A business card is at least as important as a resume when you are unemployed.  For one thing, it makes it easy for people to get back to you, and you definitely want them to get back to you.  For another thing, it helps your personal brand, positioning you as a professional, even if you’re a retail clerk.  Finally — and most importantly — a professional calling card helps you feel more confident.

There are a lot of web-based services where you can design your own unique professional business card and have it printed on quality paper.  These are very reasonable in price and represent the best $15-$25 investment you can make in yourself.  Use one of them!

What to put on your card when you are unemployed?  Some of this is up to you.  Do you want to include your home address?  In some instances, you may not want to do that.  Do you want to include your e-mail address?  Not if you’re going to be handing your business card to people who use e-mail marketing!  A way around this is to start a blog and have a contact form on your blog.  Put your blog address on your business card.  This gets a little traffic to your blog, too.

Here are the essentials, things that you must put on your calling card:

1. Your name (obviously) and some way to contact you.  Telephone numbers are good.
2. A title — yes, give yourself a title
3. What you do in bullet points
4. A logo — either spend $20 to have someone make one for you or do it yourself, but it helps. 
5. A call to action on the reverse side — “Hire me!  I’m the best.”

You can easily fit all that on a card.  You can now hand this card to any interviewer, prospective client, or colleague who can help expand your network.  While you’re at it, make sure to get a card from everyone you talk to and file them all.  Make notes on all cards you collect so that when you call the people you can refer back to the original conversation.

In surviving unemployment, a business card is an essential tool.  Get one.