Does a Lame E-Mail Address Really Matter? 1049
theodp writes "Over at the Chicago Tribune, freelance writer Nancy Anderson makes an embarrassing confession. It's 2010 and she still has an AOL e-mail address. 'You've got to get rid of that AOL address,' her publicist sister told her five years ago. 'It's bad for your image.' Image, shmimage, Anderson thought. 'If I do good work,' she asks, 'does my e-mail address really matter?' Good question. Would an AOL e-mail address — or another 'toxic' e-mail address — influence your decision to hire someone?"
People aren't rational (Score:5, Insightful)
You can either change human nature or change your email address.
Not the domain (Score:5, Insightful)
I really don't care if someone has an AOL email address, though I work in a non-tech industry, so it may be different for me. However, the username is important. Here in DC, if you're straight out of an internship and you still have an email along the lines of drinkingfiend01@gmail.com, that's a negative mark. Similarly, a friend of mine who works in HR in San Francisco gets resumes all the time with emails the likes of johnissogay@whatever.com. Yeah, it's SF, but that's still not work appropriate.
I once had a guy bring it up in an interview (Score:3, Insightful)
It's what comes before the @ that matters (Score:5, Insightful)
Depends. I've done a good few external hires over the last few years, and while I'd never actively sift on the basis of e-mail addresses, there's no denying that an outlandish one can make an impact (and probably not the sort you wan to make).
I wouldn't particularly care about an AOL address. I don't honestly think that any address which conforms to the firstname.lastname@isp.com format (or any other varation including initials, dots etc) will set any alarm bells ringing for any sensible employer.
However, there is one type of e-mail address that does cause me concern. This is the obvious "naughty" one. I've actually seen job applications listing addresses like partychick33@... or drunkenmick@... These do not give a good impression. Is it unfair? Probably. After all, there's nothing wrong with going out and enjoying yourself. However, using that e-mail address for a job application does imply that you have a problem when dealing with boundaries.
To sum up; a potential employer is far more likely to be put off by what comes before the @ in your e-mail address than by what comes afterwards.
Re:yes (Score:5, Insightful)
It is terrible that someone would judge others by something as simple as an email address. Yet we all do it. *@aol.com instantly kicks in my "dumbass...." reflex, and I'm sure it does for most other nerds. Worse yet, can you image applying for an IT job with an aol email account? Right or wrong, it would be looked down on.
Re:yeah (Score:5, Insightful)
Well, when a stack of 100 resumes is sitting in the in box, the first thing you have to do is weed them down to the three or four you're actually going to interview. The first 80 get tossed because the applicant isn't qualified. That leaves 20 who "may be" OK. Some will then get tossed because they're ugly, or contain spelling errors. A toxic email address might be a reason one ends up in the discard bin.
It's all going to depend on the person doing the hiring. If they have that "AOL == toxic" mindset, you lose. Ask yourself if you are willing to bet a future job hanging on to your oldtimer@AOL.com address.
Re:yes (Score:5, Insightful)
I see applications from people all the time that send in resumes with stupid email addresses. Right or wrong, we judge on this.
Commonsense (and most recruiters or professional resume polishers) will tell you: Get a nice, professional-looking email address. Your.Name@SomeBusiness.com can work (though be careful of that, since if you leave your job it may go away). Your.Name at somewhere neutral (yahoo, hotmail, gmail, etc) works well. "Spicysluttybarbie@cheapdate.com" isn't going to look professional and unless you're applying for work as a stripper, isn't going to help you.
An AOL email address, today, has you attached to a sinking ship. Right or wrong, people are going to judge by that. And right or wrong, having an AOL address will indicate to people that you aren't very good with technology, which does make it harder for you to convince them you can match the job's skills requirement later.
My advice? Set your AOL address to a redirect, create a nice new, neutral/professional address, and go from there.
Re:Actually yes -- in some cases (Score:4, Insightful)
A domain name and simple email plan from most registrar's is less than $40/year. That's hardly extravagant.
Re:yes (Score:4, Insightful)
Well where I work, we did in fact throw a number of resumes out the window specifically because of hotmail and AOL email addresses.
But then again, I work in IT, those people SHOULD know better.
But what if they are just using those AOL or hotmail addresses as their personal spam box? Maybe they are old email addresses that they give out to unknown people/companies?
I sure wouldn't be giving someone I don't know my personal email.
