A New Use for Old Business Cards

I'm a sentimental sop packrat: I've kept one copy of every business card that I've ever had...When I changed jobs earlier in my career, I always experienced pangs of guilt in throwing away unused cards. These feelings may also be inherited from my mother, who has discovered more uses for old envelopes than anyone I have ever met. But I think it's more than that: In throwing away my card stack, I've also always felt a sense of loss and identity--even as I moved onto new challenges and opportunities.  

Is my twinge of regret unique? I'm not asking a rhetorical question, I'd like to hear if you've had the same experience...but beyond that, I'm writing to share an exciting new use for old business cards.


If you've been laid-off or are currently in transition, you may want to hold off on throwing away your old business card. Check out CardsofChange.com. The site offers you a new strategy for making new use of your old business card: Cross out obsolete information, scribble what you're doing now and want to do next, and make new connections.

The "About Us" section of the site shares an ambition that goes beyond the idea of recycling:

There's more talent out on the streets than ever before. Brilliant people looking to reshape their country, build their career and perhaps even grow your business.

Cardsofchange is a place where the glass is always half-full. A destination where all the bad news of the day takes a back seat to stories of individual success.

Our mission is to collect as many business cards and stories of positive change of people who have recently been laid off and connect them with new opportunities from potential employers, business partners and people who make the effort to look on the bright side of life.

Cards of Change allows you to enter in your contact information; visitors to the site can then search for cards by location and/or--and reach out to individuals who they can potentially help. As the site does not have thousands of business cards in the individual directory (i.e. if you search for cards in DC, you can scan through them at a glance instead of hours), it's a great way to be found--and to immediately showcase the role you played in your last job.

What's your favorite card of change? Is it your own?

Cross-posted on Career Hub.