Impression Management – What does your email address say about you?

It’s often touted that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but to pose an analogous question, have you thought about what makes you “beautiful” to an employer? I’m not talking about being the next Rachel Hunter, Brad Pitt or George Clooney, but rather how are you managing your personal brand to reflect the perception of who you are and why you should be employed? In a typical “Trinny and Susannah”-like fashion, I wondered whether perhaps we should look at “what not to wear”, in terms of managing the link between contemporary technology and the impression it can convey.
With the introduction of social networking and media sites such as LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter it might be worth asking yourself a few key questions: What does my profile say about me? Just how secure or private is my profile? Did you know that each time a social media website updates their layout and design your privacy settings could be changed to their ‘default’ settings? This could mean that whilst you normally have a pristine impression with those in your network, you have no control over who views the events you will be attending or any embellished stories that your friends post onto your page, or as part of their updates.

Furthermore, given the lack of tone and context in a short tweet or Facebook post, how do you ensure what you say is not being misinterpreted? This begs the question. Given the shift in technology for those we interact with, as a potential candidate for an organisation, would you appreciate knowing that your profile is not private or that others can view this? To what extent do you think an executive search firm should provide you with advice in regards to managing your impression in a constantly evolving technology savvy world?

Here are a few links that serve as a weary warning blended with an element of satirical humour when it comes to keeping up with the Joneses in the contemporary technology environment.

1) When using contemporary technology be aware of acronym use.

2) Social media is a tool but have you considered the effect your etiquette in this environment has and how you can avoid you or your organisations chances of being involved in personal grievances and/or defamation law suits?

3) What does your email address say about you? In his article ‘Know What your Email Address Says About You’ Jason Fitzpatrick wrote that “The username you select is vastly more important than the provider you use. Firstname.lastname@aol.com is preferred to and more respectable than sexkitten2010@aol.com—cutesy, offensive, or unprofessional nicknames are big mistakes.”

Equally the same can be asked of organisations. What more can your organisation do as an employer to present the best impression when it comes to the appointment and induction process of candidates?