Our regular tips and tricks to securing your next role, avoiding some of the usual pitfalls faced along the way with #LRPjobs COO - Tiffany Rogers.
What do we mean by "KEEP IT CLEAN?" Exactly ... Your life is LIVE on Social Media every time you post, check-in, like or comment. When looking for a job, a VAST % of new employers will research your social media profiles during your interview process. These figures vary depending on where you look and who conducted the research, however, what they all agree on, is that "Social Screening" is now a big part of the recruitment process for a HUGE proportion of potential employers - regardless of sector!
So let's play it safe and work on the assumption that almost all of them are stalking your social pages before they speak to you, to look for reasons to hire you, or NOT to hire you! It's that simple.
They want to see your great personality, your creativeness, your wide range of interests and how you would fit into the company culture. Social Media is great for measuring this as your 'profiles' offer a real insight into who you are based on your activity, including what you post, like and comment on. Some of the platforms they are likely to check are LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Tik Tok and WhatsApp, basically, anywhere you could have an online presence as they will be looking for any RED FLAGS.
Consideration for social media could include ...
What type of content do you share - is it offensive?
How do you look/present yourself?
Do you appear to be the person that spends all weekend out on the lash, so on a Monday morning, they could always have an exhausted employee?
Some even look for people who do outside sports in particular, as it's likely they will be a team player and potentially have less time off unwell as they will have a stronger immune system, all these things need to be considered.
We know what you're thinking ....
Yes, we know and agree this isn't always fair as you should be able to share what you want on your social platforms - but it's 2022 and this does happen, so it needs to be a consideration in the modern job search process.
BUT ... that's not the only thing to think about!!
"What else!?" we hear you cry!
Well, have you ever considered that your email address could be the reason you don't come across the right way too?
"I had a candidate rejected once as their email address was peaaloomasala@......... , the client didn't think they were serious enough for a sales role and wanted a professional career, so they were ruled out. If they had taken the time to create a professional email address befitting someone who wants a serious career in a company that pays well - things would have been very different" - Tiff Rogers
The most professional-sounding way to set up an email address is to use your first name and last name without numbers (ideally).
For example, john.smith@domain.com. You can also use just your first initial or last initial such as johns@domain.com or jsmith@domain.com. You can't go wrong by keeping it simple.
How can you make a first impression on your recipient, the second you send out an email?
Well, when we consider that every second person or so decides whether to open an email or not depending on who it’s from, that's a lot of people that could delete your email before getting to read its contents!
Just think, you’ve crafted the perfect resume, written a beautiful follow-up to a client, or made an attractive offer to a lead with a catchy subject line... but the recipient doesn't see all this cool stuff.
Every single person (don’t say you haven’t😄) has owned an email account named something like “rocketman9786@yahoo.com” or “alicekitten95@gmail.com”.
Unfortunately or not, we should leave these nostalgic memories to chuckle about the good old days with friends. In business, such a reckless step lowers your reputation and affects clients' trust in your personal "brand."
A professional (yes even boring/generic) sounding email address gives you a more professional demeanour, ensuring the public takes you seriously. In other words, your email address is your brand and your brand when applying for a job - is YOU!
"An email address has more significance than you think. You have no chance of impressing your recipient with the cracking content inside your email if they don't open it."
- Chris Broadhurst: Marketing Manager @ #LRPjobs
Your email address speaks volumes about how professional you are and if somebody can trust you. It’s a key to lending credibility and building trust with customers and partners.
Well, I know you’re absolutely on the edge of your seat to finally hear the answer to “how can I make a professional email address?”
Let's answer that question now:
7 Simple Rules to Сreating a Professional Sounding Email Address
Rule 1: Using your name.
A professional-sounding email address that is consistent with you and your "brand", will always be better than something obscure (refer to "rocketman" and "alicekitten" above).
Rule 2: Leave Nicknames to Personal Communication.
Some of us have multiple email accounts for multiple reasons, and there’s nothing wrong with that. Everyone has their own vices and virtues, but they are for our personal and social lives, rather than for business.
Any nickname or alter-ego is inappropriate for your business email address. Michael Smith, who sometimes goes by Mikey, would rather use MSmith@email.com. Your first and last names are always a good idea.
Rule 3: Exclude Numbers.
While the global population grows way past 7 billion, the chances of having a unique name are slim at best. Spare a thought for the John Smiths of this world.
Because of poor John, free email tools offer automated options containing numbers as alternatives.
This isn’t good for sounding professional though. Users named “johnsmith2013” or “19johnsmith78”, for example, are more likely to be considered less professional.
In fact, they can trigger spam filters and get your emails sent straight into junk.
The same rings true for punctuation and symbols. All this stuff is difficult to remember and can trip spam filters, especially with large companies.
Stick to letters only. In case you absolutely need punctuation, only include one or two full stops or underscores maximum:
john.smith@outlook.com
john.e.smith@gmail.com
j_smith@yahoo.com
Rule 4: Avoid Using Your Position.
When you put your position in your email address, like “ingridengineer@company.com”, it stands out and outlines which skills you possess. Great - if you're only ever going to do that job.
Your recipient may not need this information and what if you change careers? Are you still going to be known by your former job title? Best to stay clear of that from the word go!
Rule 5: Make It Pronounceable and Memorable.
With so many people conducting business via the tiny screens of their mobile devices, misspelling an address is common, even if it’s something that would generally seem easy to spell.
Keep in mind that you’ll have to read your email address aloud often in business, so make sure it’s easy and doesn’t require a lot of explanation.
Rule 6: Avoid Anything Unprofessional.
Everyone has a private life. Would you be willing to receive personal information to your business mailbox and vice versa? No.
The same relates to electronic mail.
Avoid any references to race, religion, sexual orientation and age like “johnfromsixties”.
Your professional identity might be drastically different from your personal one. There should be a clear line between the two.
Rule 7: Full Name Is Not Always Necessary.
Some people have a lot of names, and most of the time it depends where they are from.
You do not need to use your full name all the time, only the one or two most common names that you use - andrea.lopez@provider.com for example.
In most situations, professionalism means the exclusion of extra features and the inclusion of strict and accurate data - your first and last name.
It doesn’t make you any less unique; just more professional.
Have you ever considered this and where do you start?
Don't just take our word for it, take a look at this great article from David Cotriss at Business News Daily for some further tips on "Keeping it Clean"
Some great further advice there from David and it makes you think doesn't it?! Who "could" be looking at the selfie you took on that drunken night out??
Take the time to think before you post and it could be the difference between landing your dream job and wishing you'd thought of this before getting rejected. We hope this blog has given you some things to think about in terms of managing your online presence and email addresses to set you up for success, please feel free to comment below if you've had any direct experience of Social Media Screening or even some cringe emails that you can share with our wider network.
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Logical Recruitment Partners.
Email: hello@lrp.jobs
Phone: +44 333 121 8121
Written by: Tiffany Rogers - COO @ #LRPjobs