Dear All
Am off to Australia for a conference in September to give a paper (will then be just at beginning of second year of FT PhD). I recall a discussion on this (marvellous) forum about business cards. I've just read it again and still came away now sure what to put on my card - does anyone just have name and contact details, rather than anything like PhD student or researcher? I am quite nervous about going (in my mid 40s, mum to two children, loving my research and feeling like I've found my niche but also feeling old in a world of brilliant people 20 years my junior) - so feeling like I can hand out a card with confidence would be one little part of my psychological armour.
By the way this is my first post and thank you for the forum and for existing everyone - although I distract myself with reading posts it does make one feel less like a strange alien knowing others are doing this crazy PhD life...
Jane

hey PhDJane. First of all congratulations with the paper.

I think it would be useful to have some form of a title. If you don't want to use the word 'student', you can say something like 'academic researcher', or mention your area (i.e researcher in politics etc). It says PhD researcher on my card, and it is printed on the standard university card (University's print office only amends the contact details and title on the template). Most people use 'PhD candidate'.

Hi 404
That's really helpful thank you - it's good to know what other folks are doing. My university doesn't allow its cards to be used by its doctoral students which is sort of why I was a bit floored, as it means starting completely from scratch.
Many thanks again - I like the sound of PhD Researcher!

Hi PhDJane,

If it's not too late then yes PhD students do use title on their business cards. "Doctoral Researcher", "Doctoral Candidate" and "Doctoral Student" are all commonly used. When you give it to people you think may be "useful" in the future make sure you write something on the card (or on the back) to remind them what your research is about. This is the advice I've read about but personally haven't really done it, mainly because I haven't met many people who are in the same research area as me.

Enjoy the conference!

Dear Montezuma,
Thank you for getting back to me - and no it's not too late! I still haven't bitten the bullet and ordered the cards, although I must soon...
That's really good advice about putting something on the back, too.
Thanks again, and best wishes
Jane

yeah, I was told that at a 'networking' thing I went to.

1) never hand over a 'blank' busines card - always write something on it, even if its "I'm the phd researcher looking at xyz"
2) always follow up with an email/phone call once home.

*Goes to swallow own medicine*

Hi Sneaks
This networking thing is something I know I need to do, especially with being (perhaps) disadvantaged by age... (or advantaged by maturity, on a good day...)
Sometimes I find it hard to know when you should introduce yourself to get yourself known, and when that comes over as a pushy and interfering person, as I think I did unintentionally recently at a seminar....sigh!
Ah well...
Slogging away today on a draft chapter when for one of the very first times in my whole first year I feel like saying '**** it' and taking a novel into the garden (which I can see from my office window....)
thanks for your reply, much appreciated.
Jane

in my experience, I tend to admire the mature students, they are on more of an equal level with professors etc and therefore can hold their own in a conversation rather than giggling too much and coming across like a simpleton. I don't think you can come across too pushy in that sense.

I was told that if you want to break into a circle of people who are talking, always make eye contact with one of them opposite to you, and when there is a lull in the conversation, that person 90% of the time will introduce you to the group.

You can produce your own cards if you have something like Publisher on your computer. I've always done that and as even given the job of producing cards for everyone on the research project I was working on. The advantage is that you can tinker around with what you want before you print off any larger numbers.

Also, regarding age, I'm in my early 40s and I never feel old at conferences. I don't know what area you are in and it may be different in humanities where I am but I even actually feel quite young sometimes as there are PhD students and academics in their 40s, 50s and 60s. Life experience always counts as well - in my experience, this is especially true at conference dinners and social events when often the older delegates have more to talk about once everyone has relaxed a bit and moves on from talking about research! (wine often helps here!)

I was at a conference last week and it was quite interesting to compare the awe the 22-year-old next to me had for one of her professors and the actual professor who was chatting to me on the other side, with me in the middle. It reminded me of that Ronnie Barker, Ronnie Corbett, John Cleese sketch about knowing one's place. Except that it made me think how I was once that 22-year-old and maybe one-day will be that professor(!) and how we get confidence as we progress, either by aging, becoming more experienced in work or by becoming more learned.

I find I have to reign myself in from coming across as a 'know it all' about my subject - even the professors don't have a clue in my area. I think if you're mature you can get away with that more. I tend to go the other way and become very quiet - let other people do the talking (hence why my sup has told me I'll never get a job - if you follow my one goal thread :-( )

Thank you everyone for your good thoughts - sorry for delay replying; managed to avoid going into the garden this afternoon BUT had to deal with an estate agent putting house on market, so wanting to take photos, so ... needed to wave magic wand over house!

Sneaks, I will gladly accept the admiration for we mature students, thank you - I know what you mean; I am happy to talk and (rarely) get the tongue tied giggle thing... And it's a really nice feeling isn't it, being the one who knows most in your area? I had to disagree with my supervisor on something last week and when I corrected him (nicely!) he very happily pointed out that of course I knew more than him - nice feeling! And I will go now and look at your one goal thread , to see what your sup said (not nice... and anyway, the silent types are the deep ones, remember?)

And Pam, thank you for the suggestion of Publisher, not tried it and it would be much better to see what things are like before committing myself... And as for the age thing, last conference I went to the other delegates I spoke to were all in their 20s, so I did feel a little old, and these are the guys I will be competing with for the jobs later, BUT I was the one able to be at ease, make introductions etc, as you said - easier to relax...so overall I think anno domini were an advantage... I loved the Barker/Corbett/Cleese vision, brilliant - thank you. And , lastly, my lovely supervisor is a good 15 years older than me, which is always nice! Cultural history is my field, and there is generally a good mix of ages . And it's a great field which I love, which makes all this good to spend my time doing.


Jane

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Hi all,

So what exactly do you place on these cards? Name, Job Title, University, Address (?), contact number, email address etc. Do you place your PhD Question too or just overall area? Does anyone have any examples they'd be willing to share?

Thanks! :)

Hi Chococake
My original post was a year ago now (and I have had a couple of spammers in response to it too, sorry folks) but I did decide in the end to go with simple info on the card. I eventually went with nothing at all about the PhD - just my name, address, email and phone. (A good bit of advice I received was to write by hand on the back something about your research, if you were giving it to someone, so they remembered you in connection with your topic.)

I wanted mine to be just a way of being sure people could get in touch with me, and as I never did find a satisfactory way of putting 'PhD researcher' etc I went with the basics - this has the added benefit of being able to use them for all situations, with all my other roles in life!

I did feel it important to use professional ones, not the free kind that have the logo of the free providers on the back. I can recommend Moo; quick, high quality, you can choose recycled, and they are unusual too.

Jane
ps last year's conference was great; my paper went well, I got good feedback, and I felt confident and not at all disadvantaged by being 'mature'!