Networking with Basic Invite

The older I get the more I realize the absolute importance of networking; this last week at AAD, I was so grateful to Basic Invite for partnering with me to produce beautiful business cards, an absolute staple in networking! I’ve never designed my own business cards before, mostly because I didn’t understand why they’re needed. Then when I went to AAD as a first year resident, I met so many new people, doctors and industry folk alike, and I had no way of easily giving them my contact information. It was awkward to pull out our phones and also even more awkward for me to ask them to input my information on the spot. This year, I wanted to go to the meeting prepared with my own business cards.​

As a medical student or first year resident, I wasn’t sure how to approach this nebulous task of “networking.” How do I get introduced to people, and what do I say? This may come easily to some people but may be difficult for others. Here are my three quick tips for networking:

1. Introduce yourself at the right time. You may be thinking “DUH” but actually, finding a good time to introduce yourself is actually key. For me this year, approaching well known dermatologists after their talks at the podium OR mingling with dermatologists in a smaller intimate dinner or event were the best times. You don’t want to bug someone who’s clearly in the middle of something. If you know you want to meet a certain faculty member, make a point to go to their talk or a session he or she is hosting. This way, you show your interest and have a better chance of making an introduction.
2. Know what you want to say. If you have 10 seconds to make an impression on someone, what message do you want to convey? How do you summarize yourself, your background, and your career interests in 2-3 sentences? This can take practice beforehand. You want to be clear and succinct, memorable and likable. It also helps if you have a specific question for that individual, such as a question or comment about that person’s talk or a request to meet for coffee later.
3. Keep in touch. Making that first contact is great, but what’s really important is keeping the relationship going. I was prepared with business cards this year, which really helped facilitate the exchanging of contact information. Shoot your new contacts an email afterwards to thank them for their time and see when you can meet again.

I’ve never designed business cards before, so I was very thankful when Basic Invite reached out to partner together. Basic Invite is an online publishing company that helps you make custom stationery. No matter what occasion you need, they’ve got you covered. They make beautiful wedding stationery, baby stationery, thank you cards, holiday and birthday cards, and more; browsing their website made me wish I was designing wedding stationery again! Since I’m not in the wedding planning stage of my life, I opted to try out their custom business cards.

From beginning to end, the design process was extremely simple and the website interface was very user friendly. I went with the Painted Chevron with foil business card design because I love the addition of the metallic shimmer at the top. I was really happy with how I could customize every color on the card; with over 180 color combinations available, Basic Invite really fulfilled my OCD tendencies for color matching! I went with several shades of light and dark pink, which matched the rose gold foil I chose for my name. I also chose different shades of pink for the chevron designs in the back (yes there was a design on the BACK of the card too!). This was all extremely affordable, with each card costing less than $1 for an order of 100. The more you order, the less it costs to print.

You can also customize the paper type, ranging from semi-glossy smooth coated paper to luxe velvet to signature thick matte (I went for this one). My order arrived within 2 weeks and I was very happy with the finished product. This past week at the AAD, whenever I ran into individuals I wanted to stay in touch with, I had professional looking cards to hand out. It made such a difference!

Thank you to Basic Invite for partnering on this post!