Marketing yourself in the professional world is one of the biggest steps to an amazing career. Networking with industry professionals gives you the chance to learn more about the field, become a better speaker when talking to important people, and to share your skills with the world to ensure you land the best job possible. One of the most important things in doing this is the business card. Many people do not realize this, but the business card allows you to leave conversations gracefully, and to make sure whoever you’re talking to will remember you and think about you when they or someone they know is looking to hire someone. Here are some tips about business cards that will leave employers wanting more…
1. Keep it simple
As long as you have a great conversation with someone, and get why they should hire you across during that talk, there is no need to throw on a million of your skills on your business card. You want it to be as simple as possible, if you make a good impression, they will remember why you’re worth it without looking at your card. I spoke with an industry professional the other day, and they told me the five main things to put on your card: your major, your school, your name, your phone number, and your email. Through this, they will know who you are, what you’re studying and where, and your contact information.
2. Do not choose a distracting background
You do not want to pick a crazy background that will distract the person looking at it from your information. It is a cool idea to pick an image that can relate to your major if possible. As an event management major, I had many different options that would match with my profession. At first I was thinking a solid background with small string lights, but I ended up going with a black background with peonies in the top center. VistaPrint has many different options for cards with designs that are not too much and make your card look great.
3. Order about 250 cards
When speaking with an industry professional, I was told that a good number of cards to order would be 250, because you will only have the cards you order now for when you are in college. Once you graduate, you will want to get cards with the name of your employer on them. 250 is the perfect number that will last you through your college career.
4. Don’t be afraid to hand them out
Connections are one of the biggest ways to get jobs. Even if someone you’re speaking to is not directly in the field you want to be in, they may have connections and be willing to pass your card to those in your industry that they know.
5. Consider ordering a business card holder
When you go to networking events, or just going out, you are not going to want to carry around an entire box of business cards. Having a case that holds about 15-20 cards is perfect and will fit better in your purse. You can order them from websites such as Amazon and VistaPrint, and depending on the one you order, you can have them engraved with your name or initials.
Consider some of our tips and tools to order some business cards for yourself! Have fun designing!