Good question.

Typically employers won't ask for and won't review your GPA. As long as you were awarded your BA you should be able to competitive for opportunities with the companies that you list.

You don't need to list your GPA on your resume; you only need to list the school you went to and the degree you earned.

If the question about your GPA comes up address it plainly and emphasize your internships and certificates. Practice some answers so you can address it easily if it comes up, which it probably will not.

Good luck with your job search.

NO NO NO NO NO. They will not hire you. They have no right to that information by law and you are not required to disclose it. It is illegal for them to ask in an interview. In fact I would be very very reluctant for them to ever find out until and unless you are going to be on short term disability (make sure you purchase this type of insurance from them if it is offered in your benefit package, it is very cheap and not only do you get some income when seriously ill but they pretty much have to take you back, at least for a while.), and even then, I don't believe they have access to the actual info per the disease. If you have a bad day you can get your regular doctor to write you a note that is non-specific as to the cause, if you have a job that needs that type of documentation. I always did that anyway so I had them on file in case my bosses got hostile. It is no protection to tell them and it is almost always harmful. There are more protections in place for almost any other type of illness, even severe addiction, and there is absolutely no need for them to know. I wouldn't even tell anyone at work in confidence if you can help it. Not their business and a sure way to never ever ever get hired, or to get fired for some other reason once you are hired. "Hi, I might suddenly become ill for long periods of time and I am a very expensive person to have on your health insurance!" is not a good way to start an interview. You have things under control, you are doing better, it is no one's business but your own.

Also, no one in the real world cares about your GPA, any more than anyone cares about your SAT scores. These don't normally go on resumes for employment. They won't be on any forms you have to fill out. They only matter for graduate school, and then only maybe. Go back and smack your advisor for allowing you to graduate from your fine educational institution without having that important piece of information, especially as I imagine it might have helped your mental health somewhat to have known that earlier.

Great answer Kristin - I'll add--
If any potential employer asked me about GPA, I'd sidestep answering by telling them I was always told GPA was something that was for the benefit of college applications.
Unless the actual JOB involves study hall and taking tests - then I think your GPA doesn't have anything to do with your career
Unless your health issue is dyslexia, I think a technical writing job shouldnt need to know more.

You're not obligated to tell them about your mental illness, and they're not allowed to ask.

HOWEVER,mental illness is covered by the Americans with disabilities act. This means that in order to be protected under the act, you need to tell their HR department about your disability, especially if you need accommodations (medical leave, time off for dr's appointments, etc). Most large employers have policies in place for medical leave (under the family and medical leave act), and all medical information should be kept private by your lovely human resources department. Another benefit of a larger employer is that they often have harassment policies, so if word of your mental illness gets out and you feel like people are discriminating, you can tell HR and everyone will have to go to "sensitivity training"... apparently it helps them avoid lawsuits. Unfortunately, mental illness often renders people unable to take these steps to protect themselves, so I'd urge keep on top of the meds and therapy and have a plan in place with your MHP + support persons should such need arise.

If you think it's going to be a problem, I would encourage you to browse the National Alliance on Mental Illness website (nami.org). They're great.

And I wouldn't worry about the GPA. Nobody cares. Just say you were busy and working and that you learned a lot.

I'm just going to add my own take to the other good answers. I think it would be perceived as unprofessional, a sort of 'overdisclosure' that indicates a certain eccentricity. Sort of like if I started talking too much about my pet or my kids, or my wife, they might think that I was missing a certain degree of social finesse.

I don't want to suggest that this is true about you - you have a valid reason for mentioning it (although I agree that you should not). I can just imagine an interviewer - even one who doesn't have strong negative impression of mental illness per se - to be a little taken aback.

Not sure if I'm right about this, but it's my gut feeling.

Yep. Going to join the chorus of people and say that no one cares about your GPA.

The only company that has *ever* asked me for my GPA was Google, and it was such a dumb-ass competitive and pretentious thing to do that it totally turned me off possibly working for them. (Although, now that it's been a few years, I've met a couple engineers at Google who did not even graduate from college.) There are many, many brilliant people in this world who were kind of fuck-ups in college. Did you get your degree? Will your university attest that you got your degree? Fine. That's all they need.

(Side note: I went to school in Canada. For my last employment background check, the employer tried to verify that I graduated. My university told them that the information was private, and that the employer should request a copy of my diploma or transcripts from me. And I thought privacy was dead!)

As for the mental health thing...no way. Do not mention it at all. It's illegal for them to ask. It is also illegal, by the way, for them to ask your age. Don't mention it, and don't worry about it! Be brave and confident.

One last thing: I work as a technical writer now for one of the companies you mention. If you'd like some tips or general advice, feel free to reach out directly: heartsandletters (at) gmail (dot) com.

When you interview, don't volunteer anything a potential employer might interpret negatively. In particular, don't share any medical information, unless you are looking for an Americans With Disability Act accommodation. You can be sure the employer likewise will not reveal negative stuff about the company. Don't tell any lies, but you are not expected to "tell on yourself". Some interviewers will ask questions like, "what are your strengths?", and then follow up with, "what are your weaknesses?"

Be prepared for these kinds of questions. Frame your weaknesses in a way that enables you to turn them into strengths. Example: I, myself, have responded, "well, I have a tendency to be a perfectionist", to such a question.

Remember, everyone has faults and weaknesses, but I think it is your own lack of confidence that leads you to wonder about how much of your inner life you should reveal. Another example: imagine someone with a charming exterior who also has an explosive temper. Do you think such a person would say, "well, I do have an explosive temper which has led to workplace conflict in the past"? Not likely.

During an interview, remember that you are interviewing the company as much as they are interviewing you. Hopefully, you will find a situation that you find comfortable, and your past difficulties will not be relevant. Good luck!

"am concerned that my 2.75 GPA won't get me in the door"

Microsoft and Amazon hire people with *ZERO* college experience if they're brilliant enough, so if you graduated, say you graduated. There's no reason to bring it up.

"anxiety and a lack of confidence often got in the way of academic achievement"

No one will hire you if you mention this directly, and it's not their business to know this, ESPECIALLY if you've addressed it.