Take business cards with you wherever you go

You may have just graduated and are looking for your first major job role, or you may be considering a fresh start. Either way it is important to take business cards with you to interviews, job fairs and anywhere else as you never know when they might come in handy.

Some people think that business cards are only there to be exchanged at trade shows and exhibitions for networking functions and that’s it. And while they are a great way of gaining new business by keeping your name (and company) in the minds of the recipient, they can prove to be much more than that.

There is no restriction to the types of situations where business cards can be useful. Even if you do not have an employment position at present, business cards can still make you look more professional in the eyes of potential employers who will be impressed by your forward thinking.

Business cards can be taken with you on opportunistic visits to companies that you wouldn’t mind working for and they make for an effective compliment to your C.V. Business cards can be personalised to the exact specifications of how you want them to look and will reflect you as an individual.

What to avoid doing in an interview

There are many activities that you should avoid during a job interview. If you want to have a good chance of getting the job in question, refrain from all of the following while the interview is in progress:

• Stabbing – self explanatory really
• Whaling – as well as being messy and disruptive, this will also make you look heartless
• Whoreing – the interviewer may question your moral fibre
• Hula-hooping/skipping – any gleeful childlike activity will make you seem juvenile and possible even retarded
• Extortion – it doesn’t even need to be the interviewer who is the victim. If they overhear you extorting or blackmailing someone over the phone, this might be enough to jeopardise your chances of landing that junior administrative position.