Regardless of the economy, one principle holds true when interviewing with recruiters on all edges of the earth – you only have a few seconds to make a first impression. This applies to interviews, phone screens, e-mails and most of all, resumes.

What you do on the weekends and evenings with your friends and how you communicate with one another is clearly not a recruiter's concern. However, it becomes our concern when it spills into your work persona.

If you have an e-mail address called disco_king @ yahoo.com or gun_lover @ gmail.com, I implore you to create a new address that indicates your level of professionalism. Make an attempt to use an e-mail address this is as close to your name as possible. For example, johndoe @ yahoo.com is better than jdoe @ yahoo.com. Why? Because it's easier for a recruiter and your networking connections to remember.

While we're on the topic of professionalism, pretend that you are a recruiter and call yourself on both your cell phone and home phone number. Listen to your voicemail message. Does it scream of intelligence, maturity, and passion? If not, re-record it immediately. For those of you who have a song playing before your voicemail starts, choose a song that is professional, regardless of whether you personally like it. You are never going to be listening to it anyway so it's more important that it does not turn a recruiter or Human Resources professional away. Opting for music without words is the best bet. Stay away from songs such as "I'm Just a Love Machine" or "My Girl Wants to Party All the Time".