This section is for maintaining information about all the valuable contacts you will make. For each contact, you want to keep a business card and a page of notes.
Keeping track of your contacts seems like something you really should be doing just on your computer, where the search function can readily be accessed. But the reality is that you are not going to have essential information available when you need it if you don’t have it on paper and on your computer. You don’t want to lose track. You also need to be able to organize the business cards people will be giving you.
For the cards in your Career Binder, you want to buy of set of business card sheet protectors from any stationary store. Just slip a few into your binder and as you receive cards from people, keep them here for easy access.
You also need a Contact Form for more detailed record keeping. You are going to learn a lot about your field of interest and you don’t want to let anything that is important get away from you. Taking notes is essential to staying on top of things in your job search, and it is a task that won’t wait until you are back at your desk or you open up your laptop. Remember, this is your job ... getting the right job.
Here is a Contact Form Template (p.28) ... use it as is or as a starting point to develop your own. This one will give some ideas about the types of information you want to record for each person you meet or call.
