Launch Pad Job Club, of which I'm proud to be a member, is having a networking mixer on Monday night. We've talked a bit about business cards, and some people didn't have them.

I've been using calling cards since college. I liked the idea of having a way for people to have my contact information at hand, and not on scratch paper. I got silly with them at one point,and put random taglines on the back of them. These days, I have two, one with full contact information, including address for my friends, and one for business contacts, without the address, and with my LinkedIn profile. When I moved some years ago to my current residence, I had a map printed on the back, especially since where I live is a bit complicated to find for the first time (or was, the signage is much better now)

I decided to do a little research on business cards and calling cards. I knew calling cards have been used for a long time, (beyond last century) but I didn't realize how far back. They may have been used as early as 15th century China. And apparently 17th Century France had 'visiting cards' used in the court of Louis XIV.

Think about it, wouldn't it be easier to roll off all the titles and names if you had a card to use as a crib sheet?

Also in the 17th Century, merchants used trade cards, that would feature advertisements and maps, back before formal street numbers. By the 19th century advances made other forms of marketing more economical and effective, so trade cards diminished.

By the 19th century, calling cards became common among the upper classes, and used as introductions. Business cards were popular with all classes, but they were not used for social calls. If you left a business card at someone's home, you were most likely trying to collect on a debt.

I know that in some places in the south, calling cards are still used in certain circles. I imagine that's true in other areas as well. It's a holdover from 18th and 19th century etiquette. And a good one, in my opinion. Avoids the awkward questions of how to spell one's name, and having to collect the information by hand.

Today, business cards are essential, for many of the same reasons. They're an essential tool to networking, whether your actively job seeking or not. I use them as backups to my electronic address book, but I like to have them. They can tell you basic contact information, but can also tell you something about the company and/or the personal of the individual.

So if low-tech, early industrial age merchants and gents knew the value of having a calling card or a trade card, doesn't it make sense for someone in the high tech age to have one?  Especially in an age where immediate turn around and less down-time.  As a job seeker, you want to make it easier for people to remember you. Don't add to their stress, and don't let a poor memory make it harder for you.  Use a business card. 

When you do get around to making yours, I do have a suggestion for newbies; Keep It Simple. Don't use a lot of fancy fonts and colors. You want a 'clean' look, that's easy to read.

More information on the history of business cards and calling cards can be found at Castle Printing's website. Check out the last page, which contains the etiquette of calling cards in earlier centuries.