by David Marwick, KempMillJobAssist
July 28, 2026
We all have an email address (and often more than one), but typically don’t give it much thought.
This article discusses (1) how an “old” email address can work against you during your job search and (2) why you should consider setting up a separate email address for your job search.
How an “old” email address can work against you
Your email address is part of your “brand,” how people think about you.
There are numerous security and other reasons to avoid “legacy” providers like Hotmail and Yahoo, but from a job-search standpoint, an “old” email–set up years ago–can label you as old.
I found a few articles that discuss this issue.
As a general matter, recruiters and others who review resumes are reluctant–for legal reasons–to admit that an old email address might work against you because it might be seen as age discrimination.
Nevertheless, the underlying tone of the articles is that an old address is, at best, neutral and likely to be viewed negatively–and nobody says it’s a plus.
Not so Hotmail: What your vintage email address says to potential employers
by Ren LaForme, November 14, 2021
Didn’t get the job? You might want to change that old email address
by Gretchen Skalka, no date shown
https://careerinsightsconsulting.com/resumes/best-practices-for-your-email-address/
How your email address affects your job search
by Steve Patrizim, June 21, 2022
https://www.careercantina.com/tips/how-your-email-address-affects-your-job-search
Why you should consider setting up an account for job search
There are three reasons to consider setting up a separate account.
First, especially if you receive a lot of emails every day, you don’t want emails that relate to your job search to get mixed up or “lost” among your personal emails.
Second, during your job search, you may end up on mailing lists that won’t be relevant later. Once you’ve found a job, you may want deactivate that account, and those emails will cease.
Finally, I have read (but don’t know this independently) that people can “scrape” your email address from your LinkedIn account and sell this information to marketers.