You are a final-year student or a fresh graduate. You do not have a company, a job title that will still be true in six months, or a box of printed cards — and printing some now would be a bad bet, because your email, your course, and the role you are chasing can all change before the ink is cold. A digital name card solves exactly this problem: one link, shared by QR code or NFC tap, that you can edit the moment anything about you changes. This guide covers what to put on it, what to leave off, how to use it while job hunting, and how to keep it current as you move from student to graduate to employed.
Why an editable link suits you better than a printed card right now
A printed card is a bet that nothing about you will change before you run out of them. At this stage of your life, that bet usually loses: you graduate, your university email stops working, you land an internship, you finish it, you change the role you are targeting after a few interviews teach you what employers actually want. A digital name card is a single link or QR code that always opens your current profile, because you edit the one page rather than reprinting anything. The underlying share2.io platform behind Gotka's digital name cards lets you edit a profile at any time; it is shared by QR code or NFC tap and saves to the other person's contacts when they scan it.
This also means you can start for free. The Free plan covers 3 profiles, 3 QR codes and 20 card scans, and the Digital Only — Self Setup option is RM0 with no physical card at all. That is enough for one person's job-hunting profile with room to spare, so there is no reason to spend anything until you know you need more.
What your profile actually needs
Keep it to the fields a recruiter or interviewer will actually use. Padding it with everything you have ever done works against you, because the point of a one-scan profile is that someone finds what they need in seconds:
| Field | What to put | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Name | Your full name, the way it appears on official documents and your CV | So it matches what an employer already has on file for you |
| Headline / role sought | The kind of role you want, not a vague label — “Marketing graduate seeking an internship” beats “Student” | Tells a reader in one glance what you are asking for |
| Photo | A clear, recent, plain-background photo of your face | Helps someone who met you briefly remember who you are |
| A university or personal email you actually check, not one that expires when you graduate | A dead inbox is the easiest way to miss a reply | |
| Phone / WhatsApp | Only if you are comfortable being contacted directly | Optional, not required — email and LinkedIn can carry the conversation instead |
| CV or portfolio link | A link to your CV, portfolio or project page | Saves a back-and-forth asking you to send one over |
| LinkedIn link | Your LinkedIn profile, if you have one | Where a recruiter will look next regardless, so make it one tap away |
Note what is missing from that list on purpose: a long biography, every course you have taken and every society you have joined. Save that detail for your CV, which someone opens once they are already interested. The card's job is to get you to that point, not to replace it.
What to leave off
- Your home address. Nobody hiring you needs it at this stage, and it tells strangers where you live.
- ID card or passport numbers. Never belong on anything you hand to a stranger or post publicly.
- A long biography. A paragraph nobody reads on a phone screen is wasted space; your CV is the place for depth.
- A phone number you are not ready to receive calls on. If you would rather be reached by email first, leave the phone field off or mark it clearly as WhatsApp-only.
- Grades, unless the role specifically asks for them. They belong on your CV or transcript, not on a card a stranger scans at a career fair.
Do you need a physical card at all?
Probably not yet, and that is fine. A physical NFC card is a nice touch once you are settled into a role and know your title will hold still for a while, but at the student or fresh-graduate stage it adds a cost and a reprint risk you do not need. The Digital Only — Self Setup option, at RM0, gives you the full digital profile with no physical card, which is the sensible default while you are still job hunting. If you want Gotka to design the digital profile for you rather than building it yourself, Digital Only — We Design is RM48. The physical card options (Design-Ready at RM118 and Custom-Design at RM338, both available in gold or silver) exist for when you have settled into a role and want something to hand over in person — worth revisiting once you are employed, not before.
Where and how to actually use it
A digital name card earns its place at every point in the job search where you would otherwise be scribbling an email address on a scrap of paper:
- At interviews. Share your QR code at the end of the conversation so the interviewer has your CV link and contact details without you emailing anything afterwards.
- In a follow-up message. Include the link in your thank-you email so it sits alongside your contact details rather than as a separate attachment.
- On your CV, as a QR code. A small QR code in the header lets anyone with the printed or PDF version jump straight to your live profile, portfolio and LinkedIn — useful because a CV is usually the one document you cannot edit after you have sent it.
- At career fairs and networking events. One scan replaces handing over a card you will need to reprint the moment your details change.
- On LinkedIn and in your email signature. A single consistent link means people only ever see your current details, wherever they find you.
Keeping it current as you move from student to graduate to employed
The entire advantage of a digital card is that it ages with you, but only if you actually update it. Treat each of these moments as a trigger to edit your profile the same day, not whenever you next remember:
| Stage | What usually needs to change |
|---|---|
| Final year, actively applying | Headline states the specific role or internship you want; CV link kept current with every new project |
| Just graduated | University email about to expire — switch to a personal email before it is cut off; headline updates from “seeking” to “graduate” |
| Freelancing or interning while still searching | Headline and CV link reflect the interim work, so it reads as experience rather than a gap |
| Just hired | Headline updates to your new title and employer, unless your new employer asks you not to publicise it yet |
Because the profile is editable, none of this requires reprinting anything or sending a new link to people who already have your QR code or short link — it just shows the updated version the next time anyone scans it.
