"Business" Cards?

[UnlikelyGrad]

Wow, this must be something that I'm not understanding culturally. I cannot, for the life of me, understand why anyone would be judged for carrying or giving someone else a business card. I'm really confused, so I'm sure I'm missing something here.

Generally speaking, I don't mind receiving business cards. I've just met some people who are very aggressive with them and use them as a substitute for real networking, e.g.:

"Hi, I'm Frank." (hand over business card) "I'm an insurance salesman with YourFarm, just in case you ever need any assistance in that regard. Oh, and by the way, I'm running for city council this fall--hope I can count on your vote." (walks on to next person)

See, this is just rude--you should always ascertain whether people WANT to contact you before giving them your contact info. So, basically: introduce yourself, give a little background info, find out a little about the person you are talking to, find a point of commonality, ask if they would like your contact info (if they don't ask for it themselves), then hand over the card if they agree.

Personally, I'd also use them in school situations like when someone needs my email so we could set up a study session, or when someone agrees to email me a copy of their notes because I had to miss a class, etc.

In short: It's fine to give someone a card if they've asked for, or agreed to receive, your contact info. Foisting them on famous professors you meet at conferences is not okay.

[choidy87]

Generally speaking, I don't mind receiving business cards. I've just met some people who are very aggressive with them and use them as a substitute for real networking, e.g.:

you should always ascertain whether people WANT to contact you before giving them your contact info. So, basically: introduce yourself, give a little background info, find out a little about the person you are talking to, find a point of commonality, ask if they would like your contact info (if they don't ask for it themselves), then hand over the card if they agree.

Yeah, I get that no one likes someone who's glad-handing. No surprise there... I just don't believe that anyone on here actually thinks the average, non-precocious Ph.D. student would be a social misfit if he or she happened to have a basic business card ready for conferences, interviews, etc.

Look, when I saw American Psycho I also thought one of the most psychotic parts of the film was the endless bragging on business cards.

[Riotbeard]

Whatever postbib does it is obviously not a big deal, but it's better to let'em know the risks involved. I would find it presumptious, and that's probably unfair, but I am being honest.

[LockeOak]

I don't have business cards (yet) though I know many students that do. They're primarily useful at conferences, particularly international conferences. If you're going to see dozens of talks and hundreds of posters over the span of a week, you're not going to remember everyone/everything. They're great, for example, when you encounter someone engaged in similar research and you'd like to collaborate.

[poco_puffs]

Another humanities nerd chiming in here:

I'd take some school-provided "business" cards if they offered, or perhaps I'll print some up eventually, but I would be pretty circumspect on how often I handed them out. I completely understand the impression some people might get of handing out business cards as off-putting and overly self-promotional. In my case, it's tied up with impostor-syndrome. I wonder if I am really going to belong to this ivory tower, and then someone at my same level walks through handing out business cards? It's just a little bewildering at first glance.

In the wrong situations, it would be "putting on airs" in much the same way as completely over-dressing in a semi-casual environment could be interpreted as putting on airs. Nothing is wrong with dressing nicely, especially in the right situations, but if someone shows up in a three-piece suit to a department happy hour where everyone is dressed in their street clothes, eyebrows might raise.

That being said, I *really* hate writing my name and email on scraps of paper. I wouldn't want a completely official-looking card-- just something that provides information. That mention about the name cards of the 19th century reminded me of the Little House on the Prairie books, where Laura wants name cards because the snotty girl in class has some very fancy cards to hand out. It was in one of the later books.

Now I have a mash-up of the Little House name-card scene and the American Psycho business card lunch scene playing in my head. Wow.

[Postbib Yeshuist]

That would be so intensely weird to me. Seriously, if another grad student gave me a business card, that would be just stunning and bizarre, and something to laugh over at happy hour. I think that's a horrible idea, frankly. I've never seen anyone do it, or heard anyone talk about it, or seen it raised on any website or forum. I think it would get you the wrong kind of attention, and for what? to save 15 seconds of writing your name down.

Just strange, don't do it.

I've gotten 4-5 business cards from fellow students when we had to meet outside of class. At no point did I find it bizarre and I certainly never laughed at it. In fact, they were immensely useful. Of course, I tend to respect my fellow students these days, and appreciate whatever gestures they take to make our interactions easier. Maybe during my first Master's a decade ago, I would have snickered too. Perhaps at the advanced Master's and PhD levels, people are less hung up on "looking cool." I dunno.

