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Post Nominals on a Business Card

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Would you put post nominals on a business card?

I'm soon to (finger crossed) be signed off as a regulated adviser for a high street bank. My post nominals will include my degree and a couple of relevent proffessional financial qualifications.

Whilst I want to appear proffessional to the more financially savvy customers I also don't want to alienate those who aren't. I don't want them to think I'm going to bamboozle them with financial terms and I want them to realise that I'm just a person who wants to make sure that the way in which their finances are arranged is the best way that suits their individual needs.

Some people have told me it's a bit pretentious to have post nominals on a business card.

What are your thoughts?

Reply 1

pookiepotato

of course, you want to establish yourself as a professional. business is business...obviously you're a person as well.

Reply 2

GR29KHS

OP

2

I like your thinking. At the end of the day if you went to see a lawyer or solicitor you would expect to see post nominals on a card, as well as certificates on the wall! Well, I would anyway.

Reply 3

pookiepotato

indeed, that's the whole point of business cards. it's not like you're handing them out at parties, so don't worry about being pretentious, etc :awesome:

Reply 4

ChemistBoy

16

We aren't allowed to put any post nomials on our business cards apart from if we are chartered then we can put that on. We are allowed to put titles like 'Dr' on.

Reply 5

GR29KHS

OP

2

How come you're not allowed? In my job some people do but most don't.

Reply 6

pookiepotato

GR29KHS

How come you're not allowed? In my job some people do but most don't.

maybe people in his firm don't want to feel bad for having less individual qualifications -- perhaps his firm wants to appear more united as a "team." nevertheless, if you've got the credentials, you might as well put them on the card. of course, a long list can be saved for the CV, but put what's relevant to potential clients on the card!

Reply 7

ChemistBoy

16

GR29KHS

How come you're not allowed? In my job some people do but most don't.

I think it's because they want people to be judged by job function than qualifications and I can see the point in that. Also makes the card look a bit cleaner.

Reply 8

GR29KHS

OP

2

I'm starting to think that given my age (mid twenties) it would be better to have the post nominals on there. A lot of customers are going to look at me and think, 'she's young, I bet she's never had a mortgage/what can she know about life'. At least showing that I'm qualified is going to help me be taken more seriously. A guy at work who isn't much older than me but has a beard with flecks of grey in it. One of his customers apparently said 'I'm so glad to get someone a little older this time, all these youngsters etc etc'.

Reply 9

threeportdrift

Careers Forum Helper

20

I'd put them on. The benefits, as outlined above, far outweigh the negatives which seem pretty tenuous.

Reply 10

InArduisFouette

21

legit and relevant postnominals on a business card are exactly that legit and relevant ...

degree, professional registration and membership of an appropriate professional organisation are par for the course

Zippy BMedSci(hons) RN

Reply 11

InArduisFouette

21

ChemistBoy

We aren't allowed to put any post nomials on our business cards apart from if we are chartered then we can put that on. We are allowed to put titles like 'Dr' on.

a little harsh - but if it;s the kind of environment where everyone from the tea boy upwards has a gdegree some of which aren't relevant to the field , restricting it to the Registered Professionals (i.e. the chartered whatevers) may well be apprproriate

also it can get silly like the person i know who is a dentist turned doctor cum academic with 2 'royal college' memberships /fellowships they've got about 40 post nom letters

Reply 12

Nikki-x

I would.

People often think I'm younger than I am and assume I have no idea what I'm talking about and they can treat me like I'm stupid/walk all over me.

I'd post them on so they know I am qualified to be doing the job.

x

Reply 13

username48778

0

Whenever I see something like BA (Hons) on a business card, it makes me think less of the person. If you have a doctorate or a professional qualification, particularly if it's relevant to your job, then fair play, bachelors and masters degrees are too common.

Reply 14

Stomm

14

True, but then you have to remember that still by far the majority of people out there don't have a degree. I suspect that the 'what a prat, putting his (or her) degree on a business card' thoughts are largely restricted to those that also have degrees, or fully intend on getting one.

For all the rest if there are any negative views on doing something, its probably a mix of regret and envy. Which was part of the reason I went back to uni to finally get one of them thar degree thingies...

Reply 15

ThePants999

14

moley

Whenever I see something like BA (Hons) on a business card, it makes me think less of the person. If you have a doctorate or a professional qualification, particularly if it's relevant to your job, then fair play, bachelors and masters degrees are too common.

Just what I was about to say. Professional qualifications - definitely. But any time I see MA/MSc after someone's name they lose points in my book. BA/BSc loses double points, and (Hons) treble points. And if I find out their MA is actually just an Oxbridge BA that got automatically turned into an MA 7 years after matriculation, they lose all their points.

Reply 16

christos57

1

Original post by GR29KHS

I'm soon to (finger crossed) be signed off as a regulated adviser for a high street bank. My post nominals will include my degree and a couple of relevent proffessional financial qualifications.

Whilst I want to appear proffessional to the more financially savvy customers I also don't want to alienate those who aren't. I don't want them to think I'm going to bamboozle them with financial terms and I want them to realise that I'm just a person who wants to make sure that the way in which their finances are arranged is the best way that suits their individual needs.

Some people have told me it's a bit pretentious to have post nominals on a business card.

What are your thoughts?

Hi, I would start off by learning how to spell professional.

Post Nominals on a Business Card

Would you put post nominals on a business card?

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