No Nicknames

Some things never cease to amaze me. In a professional business environment, if there’s one thing that should not be a surprise, it’s the name you go by. For example, I go by Angela. Yet somehow, there are still some people in the business world who will ask, “Can I call you Angie?”

Don’t get me wrong. Many people go by nicknames in their personal lives. This is especially true around family and close friends. Shortened names can be fun. They can be easier at times. And they can create a feeling of closeness.

But at work, we should never artificially prescribe nicknames to other people. And, we should not assume that they have any interest to do so.

I’ll use myself as an example. My name is Angela. My email address has the name Angela in it. My LinkedIn profile uses the name Angela. When I write an email, I sign it with the name Angela. My resume and job applications use the same name.

This all feels pretty straightforward. You use the name that you’d like to be called. There should be no surprises. And there should be no guessing.

Yet somehow, I will occasionally find myself in a situation with someone who will immediately ask if they can call me by a nickname. To be honest, this situation rarely happens in social settings. It happens in the workplace. And typically, it happens when the person has some level of seniority above me.

Never has a peer ever asked me this. And, none of my employees have ever asked me either.

The only people who have ever asked to call me a nickname are those who have some sort of power dynamic. They’re the ones who sit above me in someway, and hold some type of control.

I’m using myself as an example here for illustrative purposes, but this is an issue that many people face.

When someone asks to call an employee by a nickname, that person asking is showing disrespect. It can be done to test a boundary. It can be done to test your tolerance to nonsense. But, rarely is it ever done out of genuine care. And, it puts the employee in an awkward position. Do they give an honest answer and risk offending the boss, or do they betray their own feelings?

If you are someone who asks this question, reconsider your strategy. If a person uses a nickname, that nickname will appear somewhere. The person may introduce themselves to you with their nickname. Or, they might use their nickname on their resume or in their email.

Look for these clues. And call the person by the name that they use when they introduce themselves to you. If they have an interest in going by an alternative name, they will let you know. There is no reason to put someone on the spot and to ask them if you may call them by another name.

I hope these tips have helped you. Visit CopelandCoaching.com to find more tips to improve your job search. If I can be of assistance to you, don’t hesitate to reach out to me here.

Happy hunting!

Angela Copeland
@CopelandCoach