What Does Your Username Really Say?
There are many things in today's job market that you cannot control. You cannot predict which company will hire you. You cannot be sure which job will provide the best benefits. But the things you can control, such as the professionalism you publicly display-- those things should be identified with the utmost attention.I have multiple e-mail accounts, each with their specific purposes. One is for personal, family and friends communication. One is for my professors and school peers to use. Yet another is for my sorority life. What all of these have in common is that they are linked to me and a prospective employer could easily find my school account just as easily as they could find my "sparkler" account --a product of 10th grade creativity and wanting to honor my patriotic birthday.
In the five years since I created the "sparkler" account, I have been met with plenty of criticism and jeers. I stubbornly brushed these comments off, thinking that I wouldn't need a professional-sounding e-mail domain until my post-graduate life. It wasn't until this past January, when I was elected to a high profile position in my sorority community that I decided it was time to grow up-- even if only in the virtual world.
What does this personal account tell those of you looking to enter the working world? Even if your domain isn't covered with Xx's and "lilcutieangels," consider Seymour's advice. Your name is as professional as you can get and your future employers will appreciate your dedication. Something as small as a simple tool of communication can either help or hinder your hopes for being hired.
Labels: email addresses, professionalism
Posted by Amanda on 6/25/2009 06:01:00 PM
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1 Comments:
Good advice -- too few people realize just how much little details such as email usernames can affect others' perceptions of them. The minimal effort put into setting up a new (and, in most cases, free) email account is a far better sacrifice than your professional integrity.