The Key to Success: Business Cards
This blog post was written by Peer Career Ambassador, Luke Martiros ‘21.
The business card: a simple tool to provide information and communicate who you are. If you get a job at a well-established company, you may receive business cards that have your position, name, and contact information. Unless you are in the design department, you typically will not be able to alter the design of your card. If you have your own business or want to create a personally branded card, you may do so as well.
As a business student wanting to start their own business or break into a certain industry, first impressions are quite important. But when two weeks pass after that one networking event you visited, that recruiter you talked to probably will not remember everything about you. This is where your card comes into play. The structure and design of your card are a visual representation of your personality. Is the card organized or messy? Colorful or colorless? Creative or simple? What are you going to put on the card? Just your name and contact info? A company logo? Your slogan? There are many different ways to tailor a business card and they can be further customized for specific industries.
In the world of finance, business cards tend to be formal and simple. Straightforward designs with your name, contact info, and the company that you work for will do just fine. In business, people like to be efficient, so make sure it is easy to find all the necessary information.
For more creative fields like design, the aesthetics of the business card is all the more important. The more you can make yourself stand out from the crowd the better. These types of cards should reflect who you are and what makes you unique.
Some people also create personal business cards that are not affiliated with any company. These can be used if you are employed but are working on a side project or if you want an additional way to differentiate yourself from the crowd.
Having business cards is still relevant in today’s digital society. First, exchanging digital information is impersonal. Actual in-person conversation with another individual makes for a more meaningful relationship than sending emails back and forth. Business cards also demonstrate to others your professionalism and preparedness. Finally, if you hand someone a business card, you automatically stand out. The receiving individual will have a part of your brand when they leave the venue.
Remember, your business card is your second shot of a first impression, so be thoughtful in creating it!