Re:I notice it. (Score:3, Insightful)
Why is a GMail id better than a Yahoo id?
Re:yes (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:yes (Score:5, Insightful)
Suppose the applicant is filtering employers by using an aol address, on the presumption that any MANAGER smart enough to avoid aol addresses is probably too smart to easily sabotage and then replace after getting hired.
Re:yes (Score:4, Insightful)
Your company is over run with dipweasels.
An AOL address is as viable as any other, and they may have good reasons for keeping it that have nothing to do with their profession.
There is not one damned thing wrong with an AOL account. You just want to think you're so much smarter, better or whatever. But you're missing one of the cardinal rules of IT: If the damned thing works, don't mess with it.
Snobs are not fun to work for anyway.
Good for the ones you rejected on such a stupid criteria. They probably found real jobs with real companies with real people.
Re:But it was the last domain available! (Score:2, Insightful)
Wow, you don't just have a domain, you have your own TLD!!!
That is so uber-cool!
(sorry about the rest of the domain though)
Re:yes (Score:1, Insightful)
Why would you advertise AOL or hotmail, when you have a chance to plug your own site?
Not everybody has 1. the cash for hosting for a site and 2. the time to maintain one.
$10 a year for a domain, and use google apps (basically gmail)
It is telling... (Score:5, Insightful)
... how such idiocy is moderated insightful as I write....
I am sure I am a the top of my game in what I do.
The only 2 email addresses I ever had are are considered by some as "unprofessional" (as in oh my good, he is not paying for a service that he can get for free! The horror!).
So, does that obtuse view of some about the world should count more than a measured approach to the capabilities of somebody?
I say no, but again, I am at the top of my game, worked in many places in different countries, and occasionally interviewed and managed a few people in some companies of certain fame, so perhaps my opinion is atypical.
Re:yeah (Score:1, Insightful)
More importantly, ask yourself if you'd want to work for someone who'd toss out a well-qualified candidate without knowing the backstory as to why that person still has an @aol.com address. There are many perfectly valid reasons for someone to still use one.
Like us? (Score:4, Insightful)
Sorry buddy, don't use plural.
I will judge people based on their merits and not on puerile assumptions.
I call that "us" professional people..
Re:yes (Score:2, Insightful)
If the damned thing works, don't mess with it.
Stopping innovation since the beginning of time. Times change, people change, perceptions change. Email domains are like clothing. You might like showing up for work in a Victorian era outfit, but you're gong to get some strange looks. Try it in an interview and you won't likely get through the door, unless it's a quiet day in need of some entertainment.
Re:Actually yes -- in some cases (Score:3, Insightful)
And I would rather use 40$/y for a subscription on a magazine.
When I ran a couple of years ago a small, single-person company, I had a domain name. It is interesting because it is deductible.
However, as a private person, I pay my internet subscription and as part of that I get up to five (familial) email addresses without hassle. Why should I invest in a private domain name ?
Re:yes (Score:3, Insightful)
Once upon a time AOL was a nice, neutral email provider.
Re:yes (Score:5, Insightful)
I bet they'd be more impressed with a top hat than a Children of Bodom t-shirt.
Absolutely not. (Score:5, Insightful)
Why should i care about what service provider they are using?
What is next people? Are you going to check also if they are using an iPhone or not? The kind of car they drive? The newspapers they read?
Unless the email address is obviously offensive, I see no reason whatsoever to even be thinking about it.
Those people saying that IT people should have their own domain, honestly, get a life. Have a domain and associated website if you want to, but it is outlandish to suggest it should be a de facto thing.
I personally invest enough hours at work doing technology stuff, I have no need or inclination to be running a website at home. It is called balance, something some people around here should be aiming more for.
Personal domain a must?! For bunnies sakes ....
Re:Not lame, it's antique (Score:3, Insightful)
Therefore there is geoCities address in my CV next to the solid list of known technologies - in fact, it proved to be
more persistent, than one of current ISP.
Isn't geocities down since October last year?
Re:yes (Score:1, Insightful)
... But you're missing one of the cardinal rules of IT: If the damned thing works, don't mess with it.
So, let me understand you, you may be just like some of the other IT guys I've run into:
- You don't believe in patch management either
- You setup servers and "forget" them until they break
- You have no clue what protocols are running on your network, and never turn them off
- You setup devices by turning them on and connecting them
- You never tune anything
- You don't know what services are running on your PCs and Servers
- Your web servers are never locked down and updated to face various issues
- Your firewall settings allow anything outbound
BTW: Great advice (not!)
