How much time do you put into your resume? We have several blog posts related to how to create a resume that will get noticed. We have also discussed things that also help you get noticed, such as putting up a personal website or creating a blog or even a vlog to show people that you are an expert in your field.
For all the time, money, and effort you put into your resume and digital presence, most people are going to be caught up and be turned down for a job by the one thing they take completely for granted. What is the number one reason a resume is rejected? Is it the stock of the paper? No. Is it spelling and grammatical mistakes? No.
The number one reason a resume is rejected is your email address.
76% of resume rejections are due to an unprofessional email address. By comparison, for those resumes that don’t get rejected for an unprofessional email address, 43% of resumes are rejected for being poorly written.
This blog writer can offer a real-world example of an email address that doomed the resume to the trash heap. While working for an advertising agency IT department, we were looking to hire a network engineer. One resume came in that looked good, was well written and showed a decent amount of experience to the point where he was being considered for an interview. Until we noticed the email address was a risqué double entendre. While we got a good laugh at it, the department director felt that it showed a lack of judgement, and the candidate was rejected outright.
A resume is a one or two page document that can be a minefield. There are a million details, any one of which, if not handled properly, can cause a resume to be rejected. Many people will read their resume repeatedly and suffer over every word and phrase looking for that typo or stray comma that could cause a resume to be rejected. After all the time spent making sure every word is perfect, so many people miss the obvious.
We have seen resumes where the only typo was in the candidate’s name at the top. We have seen phone numbers with too many digits or not enough digits, and we have seen email addresses that didn’t have the “.com” at the end.
While it is important to make sure every word and punctuation mark is correct, it is also important to check the obvious stuff, like your name. It is also essential to have a professional email address. You can have a gmail or yahoo address. The domain itself doesn’t have to be customized, but keep the email address professional. Use your name. If you have to include numbers, keep them simple. If you add anything else, such as a degree or certification, make sure it is easy to read. If you are in a field, such as technology, which has multiple certifications, you do not have to add them all to your address. It will just make it difficult to read and yet another reason to reject the resume.
Remember, keep it simple and keep it professional.
