We know you all know by now not to have an email address which suggests something other than a professional image when you’re looking for a new job or just corresponding with other professionals. (You did know that, right? No ‘Fridaysareonlygoodfordrinking@hotmail.com’ to the chairman of the board or on your resume please.)

I was writing @ replies on twitter, when I realized not everyone knows the next step of professional personal email addresses, which is no complicated number/letter combination. No M1ke6453@hotmail.com. The harder the address is to type, the more likely the typist is to make a mistake. If they make a mistake, you might not get the invitation to interview that they are sending.

The most appropriate formal email address is firstnamesurname@provider.com. That’s it. You should have multiple email addresses to keep your personal and employment lives separate. Yes, it’s a bit more work to check them, but it’s better than not getting an email which gives you the information you desperately needed for a needed report or one that offered you your dream job.