People Who Use Nicknames Earn Bigger Paychecks

Experts say that not only can you use a nickname at work, you should, since doing so could boost your career. According to a study conducted earlier this year by job search site TheLadders, people who go by shorter names tend to earn more money.

From an analysis of nearly 6 million names, the study found that every extra letter in a person's name tended to correlate with a $3,600 drop in annual salary. That was true of names as similar as Sara and Sarah, Michele and Michelle, and Philip and Phillip. Over a 40-year career, the corresponding loss in earnings can amount to nearly $150,000.

LinkedIn discovered a similar correlation between short names and success in 2011, when it analyzed the top CEO names around the world. The site's analysts found that the most popular ones — names like Peter, Jack, and Fred — were either already short names or shortened versions of common first names. Frank Nuessel, a names specialist, told LinkedIn such abbreviated names are often used to "denote a sense of friendliness and openness." 

Beyond compensation benefits, experts say nicknames can provide several other advantages. Nicknames can often sound less formal and more approachable. (...)

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/use-a-nickname-at-work-earn-bigger-paychecks-2013-11#ixzz2ltb44iDB