One aspect of a candidate’s job search that often gets overlooked is the email address they are using. A seemingly small item, but hiring managers do take notice. A couple of points:

GatorBaiter@Yahoo.com
I’m not sure what it means, or what significance it holds for the candidate using this for his email address, but I do know that it comes across as less than professional when I see it on a resume. No, I’m not going to dismiss candidates out of hand because of their less than professional email addresses, but it does leave at least a bit of a negative impression.

Your Email Address Has an Electronic Footprint
Is your address linked to a twitter account? If so, will those tweets strengthen or weaken your chances of getting hired when viewed by a prospective employer? Left an angry rant somewhere in the past with this email address in the post? You could be surprised where your email address might lead someone.

No News Is Better Than Some News
Chances are pretty good that nothing unsavory will turn up on a search of your email address, but chances are very good that there will be a search. Minimize your risk by simply creating an email address whose sole purpose will be for use during a job search.

Changed Your ISP Lately?
When you do create that new professional email address, don’t lose out on future opportunities because you used an address that was associated with your then-current internet service provider. Sure, you sent out that notification email (again) telling everyone to change your address in their contacts list. But do you really want to count on that? Consider using a service such as Google to create an email address that can follow you around no matter who your ISP is.

As always, Stout staff like to help. Feel free to contact us and let us know how your search is going.