Submitted by nwillis on
in
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For a long time i have been thinking over the advantages and disadvantages of using a separate email account for job hunting. With all the emails i get to my current email (GMAIL) address, this question keeps on coming into my head.
The main advantage can be summed up as being so that it can be dumped at the end of a job search or continued with possible links to various networking tools like Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Google+ etc without showing a connection to my main email account which may have networking links to my current company twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook services. So someone looking at my twitter account will not see connections to recruitment agencies on the same networking sites.
The advantage of using my main email account is that i can develop long term relationships with people in the recruitment industry which can be maintained after the job hunt and used again for the next Job search. The disadvantage being that my LinkedIn and twitter accounts may show connections to my current employer , prospective employers , recruitment companies and similar organizations like Manager tools for example.
I remember in a podcast , connections to some organizations like recruiters can be explained as normal activity , so would connections to a large number of recruiters , recruitment companies be looked on suspiciously ? is it a question that a sensible job hunting strategy will encourage only a sensible number of connections to people in the recruitment industry ? But a disproportionate number of connections would not only be noticeable but also suspicious ?
I am very interested in defining a strategy that will allow me to use my normal email, twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook accounts with the need to maintain and hide behind a 2nd set just for job hunting.
Job Hunting Email Acccount
] The main advantage can be summed up as being so that it can be dumped at the end of a job search ...
No! I recommend *NOT* dumping your job hunting email account. If you wish to maintain one separate from other online activities that is a reasonable strategy. Building on-going, long-term relationships with recruiters and companies runs counter to setting up temporary email accounts that, as you say, get dumped after the job search. What would happen when an company looks you up a few years later and has a great position for you!?
Take it from a guy who has postings from 30 years ago that remain online. Consider building a professional, long-tail presence with a single email account.
It appears to me that you are
It appears to me that you are speaking with the voice of experience and you are right to ask the question "What would happen when an company looks you up a few years later and has a great position for you!?". To be honest i had not considered that possibility. I have been in my current position over 20 years (including outsourcing) so i have never been in a position when that would happen. Especially since i obtained my role with a direct approach and because of my current circumstances i have never considered "building a professional, long-tail presence with a single email account." until now.
As someone who is re-visiting the job market after so long , what you're saying chimes with what i have been thinking after so long. I can also see that what you say carries a great deal of conviction. So you have given me two reasons for maintaining a single email account.
Very many thanks.