities don't follow the same system at all. A well written and presented CV and covering letter, good internships and some interesting "extras" (travel, experience of living overseas etc.) to set the candidate apart is what most good firms are are looking for. In many cases, those will be the ones with better marks as well.

The killer is an application that has an excess of the words "humbly", "respectfully", "beg to state" etc. Not to speak of the CVs that are ccd to every firm in the land with the statement saying what "that" firm is great. The employer knows that you will apply to various firms, don't shove it in their faces!

Moots, articles etc.. are not of importance unless you cgpa is at least decent - u could be the greatest mooter in the country but if your cgpa is amongst the last few, you will usually find the going tough. However, if you hold a top position in class and have done almost nothing else, even then you'll find the going easy as long as you are capable of taking interviews well.

Can someone tell me where I can find sample CV's for law students? Can anyone post any samples?

[In careers counsel next week we'll be discussing exactly that. Stay tuned! -Ed]

Lets face it. CGPA shouldn't be given importance especially when a majority of colleges end up giving marks so liberally. When a majority of your class has an above 65%, it doesn't mean that you are smart and that the world is your oyster, it just shows that you are passing out of an institution which doesn't really have standards to speak of.
It is a pity if law firms choose to give cgpa importance. especially in deciding the better candidate between colleges.

noooo! law firms never select candidates on cgpa basis 'between' different colleges...its a criteria only to select students among the 'batch of the same college'.

they obviously know that every college has a different grading system.

Securing high grades by attempting hypothetical and analytical questions are definitely appreciated .... but there are law colleges who set traditional mug-up type question papers where no application of law is tested , in that case relying on cgpa is not sensible provided the candidate has moots and publications and also quality internships under his belt .

While I do agree, that CGPA is given undue importance at times, but it should be appreciated that CGPA or grades show how individual can work against his will. There is no individual in the world, who will "relish" studying for "exams". Obviously there are other reasons, he will slog. Now there are two ways the way you can get excellent grades. Either you have a gifted brain and you can undertsand,learn and reproduce the concepts and application in the exams, notwithstanding the pressure it creates, and get a 7 on 7. Alternatively, you slog your ass, right from day one, revise the stuff umpteen no. of times and secure a rank in the batch.

In both the cases, law firms desire you more, cos the first case proves that you can solve the problem in a very short time and competent enough to meet deadlines. The second case shows that you will give your best inputs and come out with best results, be it research or drafting.

The third reason is, most of the times, grades show that you have grasped the basics of the subject well, and thats wat law firms are looking for, the newbies who know the basics well.

As a disclaimer let me clarify, I am not a topper, rather my grades have been average and I am more into mooting, but still the scenario in the firms is very pro "cgpa".

On the flip side, grades do not necessarily make a good lawyer. In the long run, what matters is your devotion to profession, the kind of deals you work on and last but not the least " CONTACTS" :-)

hi friends,
I dont think cgpa matters?
i am one of the top engineering college student.
my friend don't even know how to code in cpp eventhough he is IT student.but then he was sitting for internship for microsoft .he dint get selected. that is different issue. but then one of my other friend who really code well, dint even allowed to attend the interview process.
IS IT FAIR??

JSA in fact is the firm which hire on basis of grades. They require students to attach their respective college placement committee letter. Why don't they just interview students who are decent? Yet JSA is decently fair when it comes to grades and I totally agree that a recruiter cannot in fact know a student based on 40-50 minutes. But there are "few" other firms who just ask for top 10 in a college and recruit them. That is just illogical.

i know, CGPA is important to some extend but not to be considered as sole basis.

I personally don't think that CGPA, is a major criteria , at the time of recruitment.
For Instance, a 60% at say Delhi University, would have a very different meaning, to a guy getting a 6.0 CGPA.
The point being, it cannot be a reference point, per se.