Looking For A Job? Get A New Email

By the time you become a serious job seeker, you quickly realize that your old email address from high school or college, “Sk8rBoy18” or “CutieGurl143” won’t look so great on a resume.

Using your name as an email address is generally the best and easiest way to create an email that’s simple. [email protected], for example. If your name is very common, you might try adding a number to the end of your name, such as JohnWDoe1, or even using initials if necessary, like J.W.Doe.

While there are a variety of free email services available, such as Gmail or Yahoo, you might want to consider having one strictly for your resumes and creating another one that you can use after you land the job. This allows you to quickly see new mail, without having to filter out emails from other sources.

In case you were unaware of it, many companies monitor company email communications, which means that you should never use your current job’s email address on your resumes. It would not look good at all if your boss finds out that you are using the company email service, and company time, to search for a new job.

Email Etiquette

When sending emails, whether you are inquiring about a job, sending your resume, or checking on an application previously submitted, you should be businesslike and use proper etiquette. Our best email etiquette tips include:

• Send the email to a specific person, if possible. This can prevent your email being “lost” in a list of forwards or even simply disregarded and trashed.

• Be clear in the subject line. If the subject line is blank, it will most likely go directly to the spam folder. List the position and reason for your email, such as “Store Manager Position-Follow up on John W. Doe’s Resume”.

• Use everyday fonts in black. While fancy colors and fonts might get someone’s attention, they can be difficult to read and might come across as childish or unprofessional. Use a 10- or 12-point font size, which most people find easy to read.

• Keep it brief. HR might have hundreds of emails to look at everyday which means they skim. A lot. Be polite but get right to the point.

• Check your spelling! Need we say more?

Make folders and keep copies of every email you send. Being organized might help you land that next job!

FIRST IMPRESSIONS MATTER

Your email address and emails tell a story about you without you ever saying a word, so make them count!

Mike Cioffi is the founder of Talent Traction. You can reach him directly at [email protected] if you have any questions about this article.