Is Including Your Qualifications in Your Email Pretentious?

Is it just me, or is including your qualifications in your email signature a bit pretentious?

By Michele Neylon

Michele is founder and CEO of Irish hosting provider and domain name registrar Blacknight.

6 comments

  1. As far as I’m concerned, the only thing in your signature should be your name, and maybe position within the company. Anything else is overkill.
    Francis Mahon
    A+, Network+, ECDL, JEB, OCP, BFA, soon to be EFR (I hope).

  2. I agree. I work with a guy whose email signature takes up nearly half the screen. Not only does he have the qualifications (or at least what he hopes are impressive qualifications) but he also has images where possible. VMware for his VCP , Microsoft for his MCP etc.
    They can also be dangerous. Putting down your ECDL and a few MCPs may cause other more qualified people to presume your are not very technical. More “highly skilled” people may treat you differently if they see these. Better to say nothing. Like they say “Better to keep your mouth shut and let them think your are an idiot, than to open it and prove your are one.”

  3. Depends on the qualification I’d say.
    While I wouldn’t be putting ECDL beside my name, if I had a CCIE or Ph.D I probably would. This only applies professionally if you are doing this on personal emails then you’re a pretentious asshat.

  4. The only place that your qualifications are needed are your CV. People who think it’s cool to put B.Sc. or M.Sc. after their names on emails are asshats.

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