How a professional new email address helps your job search
Are you looking for a new job? You will probably send emails to hiring managers, enter your contact email into job search sites, and even list your email address on your CV. So, should you have a professional email address and job search email account? We highly recommend it – here’s why.
by Alyssa SchmittA pro email address for your job search is the first step to landing that interview!
Should I make a new email for a job search?
You may be thinking: “I already have a couple of different email addresses – why do I need a new email for my job search?” But although many of us have multiple email accounts, not all of them are suitable tools for an effective job search. For example, what if your current email accounts consist of:
A company email with your current employer: Your work email is not the best choice for your job search. Someone at work – maybe even your boss – may find out that you are looking around before you are ready to share that information. And it’s not a great look for potential employers to see you misusing the resources of your current employer.
A personal email account you’ve had for years: In fact, you’ve had it since college and it’s more a reflection of the old you – e.g., SurferDude@xxx.com. An email like this might be great for communicating with friends and family, but the username will not make a professional impression. The same applies to email addresses that reveal a political or religious affiliation – great for personal use, but possible disadvantages in your job search.
A “spam account” you give out when registering for newsletters, special deals, etc. The danger of using this email account for your job search is that you’ll miss important messages related to your job search in the flurry of spam messages.
As you can see, none of these is a good choice for sending your job application. So, now that the cons of using these emails are clear, let’s consider the pros of a new email account for your job search.
Advantages of a new job search email address
A new email account will help you make a professional impression and stay on top of your job search. For example, you can:
Set up email notifications: If you activate notifications for your new job search email, you will be alerted every time you get a new message or response. This lets you respond promptly and makes sure important emails don’t slip through the cracks.
Subscribe to job alerts: Job sites will let you subscribe to alerts when new positions in your field are posted.
Use a customized signature: Add an extra professional touch to your job search email by creating a special signature that will automatically be included in your job search emails. In addition to your contact information, you can use your email signature to highlight information that is relevant to your applications, like professional licenses and certifications or links to your professional blog or social media profile.
Set up email on your phone: Install your new email provider’s mobile email app on your phone or connect your new email address to the app you already use. This is another way to ensure that you never miss an important email related to your job search.
Select a professional email username: When you select your new email address, give some thought to the username. This is an exercise in personal branding, so choose a name that is professional and memorable. If you are looking for inspiration, see our pointers below.
Examples of a professional email address for a job application
The best professional email addresses include your first and last name, but no extra numbers or special characters. This makes them direct and memorable – the hiring manager knows who they are dealing with as soon as they see your username, can easily find your messages in an inbox search, and does not have to remember any random characters. You should definitely steer clear of using your year of birth in your email address, since it may open you up to age discrimination.
If you have a common first and last name, you can try reversing the order of your names, using middle initials, adding a professional reference, etc. For example, an architect named Jennifer Ann Jones could try the following professional usernames – and swapping a dash for the period and vice-versa.
Jennifer.Jones
Jennifer-Ann-Jones
Jennifer.A.Jones
Jennifer-Jones-Architect
Jennifer.A.Jones.M.A.
Jones.Jennifer.Ann
If your preferred username is not available with a widely used email service like Gmail or Yahoo, we recommend choosing an email provider like mail.com that lets you choose between more than 100 email domains. So, for example, if Jennifer.Jones(at)mail.com was taken, you could combine your preferred username with a different domain such as @email.com, @usa.com, etc.
Would you like more advice for job hunting with a new email address?
