Dec 09
30
Network Business Card
One of the tools for networking in your job search or entrepreneurial venture is a network or business card. I initially had my street address on the cards I had printed last year but when I had new ones printed recently I decided to drop the address, and formatted it a bit differently, it is a completely different design than what I was using last year, my situation has changed so the card needed to change as well.
For those of you in transition and seeking a new opportunity, there are a few things at minimum that I think should be on the card:
- Name
- Title or a your main competencies
- Email address
- Valid current phone number(s)
- Web page (if you have a blog or web page you host yourself, you may want to put it on your card)
- Your social media site profile addresses (I’ve seen more recently on cards LinkedIn profiles in particular but if you’re on other sites such as twitter, or facebook you can have that on your card as well)
I’m attaching an image of my current card for an example, I use Vistaprint but there are other printing services out there such as iPrint.com or a local print shop as well.
One thing that I got on my last order and it was only a couple more dollars was an electronic copy of my card, that I can attach to emails using Outlook, that is the representation that you see below, with the phone numbers blanked out.
I’ve found it gives a bit more professional touch than the card that’s created in an email when you click to add “Business Card” in Outlook. I delete the card pasted in the email by Outlook but leave my contact information .vcf file attached. This way someone I email will have my current contact information and can save it in their contacts.
You may notice the email address on the card being a bit different, and I will explain about that in another post. I’ve had people question it thinking it was a mis-print or wrong, but it is correct.
One other tip for those in transition, if you happen to have business cards from your old employer - do not use them when you are out networking and seeking a new position, having to write other contact information on an old card just doesn’t look right, and I feel you’d only be hurting yourself by giving an old business card to someone new. Spend a few dollars and get new cards printed, even if you buy business card stock and print a simple card on your home computer.
What are some other items you would add to your card? How about the back of the card? Blank or some other information? Please comment below.
Posted in branding Job Search Job Search Tips Networking by .
Dec 09
28
Networking Builds Opportunities
The following is a guest post by Frank Angelone; he is the founder of Social Tech Zone and helps businesses and individuals with news and tips for interacting with social networks and technology.
I think for anyone to build their business or brand themselves requires networking. Whether you are trying to market yourself for a job or you are looking to grow your own brand that you’ve created; you won’t go far without networking. For me I realized that there are two places to network that really help build credibility for yourself. One is Twitter and the other is face to face networking. Granted Twitter is great for networking and meeting new people, but let’s focus on face to face networking. It’s the old school method and it is where networking first took place before online built the presence it has today.
The first networking tip I could provide anyone is go to a conference. Seriously, if you haven’t been to one, you are short changing yourself. There are so many people that go to these events and everyone is looking to meet someone and connect. Talking to another person can be intimidating if you don’t know them, but it’s something you need to do if you want to get yourself known in the industry you belong to. My first conference was Affiliate Summit East this past summer in New York. I was feeling quite overwhelmed going there to begin with, but I knew I had good communication skills and I could talk to people. You have to go into something like this with that frame of mind to succeed.
I talked to a good number of people and received a lot of business cards. Granted people always exchange business cards. That doesn’t mean anything. It’s what you do with the business card after the conference that means something. You need to build a conversation with people, take an interest in what they do, and in turn they will take an interest in what you do. This can help lead to more opportunities for you and give you connections. Out of all the business cards I received, I contacted maybe 5 of them that I really felt I communicated well with. The next question you should ask yourself is, “how many responded and how many did you continue talking with?” Well, maybe 3 of those 5 responded, but out of those 3, I came away with one actual contact from Affiliate Summit East.
Don’t for one second think that coming away with only one contact is a bad thing. One contact is more than what you had before and it’s the kind of relationship you build with that person and how you both can help each other. Having the one actual person I networked with from Affiliate Summit East has allowed me to meet a lot more people and introduced to many more along the way. One person helped me reach about 8 more people. So, don’t ever mistake the value of networking with people and going to large events. You never know how one person can help change your goals and give you that edge you need. Not to mention, you make a friend along the way.