It’s the first thing someone sees on your resume or on your business card.
Your name is an important part of the first impression you make in the professional world whether applying for a job, meeting a new client, or vying for a promotion. But does your name make you sound intelligent and strong—or ditzy and feeble?
“The image of a name is really important and the fact is you already have an image in your head for many names,” says Bruce Lansky, who has been researching names for more than thirty years and has written nine books on baby names.
The importance of your name also depends on the situation, according to experts, who say names matter more if you are just sending in a resume than if you are sitting down for an interview. In an interview, the first impression will be based on more information including appearance, conversational skills, etc.
Race—and racism—are still factors when it comes to names on resumes. Psychological studies have shown that resumes with African-American-sounding names often get fewer calls than those with more traditional sounding names when the candidates are equally qualified, say name experts.
“When a company gets resumes from someone named Yvonne and someone named Ebonisha, they might say, ‘Let’s call Yvonne,’” Lansky said.
Women also face the unpleasant reality of prejudice and stereotypes. For women in the workplace, a name carries even more significance—and potential for problems. Lanksy suggests avoiding nicknames that end in “y,” “ie,” or “i.” These ee-sounding names first proliferated in the 1950s and 1960s with common choices like Suzy and Judy, but are still popular in modern names like Haley and Kylie.
“They had sort of a cute, cheerleader, zippy image that was nice and warm, but not necessarily intelligent or competent,” Lansky says.
Nancy Collamer, a career coach and the founder of JobsandMoms.com, agrees that women should avoid using cutesy-sounding nicknames like Patsy in favor of full names like Patricia.
“Candy, Muffy, or any of those names that lack the sense of seriousness might cause you a little bit of difficulty,” Collamer says.
Men might also benefit from that advice.
“I think a more formal name sometimes give people more of a cache,” said Douglas Campbell III, an executive coach based in Darien, Connecticut. He cites examples of men who switched from Dick to Richard or Dave to David to enhance their professional image.
Aside from names that are diminutive-sounding or too cute, women can also run the risk of having a name that sounds too sexy.
“Women have this double whammy in that there is a Catch 22 for women about names and physical attractiveness,” says Cleveland Evans, a psychology professor at Bellevue University and a past president of the American Name Society. “In some cases, a name that sounds really sexy to a guy—like Haley or Britney—may actually end up being a slight detriment to the woman who is trying to be taken seriously for an executive position.”
Psychological research shows that some men say they are less likely to hire a woman whom they find very attractive and seductive, Evans said.
“If you’re going to be an executive in an accounting firm, it might be better to be named something like Ethel that goes along with the stereotype of a serious, smart, and competent woman,” says Evans, the author of The Great Big Book of Baby Names.
Raegan Scott, a television news anchor in Anchorage, Alaska, believes that having a strong and unique name is a professional advantage. She says she is taken more seriously because of her name.
“A great, unique, strong name can give you unspoken confidence,” Scott said.
But she didn’t always enjoy her name.
“As a child, I hated it,” she recalls. “I was constantly called ‘Ronald Reagan’ on the playground, and I used to come home in tears.”