OK, after having caught up on all the comments, I wonder if there's some confusion here (despite my clarification on several occasions). Just to be sure, everyone realizes this is not a "cold contact" thing I'm talking here, right? They're only for use for situations where, like UnlikelyGrad said, a rapport has already been established. If at that point someone would take offense, I would be surprised and, to be perfectly honest, a bit relieved to discover their shallowness early on. A business card I could see being pretentious, but a card with your name and e-mail on it? Maybe the school you attend? As I said above, the times when I've received cards were perfect. I didn't have to whip out a pen/pencil, or say "How do you spell your last name?" There was no break in the conversation while we figured out how to get that information ("Wait just a second, I have a napkin in here somewhere") and I had the card at home when I needed it a week later to call.

Anyway, this has been a very interesting thread. For the most part, it seems like those who have "thumbs-downed" the idea more-or-less don't really have a good reason for it, other than just some perception of impropriety (and it is most certainly not a faux pas in the humanities, as I've seen it happen on multiple occasions). The benefits outweigh the negatives in my mind, as long as it's not done in a cocky, self-important way (which is always off-putting, regardless of what's being done).

Oh, one final thought: you and Professor X (yes, you can be the mutant of your choice) are having a conversation during a break at a conference. The prof thinks you've got an interesting point and suggests you present next year. He asks for your e-mail, to which you reply "Colossus@xaviermansion.org." A few months later, you wonder why you have't heard anything, only to find out the prof sent an e-mail to Colossus@zaviermansion.org (and since they all seem to be computer illiterate, never noticed the "unrecognized address" kickback. "That's my fault Colossus, but the conference has already been decided. So sorry." The bottom line is that at a certain point, a single off letter can have significant consequences, so it could literally pay to get the information right. Just another side to the conversation.

Edited July 3, 2010 by Postbib Yeshuist

[rising_star]

I'm pretty sure most programs provide them to you (especially if you have a fellowship or are "working" for the university).

I've been in two different grad programs at two different universities and neither has provided students with business cards, even if you are a TA/RA/fellowship student. They do, however, offer students the option of ordering them through the university's printing service just like faculty and staff can/do.

Yes, but it's a different kind of work, with a different style. Other academics are your peers, not customers you're trying to solicit work from. Being a grad student involves a lot of networking and scrambling, yes, but the calculating stuff is mixed in with collegial social interactions. Handing out business cards breaks the polite fiction that we're all equals, and all there for the company and the intellectual content. Maybe the fiction is bad. Maybe we should be more open about treating this like a business. It doesn't matter. Given the current culture, it's just not done.

Right, but why wouldn't you want to give your peers are card that reminds them of your name and contact information? I'm in the social sciences and I get business cards from other graduate students (and faculty) all the time at conferences. I also got them when I was visiting programs and trying to decide where to go. Most of the grad students that had them were PhD students and I appreciated them because it made it much easier to follow up with questions, a thank you note, etc. Way easier than trying to figure out which of the department's four Matthews was the one that took me out for dinner and showed me around campus, for example.

Also, I have no idea how/why handing out a business card would "break the polite fiction that we're all equals". Can you explain this? Because it seems to imply that professors, who are presumably equals, don't give business cards to one another when I can say with certainty that they do.

In case you can't tell, I'm pro-business card. It keeps me from getting emails with my first name misspelled, reminds people of which university I'm at, etc. And I always appreciate getting them after talking to someone at a conference because it makes it easier for me to email them later and continue our conversation. None of that "oh, it was a university in Canada right? I wonder which one... And the name started with a N or was it M... hmmm..." crap that eventually gets so annoying that you don't actually follow up with the person.

Just my $0.02, of course. YMMV as fuzzylogician says.

[Slorg]

I plan on getting business cards. They're great for networking outside of academia. (science perspective)

[Postbib Yeshuist]

Another humanities nerd chiming in here:

I'd take some school-provided "business" cards if they offered, or perhaps I'll print some up eventually, but I would be pretty circumspect on how often I handed them out. I completely understand the impression some people might get of handing out business cards as off-putting and overly self-promotional. In my case, it's tied up with impostor-syndrome. I wonder if I am really going to belong to this ivory tower, and then someone at my same level walks through handing out business cards? It's just a little bewildering at first glance.

In the wrong situations, it would be "putting on airs" in much the same way as completely over-dressing in a semi-casual environment could be interpreted as putting on airs. Nothing is wrong with dressing nicely, especially in the right situations, but if someone shows up in a three-piece suit to a department happy hour where everyone is dressed in their street clothes, eyebrows might raise.

