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Could Your E-Mail Name Hurt Your Career?
by Daryl Hannah
March 25, 2008
When Stacy Havel, director of public relations for Bernard Hodes Group, a recruitment company, came across an e-mail application from "sexy daddy," she laughed and passed the e-mail around the office for others to see. What she didn't do was respond or bring the applicant in for an interview.
Click on the audio icon to listen to Havel's critical advice for job-seekers.
"When you see someone identifying themselves in a vulgar or inappropriate way, it gives insight to their personality," Havel says, referring to "sexy daddy" and the hundreds of other e-mail applications she's received from job seekers.
Sure, sending business e-mails can be tricky, especially in a work force that encompasses diversity of race/ethnicity, orientation, gender, age, religion, disability and other cultural influences. However, one thing is certain--unprofessional e-mail addresses can hurt your chances just as much as unprofessional e-mails. An inappropriate e-mail address can tarnish your brand, warns Havel. "It's important to set something up that says something about your personal brand that is professional and not offensive, that will make someone look at your application," she says.
Sophia Bogues, strategic accounts manager with INROADS, which places students from traditionally underrepresented groups in corporate internships, agrees. "Business e-mails are a tool, and that tool represents you," says Bogues.
As you join the work force, building and protecting your brand is essential, and this includes your e-mail address. Here are five tips to make sure your e-mail address doesn't keep you from landing that ideal job.
No. 1: Separate your personal and professional e-mail addresses. Keep your personal and professional e-mails separate. While it is tempting to manage one universal e-mail address, doing so can prove problematic--especially if you used your e-mail address to set up a social-networking account.
"Many set up their Facebook accounts when they were younger and many didn't think about how this would affect the future," says Havel, referring to students who use their Facebook e-mail addresses on résumés and job applications.
So what do you do when you are ready to start applying for job? Set up an e-mail address specifically for work. "Today it's very easy to get a new e-mail address. Set up an e-mail address specifically for work-related things," says Havel.
No. 2: Choose wisely.
Choose an e-mail address that sets you apart but at the same doesn't discourage your future employer. For example, using your first and last name should get the job done. Steer clear of references to orientation, race, cultural acronyms or neighborhood. These things may be an important part of you, but your e-mail address is not the place to express that.
For example, e-mail addresses like bling-bling@yahoo.com, losethelesbo@msn.com or blackstallion@gmail.com may be off-putting to a future employer.
No. 3: Avoid sexual and religious references.
One of the easiest ways to have your application tossed in the trash is to have an e-mail address that includes sexually explicit or overtly religious references. "You want to avoid e-mail addresses that are like sexkitten@xxx.com, or bustyblond@aol.com," warns Havel. And while religion has does have its place in the workplace, it doesn't belong in your e-mail address. Remember, your e-mail address represents you and is among the first impressions a future employer will have of your professionalism.
For more on how to avoid religious pitfalls, read Religion at Work: Former EEOC Chair Tells What's Legal and What's Not.
No. 4: Don't use your current work e-mail address to apply for jobs. Employers have the legal right to read your e-mails. Therefore, sending e-mails to potential employers from your current work e-mail address is not wise. In fact, applying for a job while at work is a big no-no.
Instead, use your newly created personal, yet professional, e-mail address to apply to jobs before or after work.
No. 5: Don't let your e-mail address overshadow your résumé.
You want to make sure that your e-mail address isn't something that people are going to be so focused on that it will overshadow your résumé.
Havel suggests this can be avoided by keeping your professional e-mail address generic. "You want your skills to stand out, not your e-mail address," she says.
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