A helpful piece of advice appeared in the British news source Daily Mail this weekend: be very careful of what your email address may say about you. A recent study has shown that informal email addresses, such as those that use cutesy or slang language (e.g. hot_chick@hotmail or luv4ever@gmail) can negatively influence one’s potential employment. Results of the study “show that recruiters do indeed assess the hirability of an applicant with a resume featuring a formal email address higher than that of an applicant with a resume featuring an informal email address." It seems this effect is similar to having a resume with numerous spelling errors or grammatical mistakes. “The initial screening of an applicant's resume can strongly influence first impressions,” researchers said. “Even small resume characteristics, such as the email address, can determine a positive or negative impression by recruiters.”
I have this talk with my college students every semester. If you are in college, you are an adult. And it’s time to have an adult email address. But this is a good tip for high schoolers as well. I’ve had the same simple address (just my name) since my first email account in 1997. Keep it simple, and keep it professional. You never know who will want to contact you someday.
I have this talk with my college students every semester. If you are in college, you are an adult. And it’s time to have an adult email address. But this is a good tip for high schoolers as well. I’ve had the same simple address (just my name) since my first email account in 1997. Keep it simple, and keep it professional. You never know who will want to contact you someday.