7 email address practices that say more about you than you think

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7 email address practices that say more about you than you think

At first glance, your email address might seem like a completely neutral piece of contact information. However, it conveys subtle social cues that can shape how others perceive you. From a hiring manager’s first impression to a client’s quiet assumptions, your inbox handle can offer up hints about your age, digital habits, and even how seriously you take your profession. Spokeo has compiled seven hidden messages your email handle might inadvertently be revealing about you.

Handle habits

Avoid unintentionally giving away too much information about yourself with your email handle by learning the following seven tells:

1. Including your birth year: An unintentional age disclosure

Many people opt to include their birth year following their first name when the combination of their first and last name is unavailable as an address. This happens to be one of the most common (and revealing) email quirks. It may seem harmless, but it unintentionally discloses your age to employers, clients, or acquaintances who may subconsciously judge you based on the generation you are a part of.

As Seltzer Fontaine, a top legal search and recruiting firm, points out, hiring managers will often use subtle cues like your email address to assess professionalism. Adding your birth year can signal that you’ve been using the same address since it was created.

2. The AOL address: From stigma to accidental status symbol

Interestingly, using an AOL address has evolved in recent years. Historically, this address suggested that a person was technologically behind since more modern platforms like Gmail and Outlook have been released. Cultural perception today, though, has turned, and an AOL handle can evoke feelings of nostalgia or even a retro charm. If you’re applying to jobs or networking, however, it’s still best to use a modern domain to avoid seeming outdated.

3. Nickname handles: When ‘cutesy’ kills credibility

There’s a major difference between having a fun screen name among friends and a professional email address. Having interests is to be expected when applying to jobs, but including references to sports, video games, or other common tags can undermine your credibility. Even if your email nickname has sentimental value, it’s best to save it for personal use only.

4. Random number strings: The spam flag

Similar to the first item on this list, when a person’s first and last name combination is taken, they will sometimes resort to a string of numbers that only have meaning to them. These numeric strings can often resemble spam or bot accounts to strangers, though. In certain cases, this can cause your email to be filtered out of a person’s inbox entirely. To avoid this, the social media marketing platform HubSpot recommends adding a middle initial, dots, or a short location tag instead of random digits.

5. Yahoo and Hotmail: The ‘out-of-touch’ domain dilemma

Similar to AOL but without the nostalgic charm, Yahoo and Hotmail tend to signal a lack of tech awareness, whether that’s an earned reputation or not. While once email giants, business communication migrated more toward Gmail, Outlook, and custom domains, causing these older providers to feel outdated. As with anything, though, stigma will vary depending on the context. For creative or freelance platforms, a Yahoo domain can convey a sense of permanence in the field, whereas for job seekers or entrepreneurs, switching to a modern domain can make a significant difference in first impressions.

6. Periods vs. underscores: Subtle professionalism cues

While a small design choice, opting for periods instead of underscores can make a difference in readability. Periods tend to be clean and intentional, whereas underscores can be harder to read, particularly on mobile devices. Some systems even run the risk of misinterpreting underscores as spaces or formatting errors. While periods can sometimes be missed entirely when writing out an email from scratch, they still tend to be more visually pleasing.

7. All lowercase vs. capitalization: The readability factor

Technically, capitalization won’t affect whether or not your message is delivered, as email systems aren’t case-sensitive. It does affect how your email looks written out, though. For personal branding purposes, think about the visual rhythm of your email address when printed on business cards, signatures, or even a portfolio. Since recipients can’t always tell when capitalization is intentional, lowercase tends to be the safest and most modern choice unless you are trying to create emphasis.

Reconsider the message of your digital signature

Your email handle is more than a simple line of text. It's a tiny mode of expression that tells the world about your habits, history, and how you navigate the digital world. A thoughtful update doesn’t just modernize your contact information; it also refines how others get a read on you before you’ve even said your first word to them. Whether you’re rocking a nostalgic email domain, revealing your birth year unintentionally, or hiding behind a random string of numbers, the fix is simple: Choose a clear, consistent, and intentional option that conveys the message you want others to have as a first impression.

This story was produced by Spokeo and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.