Are .edu emails professional looking for recent grads?

December 16, 2009 7:18 PM

Are .edu emails professional looking for a recent grad?

Is [e-mail] better?

I'm under-empolyed and freelancing, but always job seeking. Does .edu look like I'm still in school?

I'm looking to transition to a Droid, which means I need to get friendly with some google services. My university uses google apps, and I've got a gmail account previously used as a dump/spam account. Both will be compatible with the Droid, but I'm looking to simplify my "digital life."*

So, which is better looking to potential clients/employers?

Alumni are guaranteed email for life, so that's not an issue. Thanks.

*I loathe that term as much as you do.

posted by fontophilic to work & money (26 comments total)

i think for a recent grad it's a wash, but a couple of years down the line it'll look odd--i would go with the gmail now for continuity's sake.
posted by thinkingwoman at 7:21 PM on December 16, 2009

Obviously the professional approach is to use your own domain for sending. I think Google lets you, if you've set it up right.

I just use the xylastname@gmail approach, though I need to set up my pwnguin.net MX address.
posted by pwnguin at 7:22 PM on December 16, 2009 [1 favorite]

nobody cares what your email address is, unless it's blatantly inappropriate.
posted by randomstriker at 7:25 PM on December 16, 2009 [9 favorites]

Hmm. I use my .edu alum email on job applications always. I work at a university, but not my alma mater. It's also got "alumni" after the @ part, but it's been just fine for me. I like that it's not commercial (literally, or .com). So, I'd say it's fine, especially if it's of the alum variety.
posted by bluedaisy at 7:27 PM on December 16, 2009

Better than hotmail, that's for damn sure.
posted by unixrat at 7:31 PM on December 16, 2009

Just don't use hotmail. IMO gmail looks good but it's second to having your own domain.

Seriously though, as long as it's yourname @ any domain, I think you'll be fine.
posted by Funky Claude at 7:33 PM on December 16, 2009

Applicant perspective: an email account that isn't associated with an institution (other than the provider, e.g. Google, Hotmail, etc.) is more neutral. When it comes to job apps, I am biased toward the neutral in anything that doesn't affect my ability to do a given job. So I use [e-mail].

Hirer perspective: It's not a negative although in certain very Web-marketing-oriented circles it might be seen as lazy. If you're not in those circles -- and you would probably know if you are -- then I wouldn't worry about it.

There are a couple of different ways to use Google services to handle non-gmail accounts, though, if you decide you want to have your email cake and eat it too. Mmm, email cake!
posted by chesty_a_arthur at 7:34 PM on December 16, 2009

*(other than the provider, e.g. Google, Hotmail, etc.)

On preview, apparently people on Metafilter hate Hotmail.
posted by chesty_a_arthur at 7:36 PM on December 16, 2009

I'm with pwnguin: the connotations of your email host are pretty far down on the list of things someone might notice onyour job application.

I know a bunch of people who retain their .edu addresses as alumni and a bunch of people who are actually grad students or staff or faculty, so that's the main association I have with .edu addresses.
posted by hattifattener at 7:37 PM on December 16, 2009

There's a difference between freelancing and applying for jobs. To a potential client, .edu could say, "I'm still in school and not really serious about my business, so you'll be competing with school for my attention."

To me (I hire contractors) a gmail address is also slightly suspect, because in my possibly harsh view, someone serious about their business and therefore serious about my deadlines would have their own domain, and there would be a site there.

An address at fontophilic.com is more likely to say, "I'm a business and will treat you professionally."
posted by PatoPata at 7:38 PM on December 16, 2009

When we were hiring at my last job, folks with '@hotmail' or '@edu', definitely got a second look and not for good reasons. It was for a tech position, so we had our logic. For the sake of archiving your adult life in one spot "[e-mail]" or some close variation thereof will save you a bit of worry.
posted by GilloD at 7:38 PM on December 16, 2009

oops! I agree with randomstriker not pwnguin.

As long as the username part isn't "student44381901" or "sexyvoldemort", don't worry about it.
posted by hattifattener at 7:39 PM on December 16, 2009

I'm 4 years out of school and still use my .edu address. I am in engineering.

