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Now That you’ve Graduated – Professional Steps for your Contact Information

Now that you have completed your program and graduated in a professional field of study, take a few minutes to make sure your contact information is updated from a ‘student’ to a ‘professional’. Here are a couple of ideas for contact information you need to update when you finish school.

Your Email

While you were enrolled in school, you probably had an email address that ended with your school’s name or initials and had an edu on the end. Make sure you have taken the time to create a new email address that is professional and includes your name in some way. A great rule of thumb for creating an email address: If you can write your email address down on a piece of paper without your name written on it and they can guess that it is yours – you should be good to go. Limit numbers end excess underlines or characters and make it as professional as possible.

Make an effort to check your email regularly. If you are applying for positions online, maybe companies may make a first attempt to contact you by sending an extended application or request for an interview via email. You certainly don’t want to miss out on a great career opportunity by not keeping up with popular forms of communication.

Your Voicemail

You may have been able to get away with a funny voicemail or one that isn’t 100% professional so far, but now is the time to change that. If you can’t make it to your phone and an employer leaves you a voicemail, this is essentially their first impression of you. Make sure you clearly state your name and use correct grammar. Do not include any songs, slang or profanity.  Also, make sure you regularly check your voicemail. You never know who called while you were away!

Your Address

Are you moving now that you have graduated college? Or, do you live in a lengthy address or have a PO Box address? It is perfectly acceptable on a resume in today’s job searching trends to list only a city and state, separated by a comma, on your resume. An employer does not need to know the exact location of your residence, so it is fine to only list the minimum.

All of this contact information should be updated on your resume to make sure you are putting forth your best professional image to potential employers as you search for your perfect career!

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