During my senior year in college, I wrote a novel about mermaids. For anyone who doesn’t know what writing a novel is like, this means I lived, breathed, and dreamt mermaids for months on end. I have even dressed up as a mermaid for Mardi Gras in New Orleans every year since.
As part of the whole mermaid thing, I had 250 business cards printed (for free) my senior year saying I was a Mermaid Specialist. This was a semi-joke in response to an email I received from my college career counselor: “A friendly reminder to bring your business cards to the Careers in Journalism Networking Night!” Was this woman crazy? Why on earth would I have a business card in college? So I can put absolutely nothing on it?
Little did I know that when you actually have a business card, you find ample opportunity to give it out. And when it contains something as informative as your KODA URL, this can become a very, VERY important tool in your job search.
Let’s face it, when you’re searching for a job, you have to be open to any ANY opportunity. Those people you talk to at the gym, subway, bar, yoga studio—wherever—they are your resources. Jobs can literally fall out of the sky (as it did for my friend when she was sitting on a flight from San Francsico to Los Angeles). Be prepared.
This is when you must have something to give to people. A business card with your KODA profile (and a bunch of other stuff that we’ll talk about) is casual enough to hand out to whomever, but informative enough so someone can actually get to know your qualifications.
So, what do you put on it?
- Contact Info. Name, Email Address/Phone Number.
- A Tagline. This will take the place of “CEO of Awesomeness” or whatever official title you’ll one day have. The mermaid thing may strike you as weird, but it did end up getting me one of my first jobs and a boyfriend (who still thinks I’m a mermaid). Hint: Maybe take something from your KODA profile’s “Me in Three” or “A Deeper Look.”
- Link to your KODA Profile. If you don’t have an account, get one here. Having your KODA URL on your business card is better than handing someone your resume. Why? Because your profile says so much more about you. That buddy you meet on the beach may know you like surfing, but handing him your business card shows your professional interests, and may land you a job at his company. (This was exactly how I got my first job). You can also include a link to a personal website or blog.
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This helped me get over insecurities and design anxieties/matters of indecision when I made my business cards.
Thanks Lauren!
Hi there Lauren!
I stumbled upon your site today and am so sad that I didn’t reach it sooner; Koda seems like such an inspirational and helpful resource for fresh-plucked professionals like myself.
Thank you for this post; I’ve been wondering how to design a business card while in between jobs! I hope I can be as plucky as you in handing out my card, too – chasing potential opportunities down instead of just waiting for them to smack me on my forehead.
Have a wonderful weekend. I am looking so forward to getting connected to the Koda community, chatting with you and reading more of your insightful blog in the future!
Take care!
Cheryl Elizaga
@CheElizaga
Hi Cheryl,
I’m glad you’ve found us! We’re trying to make the job search and career development a lot less mysterious and a ton more fun, because it is. I got my first job from sitting on the the NYC subway with my surfboard. How sweet is that?
If you have any questions or thoughts, feel free to shoot me an email any time: Lauren@koda.us.
Hope to see you around the blog more!
Lauren
Not to be overly technical, but VistaPrint is not exactly free (shipping costs of ~$5).
However, I do really appreciate what this article is getting at.
Lauren–what do you think about little taglines/phrases at the top of resumes? I am trying to pump up me resume and having trouble not sounding cheezy…
Hi Landon! I think an objective statement at the top of a resume is a good way to help guide the reading of your resume. It should be full of specific words and goals, not abstract terminology. This is especially useful if you have a bunch of different experiences in college and in work and you’re trying to focus your resume on a common career goal. I can surely help a bit if you send me a link to your KODA profile!
I’m glad you found it useful. What did you finally decide to put on it? I can’t tell you how much more fun it is to hand out a business card that says you’re a “Mermaid” than the typical blah whatever. Curious what you have on yours!
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