I have only gotten positive comments, and know that it makes me stand out a bit in networking with people who otherwise don't know me (especially those who went to the same university, or recruit from there). Some ask how I still have it, but it becomes a good talking point about extra-curriculars, leadership, and such.
posted by whatzit at 7:40 PM on December 16, 2009

Just to point out that in academia, it is of course the professional norm to have a .edu address!
posted by fourcheesemac at 8:23 PM on December 16, 2009 [3 favorites]

I'd be wary of an employer who read too much into an email domain. There are so many reasons people use different email addresses, including some very professional, very employable, & very high priced individuals I know. For example, someone works at a company/institution, but is job hunting and wants to keep that off their work/professional email, so they use yahoo, gmail, or some sort of alumni/edu address. Unless you're in a freelancing field or have your own business type of situation, I don't think people expect you to have your own domain. So, long-winded answer, summed up: I wouldn't worry about a .edu address, as long as everything before it seems professional and appropriate. Good luck!
posted by katemcd at 8:40 PM on December 16, 2009 [2 favorites]

I have found myself in a position of freelancing, but not by choice. I'd love a steady regular job, and that is part of the reason I never started using my personal domain email.

I market myself as a job seeking professional: "Hello. Here's my portfolio and resume." rather than "Welcome to Joe the Freelancer.com home of the $29.99 super combo!" I don't intend to change that, as I know employers don't love the idea of giving a salary to someone constantly moonlighting or not suited to office work.

If I want to start doing this freelancing thing right I think I will register a domain, other than my real name, and use that. Right now the gigs I have are long term, and sought me out.

However the hitch in that plan is Droid doesn't currently support "send as" another non-gmail/google email account. Though I can eschew gmail entirely, in favor of my own pop/imap account, I won't be able to send and receive .ics files and use them with my droid calendar. Which is half the reason I want this phone. Cries for this have currently fallen on deaf ears at Google, but something will probably come in the future.

It looks like I will be offering my digital life to glorious leader google.

Thanks all. If anyone has strong opinions against @gmail.com or workarounds for getting full function with non-gmail email, I'd still love to hear it.
posted by fontophilic at 9:17 PM on December 16, 2009

No-one cares. Seriously. They may idly speculate, but if I saw an applicant 10 years out of school with an .edu account from that school, I'd merely assume they loved college and/or their school gave them a good deal in some way.
posted by desuetude at 9:21 PM on December 16, 2009

I market myself as a job seeking professional: "Hello. Here's my portfolio and resume." rather than "Welcome to Joe the Freelancer.com home of the $29.99 super combo!" I don't intend to change that, as I know employers don't love the idea of giving a salary to someone constantly moonlighting or not suited to office work.

If that's what you think a domain name says to people, then clearly you shouldn't use it. Good luck with the job search.
posted by PatoPata at 1:59 AM on December 17, 2009 [1 favorite]

I agree with pwnguin but would add that using your .edu address can be a strategic decision. True, having your own domain signals that you are serious and have a professional digital storefront. However, if you went to a school that is well-known in your field... or if you went to a school that has cache among prospective clients, using your .edu address can help to convey additional information that might sell you. Just ... food for thought.
posted by laskagirl at 4:46 AM on December 17, 2009

Just wanted to point out that firstname@lastname might look professional and all, but unless you have a very uncommon last name you won't be able to use this email without paying out the nose because some domain parking asshole is likely squatting on that site already.
posted by caution live frogs at 4:47 AM on December 17, 2009

I never even thought about this. My email is an .edu because of my job, which is not academic but we are all set up through a university. There are thousands of us in various professions here, not students. I would not think twice if I received resumes with this address.
posted by maxg94 at 6:25 AM on December 17, 2009

Buy your own name (or a variation of it) as a domain, and then set up Google Apps email on it. It's relatively simple to do even if you're not a techie. It gets you the power of Gmail, but it might look more professional to someone on the other end.
posted by joshrholloway at 6:41 AM on December 17, 2009 [1 favorite]

Can't you just set up whatever email you use on your resume to forward to your gmail account so you can check it on the Droid? This would create some slightly annoying duplication of emails, but if it's only for job searching then whats the biggie?
posted by WeekendJen at 8:12 AM on December 17, 2009

Just buy "your name" domain name. play with initials and nicknames until you can get a .com. You're serious about being a grownup and you know how to show it.
posted by phritosan at 8:47 AM on December 17, 2009

Hey, you know, I didn't even realize there were free Google Apps. (is that new?) I've just installed it, and looks like this will be the best solution for me. Thanks all.
posted by fontophilic at 10:18 AM on December 17, 2009

When we were hiring at my last job, folks with '@hotmail' or '@edu', definitely got a second look and not for good reasons. It was for a tech position, so we had our logic.

Can you elaborate on those reasons? I'm curious, because I actually trust my very recognizable, very competent university far moreso than I trust Google, domain registrars, etc. Gmail may not be free in the future, and I could miss a renewal notice because of an administrative snafu, but I'll be long dead before anything happens to my .edu email address.
posted by snickerdoodle at 10:41 AM on December 17, 2009