Hiring manager rejects Stanford graduate because she got a B in a high school class: 'This candidate has a fairly impressive career even as a new college graduate and ticks every single other box'

Author image for Emmy Pratt
Emmy Pratt • Writer and Editor
Aug 31, 2025 8:00 PM EDT

It isn't easy to know precisely why a hiring manager or recruiter might not pass you along in the interviewing process. Most people don't receive direct feedback on job rejections, so they can only assume that there was someone else who was more qualified than they were, or that they didn't have a particularly notable interpersonal connection with the hiring manager. I wouldn't want a hiring manager to email me and say, "We didn't hire you because I find your personality annoying," but I'd like to know if there was something glaringly wrong that I did in the interview that could help me in my career going forward.

If a resume has obvious misspellings and poor formatting, that's an acceptable reason to reject a candidate, especially if they don't seem exceptionally qualified in the first place. But if their LinkedIn description of their first job in high school scooping ice cream out of a shack doesn't have enough descriptive bullet points, you might just be grasping at straws. It's totally pedantic to reject someone solely because they posted a picture of themselves drinking an adult beverage on Facebook in 2011. If you're interviewing to be in the CIA, that's one thing, but a marketing and communications representative shouldn't be held to Pentagon standards. 

Add as a preferred
source on Google
Advertisement

  • This hiring manager rejected a recent graduate for something even Stanford didn't reject her for: earning a single B grade in a high school class.This is a cautionary tale about the importance of carefully editing your LinkedIn profile.

  • Job seeker in job interview meeting with manager and interviewer at corporate office
    via Getty Images (Unsplash+)

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • Candidate rejected due to high school grades

    I'm nearing a breaking point, had to come here to vent. Moments after I submitted a candidate yesterday (who, incidentally, went to Stanford), I get feedback that their high school grades "aren't impressive." This candidate has a
    via u/powppow
  • fairly impressive career even as a new college graduate and ticks every single other box. But she listed her grades on LinkedIn (don't ask me why) and it shows ONE singular B. I threw my hands up and logged off for the day.
    via u/powppow
  • Tired young Asian office employee feeling sick and having a headache at her office desk
    via Getty Images (Unsplash+)

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • YoGo Yagashi High school grades? You guys screen for that?
    via u/YoGoYagashi
  • anerak_attack I don't think they screen for it but because she listed it - they used it against her
    via u/anerak_attack
  • automator3000 I mean. Passing on a candidate who thought their high school achievements have any relevance is fair.
    via u/automator3000
  • A close up of an assignment that received an A+ grade
    via Andy Quezada (Unsplash+)

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • ByteVoyager I don't get hyperfocusing on small mistakes that have nothing to do with the job Like job searches shouldn't be pageants where whoever performs best or makes the least mistakes wins. So I get the recruiter's frustration at the hiring manager focusing on things irrelevant to the actual job
    via u/ByteVoyager
  • tcpWalker Not really. Passing on a recruiter who thinks they have relevance could be, but candidates aren't trained in what makes them good candidates. Unless you're hiring them to be a recruiter or for a role where it is otherwise a red flag, you shouldn't care about whether they share their high school grades any more than you care about the high school grades, provided they are otherwise qualified.
    via u/tcpWalker
  • Oceanbreeze871 Candidate dodged a bullet with that company
    via u/Oceanbreeze871
  • PaymentMedical9802 She... all I can think it's probably because it's a she. They probably scoured her accounts looking for a reason to reject her.
    via u/PaymentMedical9802
  • ROCKFISH22 100% chance the people who passed on her are barely qualified to be employed for their positions as is. Let's break down their past and see if they remain qualified for it?
    via u/R0CKFISH22
  • sharksnrec Listing your high school grades on your linked when you've gone to STANFORD since then is definitely a choice. Crazy reason to reject a good candidate, but let this be a lesson to the poor girl. She was the only person on LinkedIn with her high school grades posted and now I imagine she's not.
    via u/sharksnrec
  • _stelpolvo Some people forget to update the LinkedIn their HS/college counselor forced them to create as part of their senior project. It's sad but sometimes you do need to nudge the candidate vaguely enough to cya but still give them the impetus to change things.
    via u/_stelpolvo_
  • powppow OP Agree with this. I feel compelled to tell her that this impacted her candidacy but don't want the heat that will surely come when I give her the feedback
    via u/powppow
  • turngep Please tell her. This is critical feedback that will meaningfully impact her ability to get a position. in the future.
    via u/turngep
  • DoubleMojon You should tell the employer that they are dumb as sh and light your MSA with them on fire. I've heard some dumb stuff in recruiting but this is certainly wayyyy up on the list.
    via u/DoubleMojon
  • techtchotchke I had a client once who declined a candidate who was a solid 2-3 years into their postgrad career and had a strong GPA, but the candidate had taken 4.5 years to finish college instead of 4. The candidate transferred universities and a small number of the classes didn't transfer, necessitating an additional semester, but apparently that was a dealbreaker no matter how good his academic performance had been.
    via u/techtchotchke
  • I'm not gonna be so bold as to say that was the straw that broke the camel's back and made us torch the MSA, but we didn't work with that company too much longer after that. They had a long history of being selective over similar petty things but this was the most egregious.
    via u/techtchotchke
  • 5x0uf5o This is where you need to challenge the client. If other candidates were called for interview, were their high school grades also screened? I assume not. If a candidate meets the criteria and tiny reasons are being found to exclude them, then there should be an abundance of qualified candidates available. If there is no abundance then they are wasting your time by nitpicking pre-interview.
    via u/5x0uf5o
  • Anonimityville I wouldn't say this is a company policy. Sounds like the hiring manager has a stick up their a Maybe went to a rival school i don't know This seems petty and personal. Maybe they have a buddy they want to hire. The candidate opened themselves to scrutiny by posting grades publicly. The best feedback is to the candidate take your grades down.
    via u/Anonimityville
  • powppow OP Yep, I did. HM I pushed back a lot to the point where I removed myself from the role.
    via u/powppow
  • coloradical5280 That is not the reason they rejected her. I spent over a decade in the agency world, if I learned one thing, it's that clients usually lie about why they're rejecting a candidate. Some clients are just less creative than others. But I promise you that they did not reject her for having a single B in high school. They had another reason, they don't feel comfortable sharing that reason with you.
    via u/coloradical5280

Want More? Follow Us and Add Us as a Preferred Source on Google.

Tags

job interviews recruiter hiring manager graduate stanford job candidate recruiting grades hiring recruitment workplace high school job interview workplace stories workplace story
Scroll Down For The Next Article