Work search tools

Other work search tools

When looking for work, carefully consider your work search targets and analyze your overall work strategy. Doing so will help you identify additional work search tools—tools that can help you persuade others they need you and your skills. Below are some ideas you may want to consider.

Business cards

Business cards are small, inexpensive and easy to give out to people during career fairs, conferences, trade shows and other similar networking opportunities. They carry key information about you and serve as a reminder to people about the skills you have to offer.

In designing your business card, try not to overdo it. Err on the side of conservatism: simple and tasteful are best. Look at examples of business cards to help you choose a style, format, color and logo that suit your personality and convey the image you want to project. Include your name and a working title that reflects the type of work you're seeking. Your business cards should also include your telephone number and, if applicable, your e-mail address.

While many stationery and office supply stores sell perforated business cards you can feed through your laser printer, if you can afford commercial printing on good quality card stock, have your cards printed professionally. The print quality will be higher and your cards' edges will be crisp, as opposed to the less-than-professional jagged edges of perforated cards.

Be sure to carry several business cards with you at all times and be ready to pass them out as a way of identifying yourself to others. Business cards reinforce your professionalism and provide an easy reference for others.

Promo cards

Although many job seekers carry copies of their résumé and a handful of business cards in a portfolio or briefcase, a promo card is more portable and contains more information than can fit on your business card. Promo cards may also be more appropriate to hand out to people in your network than either a business card or a résumé.

Because they are typically printed on 3-inch by 5-inch (7.5 cm by 10 cm) cards, promo cards allow you to present more information than a standard business card. In addition to your name, telephone number and working title, promo cards include a brief summary of your background and skills. You can set up a template within a word processing program on your home computer to print out a page of promo cards. Again, if you can afford to do so, consider having your promo cards commercially printed.

Promotional brochures

Promotional brochures are particularly useful if you're one of many who have decided to:

• become an independent consultant/contractor
• start their own business
• work on a freelance, part-time, or project-by-project basis

Promotional brochures need not be expensive and in fact, they can be quite easy to create using a word processing program and the proper template. Many stationery and office supply stores now carry brochure paper — standard 8 1/2-inch by 11-inch (21 cm by 27 1/2 cm) paper divided (and scored) into three panels. You may be fortunate enough to find brochure paper, envelopes, stationery and perforated business cards in the same design.

When designing a brochure, remember:

• your target audience
• to describe your qualifications relative to the work you plan to do and to the services you plan to offer
• individuals who can supply testimonials to enhance your brochure
• the needs of potential customers and the information they need to know about you
• to use graphics or photographs
• to use appropriate headings
• to vary the typefaces and font sizes

Carefully consider how you will distribute your brochures and place them in the hands of your target audience. Do you plan to mail them or to pass them out at conferences, trade shows and other networking opportunities? Will you ask friends and business associates to place several of your brochures at their front desk?

Business cards, promo cards, and promotional brochures are all effective tools to increase your visibility—they enhance your potential to create employment and to influence others into believing you have the skills and personal qualities they need.