Why Your Email Address Makes a First Impression

Your professional email address says something about you before you've said a word

The 76% problem

Research shows that 76% of CVs are screened out if the email address looks unprofessional. Hiring managers and clients notice. An email address signals something about you before you've said a word.

One CEO has said that applicants using Yahoo or Hotmail are immediately eliminated from consideration.

Whether you're applying for jobs, emailing clients, or just introducing yourself, your email address is often the first thing people see. A surname email like sarah@johnson.com communicates professionalism instantly. An address like cooldude92@aol.com communicates something else entirely.

What counts as an unprofessional email address

Legacy provider addresses

AOL, Yahoo, Hotmail, and similar services were dominant in the 1990s and 2000s. Using one today signals that you haven't updated your digital life in decades. AOL in particular is widely mocked — fairly or not, it creates an impression.

ISP email addresses

Addresses ending in comcast.net, att.net, verizon.net, and similar signal that you got your email from your cable company in 2003. These communicate "not tech savvy" more than almost anything else. And if you switch providers, you lose the address entirely.

Handles that made sense once

cooldude92@, guitarman@, soccermom4life@ — any address that was fine when you were 19 but doesn't belong on a resume, a client proposal, or a real estate listing. You've grown up. Your email address should too.

Why Gmail is fine (for now)

Gmail is acceptable because it's current and universal. No one judges you for having a Gmail address. But even gmail.com is a generic address — it says nothing about who you are. You share the domain with two billion other people.

A surname-based professional email address like sarah@johnson.com says your name, in full, with nothing to explain or apologize for. It's the email equivalent of a well-fitting suit versus a clean t-shirt. Both are fine. One makes a stronger impression.

What a professional personal email looks like

A professional personal email address has your name in it, uses a domain that means something, and requires no explanation:

• john@smith.net
• sarah@johnson.com
• m.garcia@garcia.net

RealNames provides exactly this — a surname-based professional email address that forwards to whatever inbox you already use. No migration, no new app, no new password. Just a better address.