A free-plan-first approach before you pay for anything
There is no reason to pay for a digital name card while you are job hunting. The Free plan’s allowance (3 profiles, 3 QR codes, 20 card scans) comfortably covers one person using one profile through an entire job search; the 20-scan figure resets with the plan period, so it is worth checking your own usage if you are sharing the card heavily at a single event. If you later want a physical card too, the Digital Only options start at RM0 for self-setup, rising to RM48 if you want Gotka to design the digital profile for you, with no NFC card attached to either. A paid plan such as Pro, at RM39/month or RM368/year, is built for someone managing many profiles or scans — a team, not a single job seeker — so there is little reason to move to it until you have a specific need it solves, such as managing cards for a whole student society or a small side business alongside your search.
A worked example
Illustration only: the name and details below are made up. Imagine a final-year accounting student, Mei Ling, three months from graduating. Her profile: name and a clear photo; headline “Final-year Accounting student seeking an audit internship”; her university email, which she knows expires at graduation so she has already added a personal backup in her notes to switch over; a link to a one-page CV she updates after every relevant project; and her LinkedIn profile. No phone number, because she would rather be reached by email first; no home address; no biography. She puts the QR code in her CV header and shares it at the end of every interview. When she graduates, she spends five minutes updating the email and changing her headline to “Accounting graduate, seeking full-time roles.” When she is hired, she updates it once more. The link in every CV, every email signature and every interviewer’s phone has stayed exactly the same throughout.
Common mistakes
- Printing a physical card before you have a stable role. You will likely need to reprint it within months; start digital-only and add a physical card later if you want one.
- Leaving a university email on the profile after it expires. Switch to a personal email before graduation, not after a reply bounces.
- Writing “Student” with nothing else. It tells a reader nothing about what you are asking for; be specific about the role or field.
- Padding the profile with every course and society. That is what your CV is for; the card's job is to get someone to open it.
- Forgetting to update the headline after you are hired. A card that still says “seeking an internship” after you have a job looks neglected to anyone who scans it later.
- Putting a home address or ID numbers on a card you hand to strangers. There is no stage of a job search where that information needs to travel with your contact card.
Where Gotka Technologies fits
Gotka's digital name cards run on the share2.io platform, shared by QR code or NFC tap, saving to the other person's contacts and editable at any time. The Free plan (3 profiles, 3 QR codes, 20 card scans) and the RM0 Digital Only — Self Setup option make it realistic to start without spending anything while you are job hunting; Pro, at RM39/month or RM368/year, is there if you later need more profiles or scans. Our guide to digital name card costs in Malaysia compares the free profile against paid physical-card options in full, and Free vs Pro vs Team compares the subscription tiers against each other if your needs grow beyond a single job search.
This guide does not make any claim about a student discount, what happens to a profile after a plan change, or how a card behaves once you upgrade, because none of that is published in the material it can cite. If you have a question about your own account, ask through the client-area ticket system, or call or WhatsApp +60 11-6331 6630, Monday to Friday, 9am to 6pm (MYT).
Key terms used in this guide
- Digital name card: an online profile shared by QR code or NFC tap that saves to the recipient's contacts and can be edited at any time.
- Profile: one digital name card; the Free plan allows 3, Pro 15 and Team 50.
- Card scan: one instance of someone scanning your QR code or tapping your NFC card to open your profile; the Free plan allows 20.
- Short link: a shortened web address that opens your profile without needing a QR code, useful in an email signature or a CV.
- Digital Only — Self Setup: the RM0 option with no physical card, where you set up your own digital profile.
- NFC tap: sharing a profile by holding a compatible phone near a physical card embedded with an NFC chip, as an alternative to scanning a QR code.
What should I put on a digital name card as a student or fresh graduate?
Your name, a clear photo, a headline naming the specific role or internship you want, an email you actually check, a link to your CV or portfolio, and your LinkedIn profile if you have one. Add a phone or WhatsApp number only if you are comfortable being contacted directly. Leave off your home address, ID numbers and a long biography; your CV is the place for depth, not the card.
Do I need to pay for a digital name card while I'm job hunting?
No. The Free plan covers 3 profiles, 3 QR codes and 20 card scans, and the Digital Only — Self Setup option is RM0 with no physical card. That comfortably covers one person's job-hunting profile. A paid plan such as Pro is built for managing many profiles or scans, which is rarely what a single job seeker needs.
How do I use a digital name card at interviews and on my CV?
Share your QR code or short link at the end of an interview so the interviewer has your CV link and contact details without you emailing anything afterwards, include the link in your follow-up message, and put a small QR code in your CV header so anyone reading a printed or PDF copy can reach your live profile.
What happens to my digital name card when I graduate or get hired?
Nothing happens automatically; you edit it yourself. Update your email before your university address expires, change your headline from “seeking an internship” to “graduate” or to your new job title, and keep your CV link current. Because the profile is editable, the same QR code and link keep working, so you do not need to reprint or resend anything.
Should I include my phone number on a digital name card while job hunting?
Only if you are comfortable being contacted directly by phone or WhatsApp. It is optional: your email and LinkedIn link can carry the conversation instead, and leaving the phone field off is a reasonable choice if you would rather screen replies through email first.
Do I need a physical NFC card as a student?
Probably not yet. The Digital Only — Self Setup option, at RM0, gives you the full digital profile with no physical card, which suits someone whose details are still likely to change. Physical card options exist and are worth considering once you have settled into a role.
Does Gotka offer a student discount or a special plan for job seekers?
This guide does not state any student discount or job-seeker plan, because none is published in the material it can cite. The standard Free plan and the RM0 Digital Only — Self Setup option are the ones confirmed for everyone; ask through the client-area ticket system if you have a question about your own account.
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