As most of you know, when applying for company positions, you will likely encounter an automated system – an applicant tracking system. During the process, you must always add your contact information. Some systems will even pull this information from your resume automatically.
Over the years, I have been amazed at how candidates either aren’t aware or don’t pay attention to the e-mail address they use when applying for jobs, for instance (these are all fictional; only representative samples of the types I have seen):
And these types of email addresses appear for professional-level jobs!
When conducting a job search, it’s important to remember you are your brand – every part of you, including your email address! As employers we don’t know you personally, so all we have to evaluate you against is what you show us – your brand. If your brand conveys that you aren’t serious or professional, or you are willing to show the world your worst side, employers may use that as s sign of things to come if they were to hire you. If this occurs, they will probably bypass you for someone else.
Remember, when applying for a job, you should always strive to put your best self forward. You should want to impress the viewer of your information, not turn them off. It would be a shame to miss out on a great job opportunity because of something as correctable as an email address.
Until next time….