College Intern's Email Handle

Email handle AKA

• email name
  
• email username
  
• email account
  

Comfortable with yours?

• very
  
• guess so
  
• don't think about it
  

Maybe you are very comfortable with your email name because you think it reflects your great personality. The problem is: PrettyPerky@chickmail.com may not be the image your internship has in mind.

Maybe you guess it is OK because you've assumed that everyone who needs to know who you are can figure it out. The problem is: most internship supervisors don't know that MikeOn16@campus.edu refers to the Mike who lived on the 16th floor of his first-year dormitory.

Maybe you don't think about it because your email handle is invisible to you. You haven't noticed it since you matured beyond the humor that made pukinggoodtime@myschool.com a good idea (at the time). And you literally may not see it anymore if your email program hides details. (Out of sight, out of mind.)

Here's the better question for the college intern: is your internship supervisor comfortable with your email handle?

Tips:

• Before you even apply to an internship, create a professional email handle, either as an alias or by opening a new email account. (If you create a new account, remember to check it often or forward it.)
• If your internship site creates an email handle for you in their system, use it. Besides establishing your intern persona in the site's environment, maintaining that account will help you keep your internship boundaries!
• Start thinking of all aspects of email as professional communication.
  

The content on this blog is not offered as legal advice or guidance. Consult your college, advisor, or internship supervisor for help with issues surrounding internships. © 2008 Mary Bold, PhD, CFLE. Dr. Bold is a co-author of the book Reflections: Preparing for your Practicum or Internship, geared to college interns in the child, education, and family fields. More about Dr. Bold can be learned at www.marybold.com