I Would Love to Keep in Touch. Do You Have a Card?

Last month, I had the pleasure of speaking to an ambitious group of students at George Mason University on the benefits of networking for job seekers. As the session concluded, I was asked several questions including one I never considered when I was in college: Should students have business cards? If so, what should they say?

In corporate America, business cards are key components for sharing basic information about who you are, where you work and how you can be reached. In college, however, business cards should be a brief summary of your resume and anticipated career goals after graduation. Does this mean you should know exactly what type of job you want to do for the next ten years? Of course not. In fact, you may end up doing a job in an industry different from your college degree. According to new data from Jaison Abel and Richard Dietz of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, only 27 percent of college grads have a job related to their major. (You can find Abel and Dietz's longer paper here.)

There are countless ways to design your business cards and decide what information you'd like to share. Below are a few tips to get you started and assist you with the job seeking process.

• Your full name. Many professionals have nicknames or shortened versions of their names that they prefer to be called but for your business card, include your full first and last name. This will make it easier for recruiters to recognize your name when you submit your resume and cover letter.
• Where you attend college. Add the name of your school and the city where it is located so the individuals you are networking with can help you find opportunities in that area and can even tap into their own local networks.
• Your major. Include information about your degree, as well as your minor. Are you receiving your B.A. in Communications or your B.S. in Biology? Remember to add the anticipated month and year of graduation so recruiters know when you'll be available to begin your first job in corporate America.
• Your contact information. Share where you can be reached via phone and by email. If you only have a cell phone number, include it! Consider creating a personal email account with Google or Yahoo to make it easier to maintain communication with professionals after graduation.
• Social media information. This one is tricky and more details will be saved for another post but, if you have a professional Twitter account, website or blog, share that information as well. Use social media to continue networking with professionals and to show recruiters you have an active online presence. 
• Work history. Include a summary of your work experience such as the last two or three internships you've had, with whom and the time period. Since space is limited, don't add descriptions of your day-to-day tasks at each job, save that information for your resume.

To help you create your business card, consider using online printing companies that offer free templates or allow you to design your own such as Vistaprint or Moo. If you have questions or would like help in creating your personal business card, feel free to contact me at Jenna.Boyer89@gmail.com. Good luck!

A public relations professional and entrepreneur, Jenna Boyer is an account executive at Hager Sharp where she works with clients to motivate behavior changes of consumers through public health and safety initiatives. Her day-to-day tasks include implementing creative marketing and social media strategies, developing campaign materials, and leading partnership outreach. Jenna's experience in the PR industry has spawned her passion to help young professionals advance personally and professionally, hence the birth of The Rising Professional, LLC. The Rising Professional is committed to advancing the careers of young professionals. The company assists with network development, resume building, and interview prep through networking events, professional development workshops, and one-on-one mentorship.