With a possible government shutdown, many trainees were stricken with the realization that they wouldn’t have access to their NIH email. Many had only listed their NIH email for applications whether that was for jobs or graduate/professional school. Luckily, we were all spared this time around, but this has been a good lesson learned.
OITE’s general advice has always been to include a professional version of your personal email on your resume or CV. No funny nicknames or phrases – default to some version of your first and last name within your preferred email platform. NIH trainees are often here for a limited amount of time and accordingly only have access to their NIH email for a short period. Choose an email that you’ll know you will always be able to access. It is not uncommon for job seekers, especially federal job seekers, to hear back from applications much later sometimes even 6-12 months after submission!
Even so, some trainees continue to want to list their NIH email because they feel it appears more professional or gives them more credibility. In truth, readers of your resume/CV will see your designation to the NIH within your experience section. If you are still bristling at this advice and feel the need to list your NIH email, then please also include a personal alternate email they would be able to reach you at. Most of our samples in our OITE Resume/CV Guide have personal emails listed, but one also shows you how you could list alternate contact information as well.
In the unfortunate occurrence of lacking access to NIH systems, you could put up an out of office directing people on how they would be able to get a hold of you. Many people also encourage others to connect with them through their personal email by listing this in the “About/Summary” section on their LinkedIn profile. If you do this, make sure to adjust your settings accordingly.
