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Network cards: The new weapon for jobseekers
July 24th, 2008
The business card has been around for a long time, and is a useful bit of self advertising, by any standards.
Now comes the network card, which is, literally, for networking. It contains all your selling points. It’s an upgraded version of the basic business card, but it has more information and works on providing more detail.
Instead of:
John Smith
Sales Manager
WXYZ Inc
1 ABCD Street
Anywhereinparticular, USA, Zip
Phone
Email
The network card will have a lot more, and personalized, information. There’s no set format, but John Smith, as a private citizen, can use every millimeter of his card. He doesn’t want the business card, if he’s looking for work. It’s either out of date, or it’s emphasizing his sales skills, when he wants to do something else. So he personalizes his networking card.
John Smith
Life Counselor, Mentor, and Wellness Coach
WXYZ Inc
1 ABCD Street
Anywhereinparticular, USA, Zip
Phone
Email
Elsewhere, on this pocket billboard will be his various other abilities, rephrased and reworked to represent where he wants to go. Sales is still there, but it’s been reincarnated as another related skill.
The front of the card has a picture of him, so the added information has been put on the back.
John Smith
PhD in Philosophy, Life Sciences, ABCD University, 2004
Fellow of the Association of American Mentors, 2005
President, Sales Coaching Association of New York, 2007
As you can see, as a sales pitch this is pretty effective. Nothing extraneous, no details, just pure hard sell, and plenty of it.
For job seekers, and networking generally, these are also the relevant bits of information.
If you knew John Smith, and you were looking for someone to advise a salesperson on their career, you’d have a hard time not thinking of Smith. He’s given you exactly what you need to know to figure out how useful he can be.
Say you’re an IT person. Your card would read:
H. Drive,
IT Specialist and Contractor
123 Software Street
Someenchantedsuburb, USA
Phone
Email
Specialties: C++, Java, Windows server, Mac server, multi core applications, cross platform integration
With these qualifications, you’re overqualified for NASA, but anyone who’s ever met you will think of you when they need IT.
Unlike the usual business card format, which is extremely limited, you get to display all your talents.
Networking, however, is also a science. The cards work best when they’re given to people who can use them, and people you actually want to be part of your network.
The idea of a network is people who can help each other. There’s a bit of a tendency to spray business cards around like a tree shedding leaves in Autumn, and it doesn’t work. You may become famous with the people at the paper recycling depot, but not get much business.
So you give your network cards to someone who’s in the ballpark as a credible possible client, or colleague. Give your card to an evergreen business associate, someone you intend to work with over time, not someone who just happened to be there when you had a few spare cards. You’re also advised to give the cards only to people with whom you’re sure are worth it.
Network cards are pretty easy to organize. If you have vistaprint.com in your country, they can even do free cards for you, and their site allows you to check out what your card will look like.
Note: You do have to pay postage with vistaprint.com cards, but the cards are free.
Think about what you’re going to put on your card, and what you’re not going to put on it. Leave out anything irrelevant, and obsolete information.
The basics are:
- Name
- Address (you may or may not want to include this, depending on your preferences)
- Contact details
- Degrees
- Certificates or other academic qualifications
- Business type
- Services provided
- Photo (if you’re happy about that)
- Slogan/Motif (If it’s something you think is appropriate)
Color scheme
Think about your color scheme, too.
If you have a product or logo, stick to those colors.
Don’t clash with them.
Your business, your services and your products should come as a set, with a unifying image, not a disjointed mess.
Card designs
As a general rule, if you want to play safe with your network image, stick to a relatively conservative design for your card. Blue, or Black and White cards are considered conservative, anything else isn’t.
Laminated cards do last longer. A mat laminate is almost invisible, a high gloss is more expensive, but also pretty indestructible.
IMPORTANT: Font sizes
Don’t give your associates eyestrain. There are some font sizes, like ingredients on food, where people just don’t want to look at the print. Stick to no smaller than an 11 point font, and easy to read fonts.
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