The usefulness of a well-designed business card on a job hunt has already been established; in fact, it’s difficult to imagine how you could successfully network without one. Yet when you hand a new contact your card, you may feel like you’re just another face in the crowd who may soon be forgotten about. No matter how impressive your professional qualifications may be or how charismatic your personality is, it’s a competitive world out there, and you need something unusual in order to stand out from the crowd. That’s why some job hunters are turning to personal brochures to help make themselves as memorable as possible. Unlike most brochures, which are used to market companies or specific events, personal brochures give you the ability to sell yourself as the product, highlighting your strengths and calling attention to your unique selling proposition in order to make the reader an offer that he or she simply can’t refuse – that is, to bring you in for a job interview! Personal brochures don’t need to be expensive, either; in fact, an experienced brochure printing company should be able to help you create a professional-looking, high quality color brochure at an affordable price. Think of it as a serious investment in the future of your career.

If you need further motivation to explore this inventive new method of increasing your desirability to potential employers, look at it this way: What would you do if you had a small business to run? You would find ways to get the word out to your target customers by marketing your company through the use of objects like brochures. You wouldn’t simply tell people the name of your business and expect them to flock to you without understanding exactly what it is that you have to offer them! Just as marketing is essential for the success of a small business, it is equally important for you to market yourself – and that includes utilizing marketing materials beyond basic business cards. Try sending your personal brochures to the head of the specific department you hope to work in at the companies you’re targeting; they may be so impressed by your display of initiative that they’ll call you in for an interview right away. You can also bring brochures along whenever you have an interview, just as you would with your resume and references, and treat them as “leave behind” materials in order to increase your chances of standing out in your interviewer’s mind. You can even strengthen your networking contacts by handing people your brochures upon meeting them, or sending one to their office as a follow-up after the fact. Essentially, anything your business card or resume can do, a personal brochure can do – but with the added bonus of helping you stand out from the crowd and make a serious impression.

Personal brochures can be designed in a number of different ways, but the trifold format is the standard, and therefore the most popular. Remember that choosing color over black and white will help your brochure truly “pop,” and that high quality paper should always be used – you don’t want to appear cheap or unprofessional in the eyes of prospective employers! For more information on how personal brochures can help in your job hunt, contact a representative from your brochure printing company of choice. He or she can help guide you during the design and printing process.