That being said, I *really* hate writing my name and email on scraps of paper. I wouldn't want a completely official-looking card-- just something that provides information. That mention about the name cards of the 19th century reminded me of the Little House on the Prairie books, where Laura wants name cards because the snotty girl in class has some very fancy cards to hand out. It was in one of the later books.

Now I have a mash-up of the Little House name-card scene and the American Psycho business card lunch scene playing in my head. Wow.

Excellent points, and I got a good laugh out of your last sentence.

[Infinite Monkeys]

*timidly raises hand* I actually do have cards, but they're not business cards like you're all thinking of business cards. Mine aren't the standard, embossed-on-fancy-paper cards; they're mini-cards from MOO.com, a company that turns out a lot of fun products. I have my name, emails, and what I do (writing, editing, and tutoring) listed on the back, and on the front, it's got a patterned design in an assortment of colors, with the words "Literature Geek" in white script (which is how people have known me for the 3-5 years). They're serious enough to represent me to anyone, but different enough that people keep them. Poco_puffs, that might be the kind of product for you, if you're looking for less formal but with contact information. Totally customizable and available in both mini and regular business card sizes. (Not advertising--just pointing out a company with a service that seems to work well for me.)

It helps when I go to conferences or various places I could get proofreading/editing/tutoring work, since a lot of people do exchange cards in both the business and academic worlds. For most of my time in the MA program, a lot of the work I did was word of mouth--faculty would send their students to me for tutoring or whatnot, and my cards made it a lot easier for the profs: "Here, this is Monkeys' contact info; work with her or flunk the class." Contacts I made at conferences would offer me their cards, then assume I had one or could scribble out my name and email in a couple of seconds. The card made life easier, and people remember me for them. I don't push them on people, but if I'm in a situation where it's appropriate, I offer it.

I'm kind of sad I have to change them, though. No longer a literature geek.

Edited July 5, 2010 by Infinite Monkeys

[Mr. Wonton]

*timidly raises hand* I actually do have cards, but they're not business cards like you're all thinking of business cards. Mine aren't the standard, embossed-on-fancy-paper cards; they're mini-cards from MOO.com, a company that turns out a lot of fun products. I have my name, emails, and what I do (writing, editing, and tutoring) listed on the back, and on the front, it's got a patterned design in an assortment of colors, with the words "Literature Geek" in white script (which is how people have known me for the 3-5 years). They're serious enough to represent me to anyone, but different enough that people keep them. Poco_puffs, that might be the kind of product for you, if you're looking for less formal but with contact information. Totally customizable and available in both mini and regular business card sizes. (Not advertising--just pointing out a company with a service that seems to work well for me.)

I second everything you said about MOO cards! - and no, I don't work for them, either. I just received my order of business cards a few months ago, and I'm just itching to use them. They're offering a free sample pack of 10 business cards until who knows when, so I suggest you go try them out!   

[Postbib Yeshuist]

Sounds good. I'll try out the 10 cards and see what they're like. Definitely better than VistaPrint at the moment, which is doing all kinds of weirdness with not giving me some of their promotions.

[Gelato]

My two cents and experience:

As an international policy prospective, I visited Tufts (Fletcher) and UCSD (IR/PS), and at both places current students gave me a school logo business card with contact info and offered to answer questions. I've had my own business card for years because I do freelance work, and it's useful to give out as contact information.

(For comparison, I also visited Monterey, Cornell and Columbia and didn't get the same offer of business cards. Though I didn't meet students at Columbia.)

[Pamphilia]

Pamphilia

English Enthusiast/Badass MC

[coyabean]

I have received cards from students. I didn't think them presumptive arseholes for having them. As I was introduced to most of them by senior mentors their possession of a card had not hurt their credibility. Um, this is one long interview, grad school. A little professionalism could go a long way in a difficult market. My school offers a version through the school print shop with the official seal. I'd already planned to get them.

But, I'm also old at 33 with a decade of work experience. I think standing out, within social norms, is a GOOD thing.

And to copy pamphelia:

Coyabean

Thinker, Hellraiser

Coyabean@letsgogetem.com

Lol

Edited August 11, 2010 by coyabean

[coyabean]

I think this is two different conversations. Business cards at happy hour are different from business cards at a conference. Also, why would first years be handing out cards to peers? I think detractors think it is strange because they are imagining contexts that the OP never specified.

Also, speaking for all of humanities is pretty presumptuous. Things differ at very micro levels.

I can see the logic of business cards, but having them would still be a serious social faux pas in the humanities.

