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Is it unprofessional to have your year of birth in your email address?

Poll

Does having your year of birth in your email address matter for job applications?

Hello. My main email address is my first name followed by the last two digits of the year I was born. I've had it for several years and have used it to apply for jobs in the past, some successful and many not. I've nearly finished studying my HND and I'm going to start applying for relevant full time jobs very soon. However, I'm wondering if it is worth revising the use of my email address and creating a new one for job applications that doesn't reference my year of birth? Since employers can probably guess my age from it, and I guess it's best they can't so that it doesn't give them the chance to discriminate against my age? Plus, I'm wondering if it possibly looks a bit unprofessional as well?

I've created a poll for quick answers, but if I could get written answers too, that would be great thanks! :smile:

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Reply 1
Never thought about it. It's just an email address, and having a name/year of birth combination is a pretty well-established convention, so I wouldn't worry about it TBH.
Original post by CherryCherryBoomBoom
Hello. My main email address is my first name followed by the last two digits of the year I was born. I've had it for several years and have used it to apply for jobs in the past, some successful and many not. I've nearly finished studying my HND and I'm going to start applying for relevant full time jobs very soon. However, I'm wondering if it is worth revising the use of my email address and creating a new one for job applications that doesn't reference my year of birth? Since employers can probably guess my age from it, and I guess it's best they can't so that it doesn't give them the chance to discriminate against my age? Plus, I'm wondering if it possibly looks a bit unprofessional as well?

I've created a poll for quick answers, but if I could get written answers too, that would be great thanks! :smile:


I doubt putting birth year in your email address would or should affect your job applications - it really should be about whether your skills and experience fits perfectly with the job itself.

Personally my email address has my birth year in it and had no problems getting a job with it, but really it shouldn't affect anything its just your skills and experience thats more important and also your interview techniques. If you get to that stage.
(edited 7 years ago)
I really doubt it would cause issues. It's near enough impossible to get an email address with just your name (particularly with Gmail, as there's only the one domain, @gmail.com, for the entire world) so it's understandable to have something else along with your name. I'd argue that your year of birth is more professional than a random word or random numbers.
I think it's a bit unprofessional - I always use my university email address for professional correspondence.
Its unprofessional, but not as unprofessional as this:

hcWnPch - Imgur.png
Reply 6
its fine
Original post by thegodofgod
I think it's a bit unprofessional - I always use my university email address for professional correspondence.


What happens when you finish university?
Original post by SalazarSlytherin
Its unprofessional, but not as unprofessional as this:

hcWnPch - Imgur.png


Haha! Thanks for the reminder though; I've got a teddy bear as my display picture. Nothing vulgar, but might look a bit unprofessional. Might change it to a photo of myself, or just have it blank.
Really you should just have your name @ whatever.co.uk
Original post by Boreism
What happens when you finish university?


I'd use my NHS (work) email account, as I should find out where I've got a job just after my final year at university starts.

It's kind of like those small companies that have Hotmail or Gmail email addresses - it looks unprofessional at best and rather tacky at worst.
Original post by thegodofgod
I'd use my NHS (work) email account, as I should find out where I've got a job just after my final year at university starts.

It's kind of like those small companies that have Hotmail or Gmail email addresses - it looks unprofessional at best and rather tacky at worst.


Fair enough, but what if your company or manager monitors your emails?

Also what happens for those who are currently unemployed?
Original post by Boreism
Fair enough, but what if your company or manager monitors your emails?

Also what happens for those who are currently unemployed?


Yeah, those might be difficult issues to overcome - perhaps just include your name (if possible)?
Original post by CherryCherryBoomBoom
Hello. My main email address is my first name followed by the last two digits of the year I was born. I've had it for several years and have used it to apply for jobs in the past, some successful and many not. I've nearly finished studying my HND and I'm going to start applying for relevant full time jobs very soon. However, I'm wondering if it is worth revising the use of my email address and creating a new one for job applications that doesn't reference my year of birth? Since employers can probably guess my age from it, and I guess it's best they can't so that it doesn't give them the chance to discriminate against my age? Plus, I'm wondering if it possibly looks a bit unprofessional as well?

