So, can having a business card get you a job? It is certainly no guarantee, but it does provide a few advantages that can help your chances. And in today’s job market, any advantage over your fellow job-seekers is worth looking into.

Business Cards Provide Credibility – Add credibility to your resumẽ with a business card by clipping it to your resumẽ, or handing it to your interviewer. A business card gives the appearance that you really care about your profession, and take it seriously enough to get business cards printed.

Competitive Advantage – How many other candidates competing for the same position are going to have a business card? The answer is not many. Handing a business card to an interviewer makes them perk up and think… “Why does this person have a business card? What makes them think they are so special?”

It’s a simple trick that can work. Many interviewers scoff at the people who “glitter” up their resumẽ with pictures and large colored fonts. Most of the time, they want your resumẽ to be simple and to the point, and nothing is more to the point about who you are than a business card.

It grabs their attention because it is not expected. After an interview, you can hand someone a business card and they will look at it, and of course look at the name. This extra exposure to who you are isn’t much, but it’s unlikely anyone else is doing it.

Quick Contact Information – Interviewers have to file through stacks and stacks of applications to find a person’s contact information. Sorting through a stack of business cards is much easier. Firstly, not many people will be providing a business card. Then, it is much easier to sort through a short stack of business cards then a large pile of resumẽs.

What to Put on a Personal Business Card When Looking for a Job?

So you’ve decided to shock and awe your interviewer with a business card? Great, but what do you put on it?

First and foremost, you want your name and contact information displayed prominently. In this situation, it is probably not a great idea to add your picture or fancy design. Keep it short and sweet, and colors to a minimum. Address is not required, but phone numbers and email are.

For some professionals, you want to list what you do. This can include “Graphic Designer,” “Certified CPA,” “Licensed Dog Groomer.” Then quickly list your skillset, and years of experience: “14 Years Experience in Accounting” or “Photoshop · Quark · Illustrator.” If you have a portfolio online, then listing your URL on your business card is a must.

You want the highlights of your resumẽ on your business card, and nothing more!

Name – This is obvious. But do you use initials or your full name? Use the name you are most commonly called, and do not use nicknames (especially when dealing with professionals)

You want your name to stand out, so try to make it bigger than the rest of the text on the business card.

Credentials – If you are a CPA, P.E., etc, then you want to list it on your business card, especially in a professional setting. This adds credibility to your business card and lets people remember you better.

Title – This your position at your company. For example, it can be “President” or “Creative Director” or “Manager.” If you are a small company or one-person freelancer, avoid using titles that make you sound far more important than you really are. Use a title that lets people know what you do.

Address – Once again, credibility is key here. Without an address, many people will assume you work out of your basement (if you do, that’s OK – Get a P.O. Box or UPS Store Box). And of course, you want to show it off if your office is located in a swanky part of town!

Telephone, Cell Phone, and Fax Numbers – The easiest and fastest way for people to get in touch is through telephone. While many people are migrating to e-mail, most professionals still want the personal touch (and fast) that telephone provides.

Email Address – Some people prefer e-mail over telephone, especially for things that aren’t urgent. To come off as more professional, register a domain name (even if you do not have a website) so you can have an email address like myname@mybusinessname.com. Having a @yahoo.com or @gmail.com address comes off as amateur.

Website Address – After you hand a person your business card, the first thing they do is check out your website to see what you are all about. You do not want to forget your website address, especially if it is part of your marketing mix!

Professional criteria – If you need to display license numbers or registration, make sure these are on the card as well. This can apply to real estate brokers, therapists, and so on.

Photos (optional) – If you want people to really remember you, you can use a photo on your business card. Photos are better suited for professionals, like chiropractors, doctors, and real estate brokers. If you do include a photo, make sure to have it done professionally. Candid photos and home pictures won’t cut it!

Too Much Information?

Experienced designers know how to place all of this information on a business card without it becoming too cluttered. But if you are doing it yourself and you don’t have much design talent, you might have trouble getting everything in place so it looks good.

You always have the option of printing on both sides of the card. One side can include your important information, like name, phone and email, while the other side can include your address information, services, and website address.

The Standard Business Card Size is 3.5″ by 2.0″

Safe Area

When designing your business card, you want to keep all text in the “safe area.” This keeps the text from being on the very edge of the card, or worse, cut off! When business cards are printed, they are printed on sheets then trimmed to the standard size.

Sometimes, the cutting process is not always 100% accurate, and there can be a few millimeters of difference between the location of the text from card to card. Be sure to keep text out of the 1/4 inch area inside the card!

Bleed Area

The final size of your business card will be 3.5″ wide by 2.0″ high. (Reverse for vertical business cards).

With today’s fast, 4-color process printing, it’s very common to see colored backgrounds, flashy designs, and photographs used on business cards.

When using these backgrounds, you want to add 1/8 of an inch to each side of the business card. This is called the bleed area, and ensures that your cards have a full colored background when being cut.

If you designed your business card without a bleed area, and you had a colored background, there is a very good chance you will end up with a blank stripe (where nothing was printed because there was no bleed) running down or along your business card. Once again, this has to do with how business cards are cut from their final sheets.

Adding a bleed means your business card design will be 3.25″ wide by 2.25″ high during design. All you have to remember when designing with a bleed area is to make sure your background goes past the standard size into the bleed area.