So a few days ago, I noticed a couple of emails (41) held up in the SPAM folder of my email. I've had to reply these emails with an apology for not getting to their CVs on time because I DON'T normally read my spam box.
However, I looked at some of the email addresses for the mails that got trapped in the SPAM box and could not help but assume that perhaps, these emails were treated as junk because of the nature of the email address. Most (not all) of them were in the form of: yemibigboiz@xyz.com, fiercebabe01@xyz.com, chinew_@xyz.com (there is an underscore "_" on this email but the hyperlink won't let you see it)
Could your Email Address add to the reasons why you don't get replies from recruiters? Ever wondered if perhaps your email didn't actually get through to their inbox OR they replied you but you didn't receive it because they sent the mail to the wrong address? (I'm not trying to stir up worry in anyone).
I know multinational companies recruit using online forms but what of those cases where you send your application by email or even visit recruitment consultants?
(For this write up, lets assume my name is Apple Head)
When I got my first email addresses I tailored it to look just like those of my siblings. I wanted it to sound 'cool'. My 2 email addresses were apple4real@xyz.co.uk and realapple4life@xyz.co.uk.
Sadly, I thought this was 'cool'. Fastforward a few years, I was now at University, 100L and in the heat of IM and all that, it just seemed laborious trying to get people to understand my email address. I changed email ads to adapt to a style I had come across. The address was in the form lady_name@xyz.com. I decided to adapt my new address to this and started using miss_apple@xyz.com (there is an underscore "_" on this email but the hyperlink won't let you see it). However, when I started filling forms, I noticed how hard it was sometimes to recognise the "_" part of the email address. Some people that were not familiar with the underscore character "_" thought it meant there was a gap, some used a "-" instead and all sorts while others excluded it all together.
I recall being called by a recruitment agency for an interview at their office and after filling the form the lady struggled to understand my email address as she reviewed my form. I explained to her that it was an underscore "_" . As I walked out of that office, I prayed she or whoever was going to be responsible for emailing me about the outcome of my interview will remember that my email address had an underscore.
Obviously as I got home without even taking off my shoes, I sat by my laptop and created a whole new email address applehead@xyz.com (that is in the format firstnamesurname@xyz.com)
Now even though I have a very weird name, anyone that has a difficulty with my email address can easily cross check it using my personal information where I have details of my fullname.
Anyway that was my simple opinion on email until I bumped into several articles talking about email address and the image they project.
I came across the following article. Read the full thing at Jump Start Your Job Search
Does your e-mail address project the right image?
Your e-mail should not be silly or playful, but professional. Do not use cute or "personal" e-mail addresses like queenmother@abc.com, JohnsonFamily@123.com, harleyhunk@abc.com, cat-luvR@)xyz.com, and so on.
Is your e-mail address short and intuitive?
Avoid e-mail addresses with long strings of numbers and letters. Try to select an e-mail address that's easy to remember and get the shortest e-mail address you can find.
Does your e-mail address include digits like L, I, 0, or O?
The digit 0 looks like the letter O and a non-capitalized L (l) looks like a capitalized i (I). Avoid using these letters and digits.
Does your e-mail address include underscores?
Underscores are not visible if the text is underlined
Is your job search confidential?
Protect your identity. Don't let your e-mail address give you away
Read more about this at about.com
also see Job Search Tip - Get a Sensible Email Address and try to read the comments on the last link.
I need an IT expert to help me and perhaps those interested to check if the following are myths or facts.
I have always had the following opinions about spam boxes:
- they also trap emails originating from email addresses with "funny" or "cool" texts
- if your email address has been blacklisted by several people, your mails will by default be delivered to the SPAM folder. (I have this thing I do where I blacklist email addresses that constantly send me chain emails and those annoying FWD: messages as I dislike receiving unnecessary mails. ) Now imagine if several people have blacklisted you. Most email providers such as yahoo have maintain a database of emails reported as spam, so imagine what may have happened to your Email address. The same one you use to submit applications.
...oh and one other thing, how do you access your replies from recruiters if you receive 60 new mails in your inbox everyday? - 30 notifications from facebook, 10 from twitter etc. I had a dedicated email address for my job searches and I used my miss_apple@xyz.com for facebook, twitter and all other social networks.
Again I'm asking, Could your Email Address add to the reasons why you don't get replies from recruiters? Ever wondered if perhaps your email didn't actually get through to their inbox OR they replied you but you didn't receive it because they sent the mail to the wrong address? (I'm not trying to stir up worry in anyone).
Cheers
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