I've created a poll for quick answers, but if I could get written answers too, that would be great thanks! :smile:


It's fine - no-one is going to bother to do the maths to try and find some way to discriminate against you. They can tell to plus or minus a few years from your CV anyway, and they if you turn up to interview they get another clue.
I think it is a bit unprofessional. Age is a protected characteristic so you shouldn't really be banding it about. You shouldn't put your date of on your CV so why put it in your email address?

Of course they will be able to guess it near enough when they meet you any way, the same can be said for race, disability etc but it doesn't mean they should be included in your CV or in your email. It is unprofessional to state it in black and white.

In reality, most employers will not care and they may not even notice that the two numbers refer to your birth year. But some people in HR may notice and they are always looking for ways to whittle down the numbers of applicants. Why take the risk?
Original post by CherryCherryBoomBoom
Hello. My main email address is my first name followed by the last two digits of the year I was born. I've had it for several years and have used it to apply for jobs in the past, some successful and many not. I've nearly finished studying my HND and I'm going to start applying for relevant full time jobs very soon. However, I'm wondering if it is worth revising the use of my email address and creating a new one for job applications that doesn't reference my year of birth? Since employers can probably guess my age from it, and I guess it's best they can't so that it doesn't give them the chance to discriminate against my age? Plus, I'm wondering if it possibly looks a bit unprofessional as well?

I've created a poll for quick answers, but if I could get written answers too, that would be great thanks! :smile:


In answer to your question, no I don't think that it us unprofessional and it is questionable whether employers will realise that the number is your birth year. My email address has a number 10 in it, but I wasn't born in 2010. I just tacked on a random number because the address I wanted was already taken and lots of people do the same. If the number happens to be your birth year, so what?

This is off topic, so feel free to ignore it. But, I saw your user pic and recognised a fellow candy crush lover! What level are you on? I'm currently on level 1314 :biggrin:
Original post by Platopus
In answer to your question, no I don't think that it us unprofessional and it is questionable whether employers will realise that the number is your birth year. My email address has a number 10 in it, but I wasn't born in 2010. I just tacked on a random number because the address I wanted was already taken and lots of people do the same. If the number happens to be your birth year, so what?

This is off topic, so feel free to ignore it. But, I saw your user pic and recognised a fellow candy crush lover! What level are you on? I'm currently on level 1314 :biggrin:


Of course someone born in 2010 is unlikely to be applying for jobs right now at the age of 5 or 6 :p:. But putting a number like 94 makes it look like it's probably the person's year of birth.

*I'm only on level 251 of Candy Crush, because I was stuck on a level for several months, which my sister helped me pass just last week :biggrin:. I also play the Jelly and Soda versions - very addictive game! :smile:
Original post by CherryCherryBoomBoom
Of course someone born in 2010 is unlikely to be applying for jobs right now at the age of 5 or 6 :p:. But putting a number like 94 makes it look like it's probably the person's year of birth.

*I'm only on level 251 of Candy Crush, because I was stuck on a level for several months, which my sister helped me pass just last week :biggrin:. I also play the Jelly and Soda versions - very addictive game! :smile:


They would have to be a very clever 6 year old! You're probably right about 94 looking more suspicious. Prospective employers aren't meant to discriminate based on age, and if they were going to do so, would probably eliminate you after seeing how old you looked at interview. However, I do agree that it could be a factor in preventing you from getting an interview. If you are worried about it, then by all means use a different email address.

I don't play the jelly or soda versions as I didn't like them so much. I started playing candy crush at the beginning of year 12 and haven't stopped for these past two years. My A-level grades will probably tell that story all by themselves :colondollar:
Original post by neal95
Really you should just have your name @ whatever.co.uk


Try telling that to anyone named John Smith, Tom Jones, Chris Green, Oliver Williams etc etc.

I use my work email address for anything important because it's impossible finding any combination of my name that looks professional and isn't already taken.
(edited 7 years ago)
Reply 19
A little bit yes

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