I received an email earlier this week from a candidate who was writing to inquire about a new CMIO position that had just been posted on the Job Board. This particular opportunity has elicited some super candidates, so I looked forward to taking a look at the attached resume to see what mountains this particular candidate had climbed. The ironic thing about the email, though, is that it came from [email protected]. I’ll bet you’re laughing – I was, too, thinking that this guy was just being funny and creative to get my attention. I knew there was no way a candidate of this stature would use that email address on his resume. But. . . yes way. . .when I opened the resume, there it was, in all its glory, right at the top for all to see, and in all caps, no less:
CONTACT: [email protected].
Okay. I love a good laugh as well as the next gal/guy, and I understand that in our current ultra-competitive job market it’s tempting to do something a little over the top to stand out from the crowd. But Mr. Pimp Daddy CIO? This isn’t it. And while we’re on the topic, in case you’re listening, the same advice applies to you, GodsGiftToIT@, SexyCIO@, MyFriendsCallMeMrCIO@, BuxomButBrilliantCIO@, CICIO@ (this one took me a while to figure out – think “Old McDonald”) and all the rest of you who have oh-so-cleverly used the word “byte” to your (dis)advantage in your email addresses.
So what’s the best email nomenclature to use when seeking a new Healthcare IT opportunity? Obviously (hopefully) it’s not a good idea to use your current work email address, and an email address from a freebie vendor like Yahoo or Hotmail screams “rookie” and will often end up in the recruiter’s spam folder. I highly recommend purchasing your own name as the email address domain name for all personal career development business. I use my “Gwen at GwenDarling dot com” address for all business outside of Healthcare IT Central, and have set up a Yahoo account for all personal correspondence. Not only does this method present the right tone and level of professionalism for each aspect of my life, it also helps keep the channels separate and organized.
CONTACT: [email protected].
Okay. I love a good laugh as well as the next gal/guy, and I understand that in our current ultra-competitive job market it’s tempting to do something a little over the top to stand out from the crowd. But Mr. Pimp Daddy CIO? This isn’t it. And while we’re on the topic, in case you’re listening, the same advice applies to you, GodsGiftToIT@, SexyCIO@, MyFriendsCallMeMrCIO@, BuxomButBrilliantCIO@, CICIO@ (this one took me a while to figure out – think “Old McDonald”) and all the rest of you who have oh-so-cleverly used the word “byte” to your (dis)advantage in your email addresses.
So what’s the best email nomenclature to use when seeking a new Healthcare IT opportunity? Obviously (hopefully) it’s not a good idea to use your current work email address, and an email address from a freebie vendor like Yahoo or Hotmail screams “rookie” and will often end up in the recruiter’s spam folder. I highly recommend purchasing your own name as the email address domain name for all personal career development business. I use my “Gwen at GwenDarling dot com” address for all business outside of Healthcare IT Central, and have set up a Yahoo account for all personal correspondence. Not only does this method present the right tone and level of professionalism for each aspect of my life, it also helps keep the channels separate and organized.
As with typos in cover letters , scary resume photos , and disrespectful interview attire , an inappropriate email address can create a negative, usually irrevocable first impression. Domain names are a very inexpensive career development investment, and can be purchased and set up in a matter of minutes – there’s no excuse not to! Personally I prefer the extremely easy admin dashboard, slick tools, and continual promos offered by GoDaddy.com , but I’m confident that anyone reading this blog can easily navigate the domain name waters. Especially you Mr. Pimp Daddy CIO.
