What email address are you using for your job search? Have you thought about it helping or hindering your search?
Recently, I started working with a young engineer whose email address is “hiremike@xyz.com.” Great choice, clever and definitely caught my attention.
On the other hand, it amazes me how many professional candidates will use an email address that may be perfectly acceptable or humorous in a personal setting, but is not so applicable in your job search. Some recent examples I came across include “gonefishing@xyz.com” and “hotmama@xyz.com”. Your job search is not the time to show this side of you – and trust me, email addresses such as these are not winning great first impression awards.
And then there are the candidates that use a spouses or friends email address. So the email hits my inbox from Joe Smith, when the candidate is Lori Smith. I don’t know at a glance that this email is from Lori, so it sits, awaiting my attention while I get to other correspondence from other candidates I am working with. More importantly, when you are communicating directly with the hiring manager, she doesn’t know the email is from Lori right away either – and that delay can cost the candidate the job.
If you are going to use a family or joint email address – change your display name setting to at least include both your names (“Joe and Lori Smith”). If you are going to show some wit and/or personality in your email address, then choose something professional and tactful. There is nothing wrong with simply using your name, or a variation of it. It’s simple, professional, and easy for those you are communicating with to recognize and use.
Whatever you choose, setup a new email account for your job search, and use that on all resumes, applications and communications. In addition to allowing you to choose an address that is suitable for your job search, it can help you manage your job search communication much easier.
Is your email address the right presentation for your job search?
