Is it important to you to be taken seriously? Are you self-employed or looking for your next great career opportunity?
Then take a look at your email address – it speaks volumes!
As a sales recruiter I view hundreds of CVs/Resumés every week – most are simply crap! I could write a book about what is wrong with CVs and probably will one day but for this moment I would like to talk about email addresses and what they say about a person.
Domains
I think everyone would agree that being computer savvy these days is essential and nothing screams, ‘I don’t understand technology or social media than an outmoded domain.’
AOL – The first great email provider AOL was ubiquitous. My first email address was AOL – in 1994 – and they provided my dial-up Internet service. Today an AOL address simple screams ‘I don’t understand technology.’
Gmail – Tells the world that you know a thing or two about computers and the best options for a free email provider.
Hotmail/Yahoo – Means you probably use the same email account you opened in high school with the likelihood that your address contains ‘hot’, ‘cool’, ‘booty’ or ‘X’. Some recent emails favourties found on CVs included: mrcharmer247@ missuganda@ and superhotbooty@ What message was I to take from a job hunter with these email addresses?
yourname.com – This is the best choice and having your own domain suggests that you are computer and Internet savvy and understand the value of Internet brand marketing. It only costs a few £Pounds to secure your own domain and even if you don’t want your own website the URL could be redirected to your LinkedIn page.
Your email address says volumes about whom you are and what you are trying to accomplish. If you are looking for a new job then one of the most important things is supporting your personal brand and an email address that includes your name is the best choice.
Make every effort to secure a personal and professional domain. I have WynNathanDavis.com which is redirected to my company website. If you are named Jane Smith and JaneSmith.com is not available then perhaps JaneSmithLondon.com is available. Use the same strategy with your Gmail account to present a brand image that makes sense.
If you have a silly email address for your silly personal life then please keep it personal and don’t share it with the business world. Trust me it will not help your image!
If you are self-employed you absolutely must have your own domain for email. Using a free email provider looks very, very small time.
The worst email address mistakes belong to those men – I write men because I have never seen a woman do this – who use their wife’s email address. To me this says: lazy, luddite, and simply not serious. These men will never, ever get an interview!
A professional email address is just one part of building a professional personal brand that will help you establish credibility and get you the attention and career that you want!
Get it right!
very interesting topic.