Next Post: WHY I LIKE WORKING WITH OLDER PEOPLE
Identity Card
Identity Card
BLOGGER: ARIN GOLDMAN
When I got my first business card I felt like I had arrived. Simple black print on a white card with little more than my name and extension, the classic Salomon Brothers starter card. There wasn’t even a title on that first card since in those days, before title proliferation, Salomon Brothers designated rank by differentiating the quality of the paper and the color of the type, rather than by including a title. My basic black and white card was low end but that was okay, all that mattered to me was that I finally had a job and a title even if it wasn’t explicitly noted on my card. I was on my way. Over the years my titles changed, the company merged and changed its name a few times and my card became congested with all kinds of additional data. Fax numbers, email addresses, cell phone numbers, logos. My business card had become my identity, a way to share information in multiple settings both business and social. And I had cards with me at all times. I was so accustomed to exchanging cards that I accidentally gave one to a mugger when he asked for my credit cards. Fortunately, he never called and I saved myself the inconvenience of having to cancel stolen cards. I kept at least one of all of my cards, each one signifying a different phase of my both my professional career and my life. When I left banking someone told me that it was okay to use my old cards during my trarnsition so I did, but after awhile it seemed a little desperate to introduce myself as Arin Goldman, former Managing Director so I finally gave up using my last set of business cards, relegating them to the drawer with all of the other dated cards. There I was cardless, a woman without an identity. For a long time I carried index cards so I would have a piece of paper to write my name, number and email address on if necessary. Once when asked for my “card” by someone with whom I really wanted to exchange contact information I awkwardly ran into my apartment building and borrowed a scrap of paper from my doorman, quickly scrawling my number and email address on a torn piece of menu. More than twenty years as a professional and the best I could do was share information via a ripped piece of menu. Still despite that indignity I continued to remain cardless in part because I couldn’t figure out what I would put on a card and in part because I remained embarassed that I didn’t have a title or company name to include. Even though I had become increasingly content outside of a corporate setting, I couldn’t come to terms with the whole card thing and so I remained a person without an identity.
Finally, a few weeks ago I decided to take control. I realized that tying my identity to a company was ridiculous. In these uncertain economic times, with companies tossing off loyal employees right and left, going out of business, selling themselves and giving up names and logos, why shouldn’t I have my own card. Given the current economic and employment enviroment it no longer seems necessary to have a company logo or a title. My new cards are simple, they include my name, cell phone and email address. And www.imagineage.com of course!
To find out more about Arin, click on her photo
To receive ImagineAge Updates, enter your email in the “subscribe” box on the left side of the screen. Your email will NOT be sold!!!
To become a Fan of ImagineAge on Facebook, click here!
To join the ImagineAge Group on Facebook, click here!
For constant site updates, make sure to subscribe to our RSS feed!
Tags: business, business card, economy, employee, identity, job, Salomon Brothers, transition, work
