I am no stranger to looking for jobs – college internships, first job, moving up the corporate ladder, new job – but it had been four years since I polished my resume and actually paid attention to the job market. I know jobs are never secure but you never think “it can happen to me.”
Actually, before I was laid off I began searching for help to leave my position. But I didn’t find something before I was laid off. My work situation was not stable and I always felt I would be next, but I didn’t focus on this feeling or else I would have been really depressed. I am a very passionate person and I was not as passionate about my job anymore; I needed out but I wanted out on my terms. Well, the world doesn’t always act the way we want it to.
I have been laid off for over a year now, again the world not acting how I want it to! I have learned many lessons during this past year. I have always been a net-worker but I never knew how truly important networking is to job searching. The two are almost interchangeable and with the state of the economy today networking is essential. I met with my contacts, emailed friends, talked to people at the gym, went to conferences and workshops; I kept trying to build my social network.
What I started to find was I was missing something. I met new people all the time but I had nothing to give them to remember me by. We are so fortunate in the business world to have business cards so when we make connections often times we exchange them building our social network. I didn’t have a card anymore, but I had a piece of paper I could rip off of something and write my contact info on. How professional!!! Here I am a professional looking for full-time employment and I am pulling a piece of scrap from who knows where to write down my cell number and email.
I finally decided, as in today, I needed a business card or a networking card. At my birthday party a few months back, the bar owner’s wife and I were talking about designing and event planning, two things I love. She wanted a card and I didn’t have any. She recommended going to www.vistaprint.com for a fairly inexpensive cards. So today, I finally visited the site. I finally let myself admit and believe I needed this. Sometimes knowing what to do and doing it doesn’t happen simultaneously. I spent about an hour, because I wanted my cards to be perfect, determining what I wanted on my card and the design I wanted. Vistaprint.com gives you a variety of designs and formatting. For an upgraded price you can customize the existing designs formats. After finally perfecting my card I ordered 250, a large number but small enough to manage. And my design is saved so if I want to order more, or need to, I don’t have to start from scratch.
For under $25 I ordered 250 business cards in color and front to back. They will be in my hands in 14 days. I can’t wait to start utilizing them!!!
Passionate Savvy Stylish 
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