With ever present cell phones, and social media ablaze, it can be easy to simply plug a number into your phone or request someone on facebook, but there is something powerful about handing over a business card. I’m not talking about a card with all of your work information and title, but a personal card; just your name, phone number, email, and personal website or title (if you have one). Similar to pictures which can stay trapped in the memory cards of our cameras, phone numbers can easily get lost in the sea of contacts we generally keep on hand.
I know there have been an embarrassing number of times I have inputted someone’s contact info into my phone, only to forget their name the next day, left tirelessly searching for the number. By handing someone a card, you can guarantee that at some point or another, after putting the card down, that person will come across it again, even if in passing, putting you on their radar. Giving someone a physical item to remember you by keeps you consistently flashing in their head, every time the card is in sight. Similarly, a personal card seems to be an anomaly today, making you stand out from the crowd.
When on the hunt for a new job, or networking to build a personal business outside of your current company, it’s a good idea to present a personal card which isn’t bogged down with information. This serves to break the connection with your current job; presenting you as your own entity, and not a subset of any other company.
So next time you find yourself networking, think about providing your own card, and the statement a clean, to-the-point, personal business card makes.