It may be true that, “A rose by any other name would smell as sweet,” but tell a grad student he or she needs a “business card” and you may hear “Why should I have a business card? I’m not in business – I don’t even have a job.”
A very perceptive colleague of mine, Kathy Condon, who writes and speaks knowledgeably about human communications and etiquette, suggests calling business cards, instead, “contact” cards.
If we accept the premise that the main purpose of networking is to build mutually satisfying and useful long-term relationships, then the function of cards carrying our contact information is instantly clear.
Contact Cards Are Practical
Contact cards allow us to avoid those little scraps of paper that grad students give each other when they meet at academic conferences and want to stay in touch afterwards. (I remember how often I found scraps of paper in my own pockets, weeks later, with phone numbers or addresses, but seldom with names!)
A student using contact cards also projects a more professional image. And, they can be particularly helpful to those looking to make professional connections beyond the academy, because contact cards are expected by the business community. As much as the business community may seem like another culture, perceived from inside the academy, contact information is equally necessary.
Everyone Has Something to Offer
A business card represents one’s offer, and signals the potential for a relationship. An academic’s “offer” may be skills, knowledge and ability to provide value to colleagues. For a grad student who, technically, has no job, carrying “business” cards may seem presumptuous. But reducing them to the function of maintaining contact with colleagues makes them thoroughly useful and gives enough information for connecting later.
All relationships offer potential for information exchange, collaboration, and future reference. The wider our stock of relationships, the greater our potential for being able to offer help and information, as well as to ask questions and gather information that relates to our own topic of interest, or to find mentors in worlds that we barely know, especially when exploring beyond academics.
What Information Should Be On the Contact Card?
- Your Name
- Listing your Title/Position explains your context.
It’s simple and accurate to describe yourself as (XYZ Degree) Candidate. Your specialty may be listed here, but be sure to add your expected (month and year) of graduation. This is also useful context. I know of a recruiter who met a student at a career fair and kept his card on file until the year he was to graduate, and requested a resume.
- University Name and Department Name may be enough to describe your specialty, but feel free to add a line that describes your focus.
It could read, “Focusing on climate change in coastal environments,” or “Specialist in American History” (or Bioengineering, or Writing and Editing, or ….). This is critical if you plan to seek work beyond academics - think about the vocabulary of that industry, and be able to describe your focus in a way that will be understood by those who would employ you.
- If you want the relative anonymity of a departmental physical address and can get your mail there, use it, but list your own phone number.
Consider getting voice mail, especially if you have roommates or children, so your response can be professional and at a time of your choosing (to give yourself preparation time).
- If your personal email is less than professional (partyanimal@yahoo.com, for example), use the university email system or set up another email address specifically for professional communications.
Details
The details of typeface, spacing and formatting of the above information may vary widely, of course, but be aware that many universities have strict graphic formulas with specific logos and formatting conventions to comply with their “brand.” (For example, most require that grad students not be mistaken for university employees, so you may be required to be identified as “Master’s / Doctoral Candidate” within a certain department.)
Note that if you can purchase contact cards through your university, they may cost a little more, but the format will have a professional look. If you get your cards at a local copy shop or online, be aware that your school may have a protected copyright on its logo, and be sure to get a legal, as well as an appropriate, graphic design.
A Contact Card By Any Other Name
While the choice of terminology may seem trivial, our perceptions are colored by the words we use, and unlike a rose by any name, “contact cards” may be a more functional term for academics than referring to business cards.
© Copyright, 2009, Kate Duttro. All rights reserved. Used with Permission.
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Job-Hunt's Academic Job Search expert Kate Duttro is a career strategist, coach, and instigator. She writes the Career Change for Academics Blog, for current and recovering academics, and other smart cookies. For more than 10 years, she has provided career services at the University of Washington, where she has counseled, taught classes and workshops, and dug out information for thousands of undergrads, grad students, post docs and alumni in all phases of career development. Holding several degrees, including a PhD in anthropology, Kate has also earned many professional certifications in the field of career coaching.
