Make Business Cards for Your Job Search

Business cards can serve as valuable networking tools

Woman sharing business card
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Business cards are not just for corporate professionals. In fact, business cards are an excellent networking tool for job seekers in all industries.

Whether you are at a job fair, a career networking event or an informational interview, giving a contact your business card is a great way for him or her to follow up with you and to learn a bit more about your professional identity.

For today’s task, you will develop and order business cards designed specifically for your job search.

What to Include in a Business Card

Be sure to include your basic contact information: your full name, phone number, and email address. If you are currently employed, include your job title and company name.

Now that you have developed a presence on LinkedIn and Twitter, you should also include your LinkedIn URL and Twitter handle. If you have a business-oriented personal website or an online portfolio, include links to those sites as well.

If you chose to print a two-sided business card, you can include your branding statement or a brief list of your skills and/or experiences. Including your branding statement is especially useful if you do not currently have a job, but want your contacts to know about your work experience.

You can also include a QR code, which can be scanned by a smartphone and is linked to a website URL such as your personal website so the viewer can easily get more information on you.

Keep It Simple

Be sure not to include so much information on your card that the reader becomes overwhelmed or loses interest. Be sure to give just enough information on your card to demonstrate your qualifications. You want quite a bit of white space left on your business card.

Where and How to Print Your Business Card

While you can print your own business cards on your printer, definitely consider professional printing (unless your printer has commercial printing capabilities). 

There are a number of ways to print professional cards at a reasonable price. For example, Vistaprint offers hundreds of one-sided cards for under $10. Smart Levels offers two-sided cards for under $25 before shipping. Staples and Office Depot also print business cards at a reasonable price.

Make sure to carefully check the shipping options before purchasing, because shipping can be expensive.

Once you have received your business cards, you will be ready to network with anyone, anytime!