Why your e-mail address could be keeping your from your dream job

As a hiring manager I have seen it all and by all I mean some pretty 'creative' e-mail addresses on resumes. For my friends out there that are clueless let me give you a hint; anything personal is not professional. Let me be specific - I once had a woman apply for a job and her e-mail address ON HER RESUME was Sexkitten69@ whatever her domain was, let me just tell you this is NOT a good email address and promptly landed her in the 'No' pile. Anyone that cannot distinguish between what a professional e-mail address is and what an unprofessional e-mail address is a red flag in any hiring manager's book. Let me tell you what else qualifies as an unprofessional e-mail address - anything that relates to your personal life. Including hobbies, extracurricular activities, your love for illegal substances (yes I have seen it), sex, political references, relationship status, and anything else that isn't career related. So what is a professional e-mail address? Your name, your name and numbers (preferably none that have sexual or negative inuendos), salesguru@email.com if your in sales is acceptable. Joeknowsitall@email.com not so good. In this current economic downturn and the increasingly difficult job market I cannot preach it enough hiring decisions are made based on EXCLUSION not INCLUSION. Human Resources professionals, Recruiters, Decision makers are looking for a reason NOT to hire you. So don't start out on the wrong foot with an unprofessional e-mail address and end up in the 'No" pile from the start. Here are a few other recommendations to increase your chances of success: - Create an e-mail account strictly for job search purposes only. - Use a combination of name or name and number - Use this e-mail when sending your resumes out to employers, when posting your resume on job boards, and for including on your resume and cover letter. - By all means use this e-mail address when you post your resume on craigslist, we are paying attention to the email address we're responding to. - Fun, funky, and crazy e-mail addresses are for personal use not for a serious job search. Keep these tips in mind and you won't have to worry about ending up in a hiring manager's 'No' pile because your resume doesn't make the grade. For other job search tips and hints visit http://www.greatresumesfast.wordpress.com.