Tuesday Job Tip: Why Lexi Wasn't Hired
And how you can avoid this SIMPLE mistake too
A couple of years ago, I was helping a major agent hire a new assistant and sent out a detailed job description to my subscribers looking for my top 3 candidates to submit. One of my former USC students called me to pitch her very qualified friend Lexi (name changed for this article). I love a referral from a trusted source so I said, “Sure, have Lexi send me an email with her resume and I’ll include her in my submission.” Two days went by and I didn’t see an email from Lexi. I searched my inbox, but didn’t see an email from Lexi. In case I accidentally deleted it, I even looked my trash to no avail. Because I had 3 strong candidates, I put my submission together for the position, without Lexi’s resume.
As we investigated, it turned out that Lexi had sent me her resume, but it came from her email ABjones1998@gmail.com. Because I’ve never received an email from her before, it went into spam. When I searched for her email, I sorted by name and looked for “L” for Lexi and “J” for Jones and didn’t find anything. Ugh! Why would Lexi have an email address that was ABJones?
There’s a simple reason for that.
Her name is "Alexandra Belle Jones" and my friend knew her in H.S. when she went by “Lexi.” She wants to be more professional now and so she is going by “Alexandra.” To add further confusion to this story, there was no uniformity across the electronic landscape for her.
Her email address was “ABJones1998@gmail.com.”
Her name on resume was “Alexandra Belle Jones.”
Her Social Media was “Lexi Jonessss.”
Her LinkedIn was “Lexi B. Jones."
Rarely will a recruiter go to this much effort to track down an entry level candidate, especially for a job in the entertainment business or any industry where the supply heavily outweighs the demand. If you want to avoid this very simple mistake, make sure your name is consistent on all platforms starting today!
One of the benefits of becoming an adult, moving to a new town and/or starting your professional career is getting to decide what you want to be called. Some of you go by a nickname (“Elizabeth" can be “Liz," “Lizzie," “Betsy," “Beth" etc….) or maybe you go by your middle name (My uncle is "Brett Thomas Parkinson" and the family calls him “Uncle Tommy” but in college he decided to go by “Brett" and has built his career with that name). Or, you might be an international student who has taken on an American nickname (Shout out to one of my former student from China, “Po Li.” His nickname was “Elvis” and when I asked why he chose that, he joyfully responded, “because Elvis is the King”- I love that confidence!!)
People only know what you tell them, so be consistent. The name that appears on your resume should be the same name on your email address, social media, LinkedIn and your professional website (if you have one). You want to cut down on any confusion that might prohibit your hiring. If you are hired, fill out official paperwork with your legal name as it appears on your driver’s license and/or passport.
Moral of the story: Make it easy for people to find you by using the same name on every platform.
Excellent advice!!!❤️