Tips for applying for a job via email. Using the wrong email address could hurt your chances!
by CareerMVP.com
Don't apply for jobs with your work email address!
Still using your work email to apply for jobs? This is not a good idea! Not only is it a misuse of company resources, it's a good way to get caught looking for a job by your current employer. People get fired for less. Plus, prospective employers will not look favorably on this.
Also, you're obviously planning on leaving your job. If you leave your job, you will not have access to your email account. What if an even better job offer comes through and they can't contact you?
Don't apply for jobs with your ISP email address!
You also should not use the email account your Internet Service Provider gave you. This makes you too dependent on your ISP. If you decide to change ISP's, you lose all your contacts you've been developing unless you contact them with the new address. This is impossible for most people, let alone job seekers.
Which email address should you use?
Get an account from an email provider. Some are paid and some are free. The ultimate is to have an email account at a domain you own. This gives you complete control over your domain name, looks more impressive and gives you a permanent email address.
Choosing a username!
We see a large number of email addresses that are just not professional. When choosing a username, you've got to consider how it makes you look. Email addresses used for professional purposes should not be cute, crude or even personal. Names like partygirl, golferjohn, lakersfan or carolinaengineer are not appropriate or effective for applicants. Plus, it makes it very difficult for a recruiter to find your name when looking through an inbox. It's much better if you actually have a username that is close to your actual name. For instance John.C.Smith@ or JohnSmith@. Of course, this is not recommended for an email address used for the general public. This is only for sending email to trusted companies. Be sure to read about this below.
Send yourself an email!
A good practice is to put yourself in the recruiter's shoes. So once you choose your username, send an email to yourself at another account. Observe how it appears in your inbox. Check your email signature, your name in the FROM line, etc. Make sure that all elements look professional.
Use an email account designated just for your job search!
Get an email account specifically for applying for a job. It's not advisable to have your real name as a username for general web purposes. But in applying for a job, you'll be giving your full name anyway. So having this email address specifically for the purpose of applying for jobs is a good idea. Another good reason to do this is that you will not have used this new address out on the web in message boards, guest books, your personal web site or the web site of your 'side business'. All of these actions can be indexed in search engines and viewed by your prospective employers. Keeping your job search address separate is also a good practice to help you stay organized and not confuse private email with job search email. You're also likely to have less spam in your job search email. So, your risk of confusing an employer's email with spam is much less.
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