A Job Recruiter Says Your Email Might Be A Red Flag & Here Are Tips For Getting An Interview

If you've ever wondered why you didn't get a job interview after applying for a position, perhaps it didn't have to do with a lack of skills.

A TikToker who says she's a job recruiter for a tech company says a number of things could lead to a person not landing their dream job interview, and one of them may have to do with your email address.

In a TikTok video, Bonnie Dilber shared three things that she says some recruiters might hold against candidates and see as red flags and shared ways of getting around it.

In her first point, Dilber says a person's email address could impact them landing a job for two reasons.

"The first is using some sort of vintage old school account like AOL, Hotmail, Yahoo, instead of something like Gmail," she said.

"I have heard recruiters talk about how it signals that someone isn't using modern, up-to-date technology and therefore it just raises a flag for them."

For those who have one of those "vintage" accounts, Dilber suggests keeping it for personal use, but to get Gmail for job application purposes.

Dilber also recommends making sure your email address is actually your name and not something "inappropriate or unprofessional" which would "raise a lot of concerns."

"Either way your email could get lost and make it harder for someone to contact you if they can't just type in your name and have it pop up," she continued.

For her second tip, the job recruiter says when it comes to telling the employer where you live, to choose a general metro area rather than being too specific.

"Some employers will literally Google how far of a commute you have and use that to consider who they're going to bring in for interviews," she explained.

She added that if an employer sees you have a really long commute, they may go with another candidate, because they may assume you're more likely to miss work, be late for work or ask to work remotely.

As for her third tip, Dilber advised being ready for all social media and anything that's happened in the workplace in the past to be "fair game for a future employer."

"I think I just read a stat that about 80% of recruiters say that they check out social media before contacting a candidate."

Dilber recommends ensuring that privacy settings are in place for your social media accounts when applying for a position.

The job recruiter added one final tip in her video, suggesting that if your current employer doesn't know you're looking for another job, to mention that to the person interviewing you so they don't spill the beans.

A lot of people had something to say about Dilber's tips, especially when it came to the suggested change in email address.

"The first one sounds like age discrimination," one person commented.

"I'm 23 with an AOL account. I've had it for years now I don't want to swap it 😭" another person wrote.

"What cutting edge email technology does gmail have that’s so impressive?? Yahoo FOR LIFE," another TikTok user asked to which Dilber replied she was just sharing what she's heard.

Others shared what they do when it comes to keeping their social media accounts.

"Put all your social media on private when you’re job hunting and don’t add work friends once you’re hired," one person suggested.

A few people shared what's happened to them in the past during their job hunt.

"I’ve had online applications ask for references and they check them before calling me. So now I leave them blank until I talk with someone," one person said and Dilber agreed it's better to leave it blank.

"The commute one got me. Been rejected for this one before," another comment reads.

Applying for jobs can be a long and sometimes tough process so if you're on the hunt for a new role, take a look at Dilber's other videos as she shares many other tips you may find valuable.

This article's left-hand cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.