1. If you are looking for work, it is common practice to include your e-mail address on your resume just like you would include your telephone number and mailing address. But if you don't handle your e-mail account correctly you could be shooting yourself in the foot.

2. A "silly" e-mail address can turn off a prospective employer.

3. Something as simple as listing more than one e-mail address can cause confusion.

4. It is inappropriate to use an employer's e-mail address on a resume - that is kin to stealing company assets.

5. Having an e-mail address with a strange extension (e.g., .org) might make something think you are self employed or using an employer's e-mail address

6. The worst dangers of all: Blocking your incoming e-mail, failing to read your email, or failing to empty your email account.

Dealing with e-mail today means dealing with spam - lots and lots of spam. As a result of all the spam, many e-mail providers now offer ways to block incoming e-mails. But if you are not careful, your attempt to block your spam could block your ability to get e-mails regarding your resume. Here are some things you need to consider regarding your e-mail account while you are looking for work:

1. Don't set your e-mail filter to allow only your friends to send you e-mail. This will result in only those individuals who you have pre-approved getting their message to you - since it is impossible to know what e-mail address a potential employer is going to use, your e-mail filters will likely block incoming e-mail from potential employers.

2. Do turn this type of filter off while looking for a new opportunity.

3. Don't set your e-mail filter to block an entire domain. Sure, you might be tired of getting questionable mail from AOL, Hotmail, or Earthlink accounts, but your next employer might use one of these domains to contact you.

4. Do check to see if you are blocking entire domains; if you are, unblock them. Remember if you send an e-mail to a Hotmail account, you can be certain they will reply through Hotmail so note where you send your resume and be certain that you can get a reply.

5. Don't worry that changing your filter settings will allow messages with objectionable content to get through. The filters regarding objectionable content will generally not affect your ability to get replies.

6. Do check your e-mail account daily just as you would your voice mail. A reply from an employer is opportunity knocking - you don't want to miss the opportunity because you forgot to check for messages.

7. Do check to see what you're blocking and call your e-mail provider for help if you get confused.

8. Don't let e-mail sit in your in-basket for days on end, you'll never know if the opportunity of a lifetime was missed.

9. Don't let your e-mail account fill up with junk so that your account is full and important e-mail can't get through.

Dr. Jerry Bills
http://www.JerryBills.com