Business Cards for Job Seekers

Business cards are still a primary means of exchanging information during networking.  I’m often asked if job seekers should have business cards.  There’s no right or wrong answer for this.  If you want to use them, here are four things to consider—Cost; Quality; Style and Etiquette.

Cost
As a job seeker—particularly if you’ve been unemployed for awhile—you may want to preserve your financial resources for as long as possible.  Here are some cost effective ways to produce business cards:

• Make your own, using your computer and printer.  I’ve done this in the past using a template in MS Publisher.
• Pay a company such as Vista Print.  www.vistaprint.com.  In the case of Vista Print, you select a card design, font and format from their samples.  You'll have the chance to preview the card online and then approve it.  They'll print and ship them to you.  You can get a certain number of free cards in exchange for their advertising on the back of your cards.  The ad will say something like, “Printed by Vistaprint.com”.  You can also pay a bit more to forego the ad.
• Barter with a graphic designer and/or print firm.  I haven’t done this with business cards; however, I did this with my Advisory Teams Guide series.  My whole product was professionally formatted and laced with graphics in exchange for my consulting services.

Quality
If you create your own cards, the goal is to replicate the look and feel of a card you’d give out if you were employed:

• Paper—Choose card stock that has some heft to it.  Ask for help from an office supply store, a printer or graphic artist.  If you have a card you like a lot from someone else (or from a former job) take it with you.  Let the vendor or artist have it as an example, so they can help you.
• You can buy a package of your own card stock and use your printer to make cards.  The stock in these packages is “printer ready” and usually perforated.  Once you print the cards and separate them from each other, gently smooth the rough edges with a finger nail file or some very fine sand paper.  This helps them look more like traditional cards. 
• If you’re printing with an Inkjet printer, remember that the ink on your cards will run if exposed to water or other liquids.  Laser printing is best, if you can.  Most print companies have Laser printers.  Bring your document to them on a thumb drive (or email it to them) and they can print it.  NOTE:  Have the printer be sure that their printer’s margins will match the ones on the document you created. 
• If you use color, the ink you choose online may differ in shade or hue from the printed product.  If you use an outside firm to print your cards, ask them to match the color as closely as they can.  This may cost extra.

Style
Companies such as Vista Print have a variety of templates you can use to create your card.  Or, you can do it yourself on a Publisher (or some other software) template.  Here are suggestions for format:

• Front of card:  Include your name; title; phone; email; LinkedIn “link” and website, if you have one. 
• Use a title that fits your career goals, such as Professional Trainer; Community Relations Manager; Human Resources Generalist; CIO.
• Back of card:  This is a great place to list your competencies and/or preferred work functions.  If you use the back of the card, don’t fill it too full.  List things like, "Training and Facilitation" or "Employee Engagement".  Use bullet points.

Etiquette
If you think about it, no one has to accept--or even ask for--your business card.  If they don't ask for it first, the best way to give someone your card is as follows:

• Get permission—“May I give you my card?”  Some people don't want cards.  They'd rather give your their card and have you send them an email with your contact information.
• Give them one—not multiple—cards unless they ask for more.  Or, ask for permission first to give more.  I've had people shove a handful of cards at me.  My reaction is not positive, as it seems they're assuming I'll become their marketing source.

Some people don't carry business cards.  They use that as an opportunity to get cards from others.  That’s fine, but you could be missing an opportunity.  If you have cards with you, even if the recipient doesn’t have an opening for someone like you right now, they may have a colleague who does.  Many times, professionals pass on cards they've received from job seekers to friends and colleagues.  Having the card made this easy and possible.

Build an Advisory Team—your card carrying ambassadors.  www.creatinganadvisoryboard.com.