Don’t Torpedo Your Dream Job Change with the Wrong Email Address

“I've seen some people use their work email address on their resumes," Janet said. "Is that okay?"

"Your e-mail address is part of your first impression when you are making a dream job change," I replied. "The last thing you want is for a potential employer to think that if they hire you, you will be using their resources for your next job change."

"The other critical mistake job hunters make is to use cute, funny, or suggestive email addresses. Imagine if an employer sees a resume with an email address like funnyface@ or jeepersjohn@! Unless you’re a professional comedian or actor, the email address that seemed fun when you set up your account could cost you the job.

Electronic communication is an important tool in today's job search process, so an e-mail address to send and receive information is critical. Your e-mail address needs to be included with your other contact information on your resume."

"Then what do you recommend?" Janet asked.

"The best strategy is to set up a free e-mail address from a service like Yahoo or Hotmail, specifically for your job search," I said. With a new address, you are less likely to receive spam e-mail, and you certainly don’t want to miss an e-mail from a potential employer because you have mistaken it for spam. Also, with a new address you can set it up with a name that is appropriate (such as yourname@yahoo.com) or something that is descriptive of your dream career (such as careercoach@yahoo.com)."