Comments on: 4 Ways to Handle Gender-Ambiguous Names

By: Candidate Dealbreakers? Let’s Hear ‘Em.

Candidate Dealbreakers? Let’s Hear ‘Em. — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 20:43:41 +0000

[...] would actually make me disqualify you for a job before an interview. For example, I talked about not calling women with double-surnames “Mrs.,” and the truth is that it annoys the crap out of me when people call me that. But would I [...]

By: Angie Sallese

Angie Sallese — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 20:19:30 +0000

@Melissa—I’ve used your suggestion often, and it usually works.

I’m lucky I work in an industry where many of my customers are PhD-level folks. When we don’t know how to address someone new, calling that person Dr. Smith works very well.

By: Melissa Barber

Melissa Barber — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 20:19:41 +0000

When I’m puzzling out a gender-neutral name, I call the person’s office — at midnight. Then I listen to their voice mail. Very stealthy….
.-= Melissa Barber´s last blog ..New videos test your interview smarts! =-.

By: Suz

Suz — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 13:52:32 +0000

@ Ms. Factotum – The receptionist at your clinic calls you by your first name to protect your privacy. At most medical centers, staff are instructed not to use the patient’s last name in front of others to help protect patient confidentiality.

By: GeekChic

GeekChic — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 02:57:27 +0000

I don’t mind being a dinosaur either (glad to know I’ll have company).

That said, I can see how someone might find the manners I was raised with to be too formal (even fake formal). My current boss calls me “charming if archaic” on this subject.

By: class factotum

class factotum — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 21:19:42 +0000

Kerry — I don’t mind being a dinosaur.

PS Yes, my dad was career military, why do you ask?
.-= class factotum´s last blog ..Marriage 201, Lecture 47: They say it’s your birthday, or, Gold-digger again =-.

By: Kerry Sandberg Scott

Kerry Sandberg Scott — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 20:47:24 +0000

Steph—I’ve got a whole bunch on cover letters: http://www.cluewagon.com/tag/cover-letter/

I’m a fan. I like knowing if people are literate. There are few jobs for which literacy isn’t a plus, and a cover letter tells me whether you can form a sentence or not. I like that. When recruiters say they don’t read cover letters, I’m hugely annoyed. How can they justify discarding half of the information they’ve received to help them make a decision on whether this candidate is a good fit for the job? If you had a doctor who said, “I only listen to the second half of the symptoms people describe,” you’d get a new doctor.

Oh, I could rant on that all day.

GeekChic and Class Factotum—Okay, perhaps dinosaur wasn’t the most tactful word choice (although my children like dinosaurs so much that it’s pretty much a compliment at my house). I’m the opposite though. When people call me Ms. Sandberg Scott (especially in person…I understand it in a letter), it feels fake-formal to me. I don’t care for it at all.

The exception (for me) is teachers. My kid’s kindergarten teacher is called Ms. Smith by her students, but when she calls me and says, “This is Jane Smith,” I have to stop and think. Even in my head, she’s Ms. Smith (which is funny because she’s almost young enough to be my daughter).

By: Steph McDonald

Steph McDonald — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 14:07:56 +0000

Oh..Kerry, I’d love to see a post about cover letters. I can never decide if I like them or not. I think it all depends on if they even remember to change my name or my company name from the last time they used the cover letter to apply at another company.

By: class factotum

class factotum — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 14:03:54 +0000

Geek, I am with you on first names. I call my friends’ parents Mr or Mrs unless invited to use their first names. I expect children to call me “Mrs Factotum,” and was annoyed when my neighbor introduced me to her fourth grader as “Class.” “Miss Class” is a nice southern compromise. I do not want the 19-yr-old receptionist at the doctor’s office to yell out, “Class!” without even lifting her head. I expect to be addressed as “Mrs (or Ms) Factotum” by someone young enough to be my daughter.

And don’t call me “Dude.”
.-= class factotum´s last blog ..Marriage 201, Lecture 47: They say it’s your birthday, or, Gold-digger again =-.

By: Tim G

Tim G — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 11:45:06 +0000

"Jaden" is another one that seems to be gaining popularity in either gender. I wonder waht Sir Michael's parents had planned for a girl's name? .-= Tim G´s last blog ..6 Ways to Safeguard Your Eyes =-.