Re:yes (Score:2, Insightful)
No
I have an AOL account. My second e-mail account, the first being an msn account that was closed years ago. I use the aol account for things which may result in spam or marketing emails.
I'm a great employee and if the aol.com means you don't think I'll fit in your organization, then you're probably right. But you are confused over who has the problem.
Re:yes (Score:2, Insightful)
However, as someone else already posted, the actual account name is much more important IMO as it can give an general idea of the person's personality and attention to his public image; RockCock, BongKing, KegMaster,
Re:yes (Score:5, Insightful)
I've got a Yahoo email address. Would you have been do stupidly biased against me?
JoeBloggs@(yahoo|gmail|hotmail).com are all pretty much alike IMO, but steer clear of sexy_pants_87@anything.
If someone doesn't want to pay for their own domain, and doesn't have an address provided by their university (if they went, and if they went recently enough) then there's not much choice.
I use myfirstname@mysurname.uk on my CV (and for most other things). I could also use firstname.surname@alumni.imperial.ac.uk.
Re:Actually yes -- in some cases (Score:3, Insightful)
but its unnecessary if webmail serves your needs perfectly well.
Re:yes (Score:5, Insightful)
Or it could say that you've had an an e-mail address for a very long time and continue to use it because it's the one everyone knows. Yes, there's an institutional bias against AOL but I can't see where using the account that you've had for years should be any factor in whether or not someone looks at your resume.
I know that one of the new 'job seeking advice rules' is to get a professional address on one of the main mail hosts but someone else said that Hotmail is an address they toss. So maybe another company has a bias against Yahoo. Or Gmail. You can't please everyone so I say just use the account you actually check and go from there.
Then again if your address is IFeelPretty@AOL.com and your name is Frank then maybe, just maybe, you might want to consider getting another address for job seeking. There are some things the hiring manager doesn't need to infer. Really, they don't.
Re:yes (Score:2, Insightful)
What if they are out of a job and all they can afford is free? What if their ISP doesnt have email (some do not you know). Perhaps the only other email they have is the current company they work for and the IT guy there snoops?
Have you actually used things like monster to look for a job? You get THOUSANDS of spams/scams. Aol, hotmail, etc... have excellent spam filtering services.
Yes an @aol.com does look bad. But guess what its just an email account. Hell I still have .edu accounts from 20 years ago...
You may want to re-think your attitude. Like you say But then again, I work in IT, those people SHOULD know better. Apparently you dont.
Not just equal, but exceeding (Score:4, Insightful)
The idea, which the "so what" crowd seems to miss, is that the candidate not only have an "equal" address, but should stand out somehow. As parent notes, it doesn't take much to get your own domain, but doing so shows you DO pay attention to polishing details and DO know enough to make those details happen - to wit, going above and beyond.
The question should not be "should AOL etc. addresses be discriminated against", it should be "does the candidate excel beyond his 'equals'?"
(Yes I do have my own domain; my personal email is my name (al la first@last.TLD). I'm amused by how hard it is for people to comprehend this, and how amazed they are when they realize it.)
Re:yes (Score:4, Insightful)
as a hiring manger, if i see an address like the one you outlined there, the first thing that jumps out at me is 'completely unprofessional'. thats a major strike you dont want or need against you, and that you chose to overlook that or (even worse) shove in my face that you dont care is a a huge warning sign that you are going to be a trouble employee should we end up hiring you.
image matters, no matter how much you want it not to.
in this age, when you can have multiple addresses easily from yahoo/gmail/etc, why not just have a second 'professional' address for work related matters? unless youre applying for a job at a strip joint.
Re:yeah (Score:5, Insightful)
Really? Pretty much everyone with any tech savvy abandoned aol years ago. Also, anyone with any tech savvy knows how AOL is regarded. So if you apply for a tech job with an @aol, you're telling them you're either clueless, stubborn, or just totally lacking in common sense. All of those seem like valid reasons to toss an application if you need to thin the pile. For a less tech-oriented job I wouldn't consider it such a big deal, but with so many jobs requiring some level of computer usage, who wants to hire someone with AOL-level computer skills?
Would a nutritionist apply with an @mcdonalds.com email? A truck driver with an @alcoholicsanonymous email? It's just common sense.
