Pops wants me to use my Gmail account for job postings… but I’ve already worked so hard on setting up my Email with Purelymail and a custom domain. I’ve never had an issue of my Email getting flagged as spam before, but in this instance I sent him a zip file with no message body and it was sent straight to spam.
My question is: would you bother using Gmail just to ensure your Email replies to interested HR people don’t get sent to the spam bucket? In my opinion, the use of a custom email address indicates flair to potential hiring teams - because it shows that you are capable of setting that stuff up. BTW my TLD is Senegal (.sn) to phonetically match my last name (it’s a really cool email) but the actual name header displays as my full name just like any other email address would.
I think the issue was just your blank email with an attachment.
I have a custom domain email and I’m actively applying to places and have had no issues getting mostly rejection emails back. 🥲
I’ve also gotten a few interviews, so I think you’re fine.
Especially .zip attachments. Something like a .docx or .txt attachment might be fine while .exe and .zip and a few others will trigger spam filters.
The blank email with a zip attachment and coming from a Senegalese domain is Chinese/Soviet Union-flag levels of “red flags”. I’d be shocked if that made it through any half-decent mail filter. If you truly want to test the spamminess of your mail system, try it again with an email that mimics the ones you’d actually be sending to the recruiters. I bet that would go through just fine.
That being said, if you aren’t confident in your mail system, just use Gmail. There’s billions of dollars supporting that system, so you can pretty much count on it to work.
I doubt company recruiters looking for full-time employees will care about your email domain as long as it works. However, if you’re trying to land contracts as an independent consultant then absolutely a custom domain for your firm shows a level of invested professionalism, in my opinion.
It may be as simple as having sent an attachment without a body.
I use gmail, and so do most people applying for jobs at my company. It’s all but guaranteed to work and that’s the most important thing.
I personally use proton and even that can cause issues sometimes.
It’s sad but in reality your best bet is a common email provider such as Google, Microsoft, etc.
You can use gmail with a custom domain and get both benefits, or you could go your own way and accept that it will reduce some of your potential opportunities (that’s what I choose)
