Why Your E-mail Address Could Be Keeping You From Your Dream Job

As a hiring manager I have seen it all and by all I mean some pretty ‘creative’ e-mail addresses on resumes. For my friends out there that are clueless, let me give you a hint; anything personal is not professional.

Let me be specific – I once had a woman apply for a job and her e-mail address ON HER RESUME was Sexkitten69@ whatever her domain was, let me just tell you this is NOT a good email address and promptly landed her in the ‘No’ pile. Anyone that cannot distinguish between a professional e-mail address and an unprofessional e-mail address is a red flag in any hiring manager’s book.

Let me tell you what else qualifies as an unprofessional e-mail address – anything that relates to your personal life. Including hobbies, extracurricular activities, your love for illegal substances (yes, I have seen it), sex, political references, relationship status, and anything else that isn’t career-related.

So what is a professional e-mail address? Your name, your name and numbers (preferably none that have sexual or negative innuendos), salesguru@email.com if you’re in sales is acceptable. Joeknowsitall@email.com, not so good.

In this current economic downturn and the increasingly difficult job market, I cannot preach it enough; hiring decisions are made based on EXCLUSION, not INCLUSION. Human Resources professionals, Recruiters, Decision-makers are looking for a reason NOT to hire you. So don’t start out on the wrong foot with an unprofessional e-mail address and end up in the ‘No” pile from the start.

Here are a few other recommendations to increase your chances of success:

• Create an e-mail account strictly for job search purposes only.
• Use a combination of name or name and number.
• Use this e-mail when sending your resumes out to employers, when posting your resume on job boards, and on your resume and cover letter.
• By all means, use this e-mail address when you post your resume on Craigslist, we are paying attention to the email address we’re responding to.
• Fun, funky, and crazy e-mail addresses are for personal use, not for a serious job search.

Keep these tips in mind and you won’t have to worry about ending up in a hiring manager’s ‘No’ pile because your resume doesn’t make the grade.

Related posts:

1. Posting Your Resume On Craigslist – What You Need to Know!
2. Federal Resumes for Beginners
3. Why Your Resume MUST HAVE A Career Summary
4. Is Your Resume Responsible?
5. R.I.P. Objective Statement