Mavenology.

There are a lot of great tips and information about how to write a professional work email – but have you ever thought about your email address itself? Sure, your resume is touted as your first opportunity to impress a hiring manager, but your email address is actually the first thing these decision makers will see.

As someone who regularly reviews emailed resume submissions, I am continually surprised by the email addresses some people use when communicating with a potential employer. When you’re in high school, maybe it’s cool to have an email address proclaiming how much you love Beyonce. Everyone loves Beyonce! And you were such a rockstar for snatching up “kweenbey4eva” as your email address!

But now you’re searching for a job, and as much as everyone still loves Beyonce, misspellings, abbreviations, and declarations of love are not the way to go. If you are attached to your email address, or you don’t want to go through the hassle of changing your main line of contact, think about setting up a separate email account specifically for professional communication.

An appropriate email address should include some form of your name. It’s not the best idea to use your age or birth date; you don’t want some creepy internet troll knowing you’re 23, and your hiring manager doesn’t need to know, either. With your name as your email, it’s the easiest way to literally get your name in front of any hiring manager’s eyes.

When it comes down to it, of course, the truism still holds: it’s what's inside that counts, so always make sure your email is well-crafted and spell-checked. But what’s on the outside of your email is your chance for a great first impression!

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Written by: Leslie Crain