Re:yes (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:yes (Score:3, Insightful)
Absolutely. Especially if you're looking for a job in IT. For less than the cost of a pair of shoes you can get your own domain and email service, and you can get a gmail account for free. When you're looking for a job, you should look as though you have a clue.
Although, you have to be careful, if you get "yourname@me.com" you will look like you have a raging clue.
Re:yes (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:yes (Score:5, Insightful)
Why is gmail better than hotmail or aol?
Re:yes (Score:4, Insightful)
Ya, that logic works. That's why we didn't have a push for phone number portability a few years back too. I mean, its just a number, right? No problem to change it whenever.
Re:yes (Score:3, Insightful)
Or it could say that you've had an an e-mail address for a very long time and continue to use it because it's the one everyone knows.
You wouldn’t use that logic to keep having your physical mail addressed to the local homeless shelter...
Re:nicknames of the upmodded comments so far: (Score:1, Insightful)
Maybe it's because you don't get hired as a doctor via email, broski.
If that's insightful I'm a curried bagel (Score:3, Insightful)
Get over yourself already.
Having an AOL email address is no more an indication that the owner is for or against innovation than the colour of their skin, their gender or the cut of their jeans. You're confusing the whimsical ebb and flow of fashion with technological advance. For what it is worth, you also took his reference to not messing with things which work right out of context.
You might just as well have started your email, "Times change, people's prejudices change..."
You need to take a long hard look at yourself before you start justifying the nonsense you spout.
Re:Oh please. (Score:5, Insightful)
I think there's a misundertsanding as to how the hiring process works.
First, you get a ton of resumes in. Far more than you could interview, so step one.
Get rid of people.
The first step in almost any hiring process is to figure out which people you don't want. This is where little stupid things screw you over. Depending on how many resumes a hiring manager has, having an @aol.com email address just might be enough to get your resume thrown in the "don't bother" pile. At the end of the day they still have 30 good, qualified people to start phone interviews with, what do they care if they had 31?
Re:It is telling... (Score:3, Insightful)
The only 2 email addresses I ever had are are considered by some as "unprofessional" (as in oh my good, he is not paying for a service that he can get for free! The horror!).
As in, why don’t you at least have a good free e-mail provider, like Gmail? (Hopefully at least one of those two addresses is Gmail. If not, why not?)
Free does not equal unprofessional. In fact, I’d put a free account from a good e-mail service (e.g. Gmail) slightly above an e-mail account that’s being provided by your current employer, which you’re probably not supposed to be using for non-work-related purposes.
Gmail is pretty much sterile (neither beneficial nor harmful). Hotmail/Yahoo is a small step down from that, and AOL is somewhere in the cellar. Owning your own domain, of course, gives you a step up on the competition.
You're kidding, right? (Score:4, Insightful)
.
If you make hiring decisions based upon unrelated-to-the-job things like email addresses, then you deserve the level of employees that you get. What's next, not hiring someone because the name of the street they live on is dorky?
The wisdom of the herd (Score:2, Insightful)
If you live amongst fools, who are riddled with prejudices, then smart as you are, you are at their mercy and will have to adapt.
These things are self fulfilling; if the crowd believes people with big eyes are witches, then it might make sense for people with big eyes to squint a little - daft as the belief of the crowd might be.
It's sad that we have to alter our lifestyle to accommodate the whim and chance thought of the massed ranks of fools.
Re:yes (Score:4, Insightful)
I must agree with you. Personally I don't care WHAT the domain is on their email. AOL, Yahoo, Hotmail, etc. Doesn't matter as long as it's not obviously unprofessional (bob@naughtyschoolgirls.com would raise some eyebrows). However, your username you have some choice in and if you're going to use it on a resume, it should reflect some sense of professionalism. Choose something that is at least presentable. Use your goofy username for your private stuff.
I mean really, if the most awesome candidate in the world came in with matted hair in a Lynard Skynard t-shirt in old shots and flip-flops, he's not getting the job, no matter how good he is.
Re:It is telling... (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:yeah (Score:3, Insightful)
Really? Pretty much everyone with any tech savvy abandoned aol years ago.
Pretty much anyone with any tech savvy avoided AOL from the beginning.
Re:yes (Score:2, Insightful)
Bonus Catch-22 reference (Score:3, Insightful)
This is why I maintain a relationship with a good headhunter. The idea of trying to deal with the "random filter of the week" person staffing the HR desk at any moment in any company is just depressing. Oh no, this one used dots instead of dashes for list bullets. Must be a drug user. Oops, this one didn't embolden the section headers. Obviously a lazy worker.
