The other day, I was signing up for an account to apply for a job, and I ran into something that immediately made me sigh: the dreaded “Confirm Your Email” field. You know the one—it asks you to type in your email twice just to make sure you didn’t make a typo.

At first glance, this might seem like a reasonable request. After all, an incorrect email could mean missing out on important job updates. But let’s be honest—how often do we actually mistype our own email? And more importantly, does making users type it twice really solve the problem?

Why This Is Bad UX

1. It Slows Down the Process
   When someone is creating an account, their goal is to sign up quickly and move on. Making them enter the same information twice adds unnecessary friction. For job applications especially, where there are already multiple steps, this just feels like an extra hurdle.
2. Users Copy and Paste Anyway
   If people are asked to confirm their email, many will just copy and paste it from the first field. This completely defeats the purpose of checking for typos.
3. There Are Better Ways to Prevent Mistakes
   Instead of forcing users to re-enter their email, a better approach is:
   • Using inline validation that checks if the email is formatted correctly as the user types.
   • Implementing a confirmation email where the user has to click a link to verify their address. (Which most job application systems do anyway!)

A Better UX Approach

Rather than making users repeat themselves, let’s make it easier for them to enter their information correctly the first time. A single, well-validated email field combined with a confirmation email is much more effective than forcing users to retype something they probably won’t even check.

The takeaway? UX should always prioritize user efficiency. If a step feels unnecessary, it probably is. Let’s retire the “Confirm Email” field and make account creation smoother for everyone.