Hello,

I’m going to start applying for jobs soon. I need a professional email address, however, I have a double-barreled surname so I’m not sure how best to create the account.

Assume the name is ‘John Doe-Smith’ how would you do it. Would like a few examples if possible, thank you!

I'm considering buying my own domain and using that as my work email address? My own name was available. Do you think something like contact@[myname].com could work? I live outside the US and don't speak English as my native language. I haven't yet decided that should I purchase my local domain or use the top-level domain .com (does "com" mean commercial?).

I'm currently a student searching for a summer job :)

I work in a position where I look at tons of resumes and something that stands out to me: the stupid emails people actually include on their resumes. I've had tons of people with 69 in their email addresses, recently had one with "[name]'s cowgirls" in it. The emails don't really affect my decision to screen them out or not but if I have to communicate with "69johnsmith69eggplant" I really think less of you. Makes me think of you as a damn child and many of these people are 30 or older...

Alternatively, when making an email choose something that's easy to retype. Avoid O and 0 because it gets confusing. Avoid random spams of numbers and letters. There are literally times when I try to email someone with hiring info and if the email fails to deliver multiple times trying to type your email or distinguish whether it's an O or 0 you just give up. Something similar to your name is really helpful.

And finally, spell your email address right on your resume. Yes this has happened and it was only discovered after calling this person that they had missed a letter in their email address on both their resume and application.

Create a professional, easily understood email address even if it's just for job searching.

No matter how qualified you are, [email protected] will get your resume shitcanned immediately. Even cutesy clever addresses, that don't make me think I'm going to get a visit from HR, are iffy. [email protected] or some version of that is best.

Freshmen in college here starting to apply for internships. Here's the problem. My name is way too WASPy and common, and every possible combination I've used (I mean EVERYTHING) is already taken. Except for using a combination of my first name, middle name and last name; however, I'd really not prefer to reveal my entire name online, just because of security reasons. Don't really want to use numbers either, or reveal my age. The current one I'm using is [email protected], but I'm not quite sure how "professional" that is. Advice? Is my current one fine for use on resumes or should I just go with my whole name? Thanks!

I earned my Bachelor's degree in May 2020 and am just now starting to write my resume and apply for jobs. Would using my school email address on my resume look more professional than using my personal email address? Or is the type of email address one uses irrelevant to employers?

Which of these email addresses is more suitable for a resume.

I am thinking of changing my email address because it no longer looks professional. My current email address is "[email protected]". What do you think contributes to a professional email address? Should I create my own domain for my email address or use a popular source like Gmail?

All comments and recommendations are appreciated!

I’ve been working in IT for a few years but am looking for a new job and want a more professional email. My current one has my birth year and everything I’ve read says that can be a red flag for employers. I’ve tried creating a new one using every variation of first, middle, and last name. I’ve used periods and various orientations of initials. I was able to find a few that were accepted.

(First name.middle name. Last name)

(First initial. Middle name, last name)

(First name,middle initial,last name.tech)

I’m just worried that those would be too long. Would any of those work well for a professional email. If not, do you have suggestions?

I also wonder if I might have better luck with a different email platform. Aside from Gmail, is there a different one I could use that wouldn’t throw up red flags to employers?

Edit: Oh my god, the response to this is truly incredible and I really appreciate all the advice. I’m still going through the comments but a common piece of advice is to get a domain. This is good advice and something I should certainly do at some point, especially working in IT. But a big part of the reason I’m looking for a new job is that money is extremely tight. I know it would only be like $20/year but we’re trying to avoid any extra spending, no matter how minor. For right now, purchasing a domain would probably be more of a last resort.

Is it absolutely imperative that the email address I use on my resume needs to include exactly my full name? Or is it more about avoiding explicitly unprofessional email addresses?

For example, I know that [email protected] is going to be a red flag. But what about something silly but inoffensive, like [email protected]?

I do not currently have my exact full name in my email address, but my main email is sort of a play on letters using my name. I'm trying to decide if that will be okay, or if I need to bite the bullet and create a new one.

firstnamelastname and [email protected] were taken; along with the period in between. I also don’t have a middle initial.. And numbers don’t exactly off professional like: [email protected]

Soooooo is it professional if my email was something like [email protected]? The ny at the end representing New York?

Let’s say my surname is Simmons. Would it be ok to have [email protected] as my professional email? (Applying to jobs with and on cv/resume)

As a recruiter, I see a lot of terribly unprofessional email addresses being used on resumes and used to apply for jobs. It's not an automatic disqualification, but as an applicant you want to put your most professional foot forward. Getting a normal email is an extremely easy way to do this. Just like you would dress up for an interview, you aren't going to wear shorts and a tank top and try to convince them you are professional. Here are some examples of email addresses that will get you sent to the bottom of the pile: knockinboots44, satansminions, anything with "69" in it, partygirl87, etc etc

Hey,

I'm creating a new email address for professional reasons and personal. My current address was made when i was 14 and as you can probably guess, it's not very appropriate for a professional atmosphere.

Long story short, I apperantly have a common name because all variants of my first, middle and last name are taken. The only one available is [email protected] but with a letter removed from my middle name. Example - [email protected] (instead of [email protected]).

Would this be a bad idea? Looked down upon by potential employers?

Any help would be really appreciated.

I've recently been laid off after 24 years at my position so I'm now looking for my "encore career." I've used an AOL address for years. Should I change it now to something else to avoid dating myself? I'm assuming the 24 years at this one job kind of does the same thing so I'm not sure if it matters.

Hi everyone. I know the formats for professional emails is [firstname][lastname]@gmail.com, [lastname][firstname]@gmail.com, etc. but since my name happens to be extremely common, all the names are taken. I tried including numbers in my username but it was all to no avail.

Are there any other "professional" username formats I should know about? If my name were Jane Doe, could I use something like JD1234 as my email address on my resume?

edit: thanks everyone!