Archive for the ‘Job Hunt’ Category

You have a beautifully formatted resume on nice paper. You dress professionally for the interview. And the email address on your resume is pornstar69@(whatever).com.

Email nicknames that do not project a professional image:

• sexxxygirl
• sacktiger
• devotedtoChrist (it says too much about your personal beliefs - inappropriate for many workplaces)
• goody2shoes
• johnnybravo (if your name isn’t Johnny Bravo. A great cartoon, but not appropriate for the workplace)

It’s small details like this that can place you second or third in the job competition.

A cute, corny or, in some people’s minds, offensive email address can take away from the professional image you are trying to create in the hiring manager’s mind. Your email nickname can reveal quite a lot about you, and too much personal information is never a good thing when you are trying to get hired.

Advice: get a second email address based on your name. Email addresses and accounts are free; use a second account for professional correspondence. Check out Hotmail, gmail or Yahoo Mail for free accounts.

Use a variation on your name like:

• sarahsmith
• sarah.smith
• s.smith
• ssmith

and so on. It may be difficult to find a variation on a popular name, so try mixing a number in with it. Please avoid the number 69.

• sarahsmith23
• ssmith42

When you are job hunting, professionalism is very, very important. Make sure every element of your presentation, including your email address, lives up to the image.

Beautiful post from Heather Mundell at Career Hub: Optimism is Your Career Ally

Everyone gets down on their career searches. Job hunting is one of the most frustrating things you will every do. When you get the job, there are days when the most optimistic people just want to crawl under a blanket and eat chocolate.

Here’s what sets apart the pessimists from the optimists, according to Dr. Martin Seligman, author of Learned Optimism: How to Change Your Mind and Your Life,

“The defining characteristic of pessimists is that they tend to believe bad events will last a long time, will undermine everything they do, and are their own fault. The optimists, who are confronted with the same hard knocks of the world, think about misfortune in the opposite way. They tend to believe defeat is just a temporary setback, that its causes are confined to this one case…Confronted by a bad situation, they perceive it as a challenge and try harder.”

Heather outlines the “ABCD” skills model:

A. Notice when you’re experiencing adversity, even just a tiny example.
“I can’t get a meeting with my boss this week.”

B. Notice your beliefs (i.e., your interpretation) about this adversity.
“My boss is always ducking me. Why doesn’t she care about what I’m doing?”

C. Notice how you feel and/or what you do (i.e., the consequences).
“I’m worried that I’m not going to be considered for the promotion I’m wanting, that I’m no longer a “player”. I’m angry that I’m disregarded.”

D. Distract yourself or dispute your beliefs.
Immediately shift your attention to stop ruminating. Or use evidence, alternative views, or decatastrophize. (These are very powerful skills that I just can’t do justice here. Get the book!)

Read the post and check out the book she mentions, and keep your spirits up!