Hey, Yossarian is looking at the resumes today. Death to modifiers!
It's a filter against lame managers (Score:2, Insightful)
I’m a competent and experienced IT professional that have been using Hotmail for a long time, and I’m quite happy with it for the purpose it serves. Tried Gmail, didn’t see the reason to switch. I could say more about why I prefer Hotmail, but that’s not really the point here.
If I apply for a job and someone calling themselves a manager is so “clever” that s/he is actually judging people based on such inane criteria as the choice of email provider, not the CV or references, then I will be very, very, very happy that I don’t have to work for such a close-minded, judgmental manager that is not able to prioritize what’s important. Very happy, thank you!
Re:yes (Score:4, Insightful)
I guess the same way that the nerds of the world have always thought that a mustard stain on the collar is no big deal.
The ratio of immature e-mail addresses has dropped over the years, but the clueless still abound. I especially loved the one who gave me a link to his homepage which detailed how he was an ongoing target of the mkultra [wikipedia.org] project, thanks for the heads up man.
Re:yes (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Absolutely not. (Score:3, Insightful)
If applying for IT and you give an AOL email address, you probably aren't very attuned to IT.
All I get from that statement is that you believe that being "attuned to IT" means that you need to be fashionable in some non-practical way. Until I hear that AOL email actually ceases to function as an application that you can send to and receive email from, I don't see anything wrong with it.
To my mind, you are not very "attuned to IT" if you think it is a good business practice to jump between email providers like a crazed monkey whenever you think it stops being fashionable. For one thing, moving providers and giving out your new contact information is added work that you should only do if you absolutely need to do it. An email address, even with an unfashionable email provider, becomes like a business phone number. It costs real time and money to make the change or you can lose existing, paying customers.
I have a client who is a mortgage broker and keeps using his aol email for business. I keep telling him to use his business email. He really can't afford to lose business over an email.
I actually think you are right, because if he actually has a business email, there are a lot of reasons to use it, including, but not limited to, the potential silly bigotry. That does not justify the bigotry, it's just practical. The people who would judge you on your email domain are still fools, but in this case, you want money and fools are good sources of ready income.
Re:yes (Score:4, Insightful)
Your email is yours, not theirs
You're saying this about Google!? . The only people that might be worse than Google in terms of data mining and user tracking is the NSA. When somebody sends you an email to Gmail, don't be confused -- Google owns that message. They're just nice enough to let you read it too.
they don't insert ads.
That's not even true. Gmail pages have plenty of text advertisements.
Don't get me wrong, I use and mostly like Gmail, but people wearing such obvious fanboy blinders towards Google's actions and motives drive me nuts.
Re:yes (Score:5, Insightful)
I will *not* consider 'partyd00d420@whatever' for a job. Sorry, just not going to happen.
Really? You're not going to consider someone because of their email address?
I gave a "silly" email address (my username at gmail) to a few companies on my CV. One gave me shit over it, and it was a place so full of bullshit corporate politics that the issue nearly dominated the interview. Another one of those places hired me, and if they regret it, they're doing their best to make me think otherwise.
I used that email address, when I had the capability to get a "professional" one, because I didn't want to work at Stuffy Pre-Judging No Sense of Humor Ltd. If they disliked my address to the point where it would disqualify me, they sure wouldn't like me and I sure wouldn't like them.
Re:yes (Score:3, Insightful)
Why is gmail better than hotmail or aol?
I use gmail myself, but let's be honest. They don't insert ads into the mail itself, but there's no secret that the emails are scanned and used for ad targeting anyway.
Re:yes (Score:3, Insightful)
Considering that what I hire are sober, professional, intelligent people who will have to pass an in-depth background check for security clearance; Yes.
You basically just told me "the system works".
I don't want people who can't handle stuffy places filled with politics. I want people who are level-headed, competent, and can be trusted to get the job done no matter what random stuff a client throws at them. If that client happens to be some weird .com holdover with a jeans and headshop t-shirt dress code, great. If it's a government contractor that requires suits and carefully worded emails, that's gotta be ok too.
There's 10% unemployment out there - don't join those ranks just because you think it's cool to be a frat boy at 35.
Re:hey! (Score:3, Insightful)
It the artwork doesn't matter, why is it even there?