Yes, but it's a different kind of work, with a different style. Other academics are your peers, not customers you're trying to solicit work from. Being a grad student involves a lot of networking and scrambling, yes, but the calculating stuff is mixed in with collegial social interactions. Handing out business cards breaks the polite fiction that we're all equals, and all there for the company and the intellectual content. Maybe the fiction is bad. Maybe we should be more open about treating this like a business. It doesn't matter. Given the current culture, it's just not done.

The only people I can think of who have business cards are high level administrators and deans. The OP risks either coming across as pretending to a much, much, much higher rank than he has, or coming across as being over-professionalized and calculating.

But hey, I tend to react strongly to things. Feel free to ignore.

Edited August 12, 2010 by coyabean

[gsams]

I guess I don't understand why a business card would be a faux pas, although I work in social sciences, so your mileage may very. I also studied in the UK for a year and EVERYONE I met who was a grad student had business cards, as did many undergrads who wanted to network in government settings. I didn't find it strange. I found it smart. I would rather have a card from someone at a conference rather than have to shuffle through my bag to find a paper and write it down. Just looks sloppy. I can put a card in my portfolio for future reference.

[CultureOfIdeas]

[Heath]

For those that don't get them for free, vistaprint will give you a few hundred for free. Just make sure you cancel the free trial and you'll be fine.

[HelloKaty37]

When I was applying to graduate schools, the McNair program provided me with business cards to use. They had the seal of my undergraduate university (UT Austin) as well as my contact information, and I found them to be very helpful in the application process. I probably won't get new ones right away as a graduate student, because I won't be faced with the same sort of situations in my first year here that I used my old ones in, but when I met with a student from a school I was interested in, we often exchanged cards as a means of keeping in touch. When I met with the head of the department that I am now part of, he asked if I could write down my contact information for him to give to his secretary, and I gave him one of the business cards. Rather than seeming put off by the formality of it, he actually told me it was a welcome solution to having many slips of paper with questionably legible handwriting to keep up with. Honestly, I would prefer if everyone had business cards, but I guess I am a rarity in the humanities.

[coyabean]

When I was applying to graduate schools, the McNair program provided me with business cards to use. They had the seal of my undergraduate university (UT Austin) as well as my contact information, and I found them to be very helpful in the application process. I probably won't get new ones right away as a graduate student, because I won't be faced with the same sort of situations in my first year here that I used my old ones in, but when I met with a student from a school I was interested in, we often exchanged cards as a means of keeping in touch. When I met with the head of the department that I am now part of, he asked if I could write down my contact information for him to give to his secretary, and I gave him one of the business cards. Rather than seeming put off by the formality of it, he actually told me it was a welcome solution to having many slips of paper with questionably legible handwriting to keep up with. Honestly, I would prefer if everyone had business cards, but I guess I am a rarity in the humanities.

What you are is prepared, professional and employable!

[StrangeLight]

i went to three conferences this summer. my first ever, after one year in an MA program. at times i felt like i had no business even presenting there, but at the end of every single presentation, at least one person asked me for a business card. not for my name or my email, but for my business card. lots of grad students passed theirs out to me, to other students, and to professors. and no one batted an eye.

maybe it's odd or whatever because i still wear tshirts, jeans, and flip flops to "work" everyday, but it's worth printing some just for conferences if nothing else. it's way easier than scribbling your name and number onto a scrap piece of paper that they'll lose before the week is out.

[Mr. Wonton]

Starbucks is currently offering free business cards, which you can distribute to others to show them who's boss  :

http://www.starbucks.../card/setup.php

[Katzenmusik]

There is NOTHING wrong with having a business card to hand out when people ask you for your contact information. It's either that or scribble your name, cell phone number and email address on a piece of paper which the person will likely lose and/or read incorrectly. Why not give them a nice, legible card which they can file away for future reference?

I know plenty of NON-businessperson types who pass out cards--for example, an artist friend who makes and wears her own jewelry. When people compliment her on her earrings, necklaces, etc., and ask where she got them, she has a card to hand out with her name and her web site where they can purchase their own versions. She doesn't go around pushing cards on people, but gives them to those with a real interest in her work who would otherwise not know how to get in touch with her. Why would grad students not want to have such cards?

I'm in the humanities, but I've also been in the "real world" for five years, which is perhaps why it doesn't seem at all strange or faux pas-ish to have a card. It's just normal and useful.

If it helps make the concept seem less pretentious, think of it as a personal card and not part of a "professional identity."

Edited August 19, 2010 by Katzenmusik

[coyabean]

If it helps make the concept seem less pretentious, think of it as a personal card and not part of a "professional identity."

Yes.

And I kept meaning to add that it may be more appropriate to think of them as name or calling cards. Also, may help some folks get over their visceral reactions to them.