Job search professionalism

None of this is expert advice. It's what people worked out for themselves, usually the hard way — what actually helped, and what they'd tell someone standing where you are. Take what fits and leave the rest.

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Use a different email address to sign up for job boards than the one listed on your resume.
This helps avoid wasting time on spam from spammers who scrape job boards.
one person who lived it
Help children set up professional-sounding email addresses early.
This ensures they have a suitable address available as they grow older.
one person who lived it
Avoid using Hotmail or Yahoo addresses on resumes, as some recruiters view them negatively.
Some recruiters find these addresses unprofessional.
- Others argue that the specific provider does not matter as long as the address is sensible.
2 people, independently
Avoid email addresses that reference illegal activities, substances, or sexually suggestive terms.
Such addresses result in no callback.
- Unless applying to specific industries like adult entertainment.
one person who lived it
Do not assume a human reviewed your resume just because you received an email from the address listed on it.
Computers can easily extract email addresses from resumes, regardless of file format.
one person who lived it

Create a shared 'parent' email account for communicating with schools so both parents have access to the password.
This ensures that important updates are not missed.
one person who lived it
Avoid disabling right-click on your personal website to protect images.
It is against user interface design principles, encourages visitors to leave, and does little to protect pictures.
one person who lived it
Avoid using email addresses that sound like gamer tags or hobby-specific nicknames for professional purposes.
They are not considered professional.
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Consider the long-term difficulty of securing unique digital identities for future generations.
Future offspring may struggle to find available usernames and domain names.
one person who lived it

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Avoid email addresses that reveal strong religious affiliations when applying to secular or diverse workplaces.
It may cause mismatched expectations regarding workplace culture and behavior.
one person who lived it