Networking Business Cards for Students

Students may be surprised to learn that business cards can help them make future professional contacts in the area in which they wish to work. Even if you do not yet know what field you want to pursue after graduation, having a general business card for networking purposes can help you make important contacts in a variety of fields. However, done incorrectly, using a networking business card as a student can be a waste of time and money. To get the most out of your student business cards, consider several factors.
  1. Title

    • Be honest when creating your title; don't claim to have a job that you simply aspire to, as this may mislead people and make them wary of hiring you in the future. Instead, put "aspiring" in front of the title, or "student" behind it. However, simply putting "student" on your card and nothing else can be off-putting, as people will not know why to keep your card. Be as specific as possible in describing what you are studying and what you aspire to be after you finish your studies. This will help the professionals you meet remember who you are, and make them more likely to decide to save your contact information.

    Design

    • Because you do not yet have significant experience to offer businesses, creative design of your business card can give professionals a reason to keep it and to remember who you are. Interesting color combinations, shapes and other distinguishing aspects can encourage a person to keep your card rather than throwing it out the second you leave. This also holds true for what you write on your card; gentle, appropriate humor can also make your card memorable.

    Contact Information

    • As a student, it is likely that your physical address will change several times before you settle in one place permanently. Because of this, either use your parents' home address (or any address you consider to be permanent), or leave the information off altogether if you are planning to move. Instead, focus on your email address and on your cell phone number, neither of which are likely to change over the next several years. Avoid using an email address ending in ".edu," which is likely to expire at graduation and which can look juvenile; it is better to set up a free email account through a company like Gmail or Hotmail that you will use for professional purposes.

    Purposes

    • While giving out your business cards is important for networking, it will be more important that people will give you their own cards in return. Saving these cards and using them later, whether for internships, networking, learning about different careers or other purposes, is one of the most important things you can do as a student to get a start in the professional arena.

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