Attention Job Seekers: Please make sure your e-mail address is professional. Thank you.
Why is it that 98% of job seekers have a professional e-mail address, while many still choose e-mails like kissyface23@email.com? Like most people, recruiters first see the senders e-mail address before opening. In the case of online resume submittal, a candidates e-mail address is truly the first impression made. One particular story that sticks in my mind is from a few years ago. A co-worker of mine, Stacey, was recruiting for a technical opening and was just getting to reviewing resumes she received over night for the position. Without warning Stacey blew up into laughter. She had received a resume from someone using kinkyboots420@email.com as their address. Kinkyboots? As if kinkyboots wasn’t enough, this superstar candidate wanted employers to know his/her favorite number as well…420. You can’t get much more nutty banana party than this.
Although kinkyboots most likely wasn’t offered a job with our client, this particular job seeker provided a non-stop source of comedic relief within our team, living on in infamy. Other staffing professionals have similar stories surrounding unprofessional job seekers. If you’re friends with a recruiter, ask them to tell you a story about one, not only will you laugh but you’ll learn what not to do in your job search. If for some reason you aren’t friends with a recruiter, then make friends. They are some of the hardest working, most determined, and hilarious people you’ll meet. Back to business I go.
Most of you, hopefully all of you reading this have mastered utilizing a professional e-mail addresses. Let’s use my name to provide some examples of professional addresses.
- R.DeMatteo@e-mail.com
- Rich.DeMatteo@e-mail.com
- RichardDeMatteo@e-mail.com
- RichieD@e-mail.com (nick names are OK, as long as they are appropriate)
- DeMatteo@e-mail.com
- Rich.B.DeMatteo@e-mail.com
Easy enough, right? Combinations of first, middle, and last name should do the trick. Here are some examples of unprofessional e-mail addresses:
- SlickRick@e-mail.com
- BigPimpRich@e-mail.com
- LOSTfan98@e-mail.com
- Ineedajob@e-mail.com (desperation never helps)
- HotPants27@e-mail.com
- KornOnTheJob@-email.com
What have we learned? Stay away from hobbies, desperation, inappropriate numbers, and anything that Hannah Montana wouldn’t say.
Homework Assignment: Do any of the recruiters reading this have anything to add? Share some of the awkward, wacky, or just nutty e-mail addresses you’ve come across. Feel free to change up the given address a bit, no need to give away anyones e-mail.
{ 9 comments… read them below or add one }
Just this thought. It doesn’t cost much to buy your name. If you purchase Twideldee.com and your email address is Oliver@Twideldee.com then regardless of what job you land, or where life takes you, it’s easy to manage your email and ppl never forget it.
Think it works. Try sending to high-school college friends. ron@jones.com just to test it out. It’d be interesting to see how many ‘hits’ you get. If not, join now, the trend is starting and it’s always good to get in early!
great stuff!
pimpinspliff@cornholio.com
Here are a few that really stand out in my mind:
satans666child@xxxxx.com
girlwitalilkink@xxxxx.com
babyboy420@xxxxx.com
I also have a really funny cover letter that I would like to scan and share.. I will see if I can find it.
I have to agree with this article. With the many applicants to review for job postings I was filling, I was looking for things that obviously stood out as red flags. If someone was daft enough to apply for a job from an email like:
lickmylovepump@email.com
…. that helped me to narrow the field, right off the get-go. Next, please!
Sweet niblets, Rich! Talk about tripping over one’s own foot! Thanks for great advice & good night, everybody.
Hello from Russia!
Can I quote a post in your blog with the link to you?
What is the article about?
My list of crazy candidate email addresses grows weekly! Two of the most memorable ones: heymommyineedu@… and flamingshitbag@… I am NOT kidding!
Hi MS – thanks for the comment. Those two are incredible! There are so many funny ones out there!