By Guest Writer, Rick Chung

Social media can be a powerful tool for networking, making contacts, keeping connections with professionals and building your portfolio as a student in preparation for graduation, when you’ll want to use this profile and network to enter the industry and profession of your choice. No longer do you have to graduate with no idea of what to do next, scared at the prospect of becoming a real grown-up.

Here are a few tips on networking online:

1. Set it up. Take the time to build a credible profile online — whether it’s a static website, blog, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, et cetera. Use a consistent username or brand across social platforms, with common pictures and styles. This makes a difference. Small things say a lot to prospective employers about your attention to detail, work ethic and professionalism.
2. Follow. Mirror, follow and shadow the people you aspire to be like online. Learn from the best. There are admirable digital profiles of people from every industry online. Chances are there is someone doing the kind of work you want to do and sharing it online. Seek them out, watch them online and learn from their interactions.
3. Research. Do your research and see what it takes to make it in the industry of your choice. Social networking is a great tool for soliciting advice on how to take the right steps on your career journey.
4. Network. Social media is all about networks — both online and off. Through sites like Twitter, Facebook, and Meetup, you can hear about fun, casual events hosted by other industry people for the common goal of meeting new people and building your network. Not all of these functions will be the right fit, but all it takes is one good connection to make it worth your while. Putting yourself out there and making yourself available is a very important step.
5. Reach out. Take the initiative and make a connection. Once you’ve grown your online network, ask for advice by email, over coffee or in a casual conversation. Most successful professionals are happy to help out keen students — they were once students themselves, and remember what it’s like to need a helping hand to launch a career.

Ultimately, social media is just another tool. It is entirely up to the real life person sitting behind the computer to make the needed contacts, connections and interactions that will help you navigate your post-university career. Think about what you would like to see in a prospective worker online and do it yourself.

Social media should be easy. If it’s not, then you’re probably doing it wrong.

Rick Chung is a 2008 Political Science graduate from UBC and is currently a second year Broadcast Journalism student at BCIT. He was CBC News Vancouver’s first social media intern and CBC Radio 3′s Alexis Mazurin Award winner. Rick was a guest speaker at the Working Super Fair held by the Vancouver Board of Trade on the topic of social media for personal career branding. You can find more of his work at RickChung.com or follow him on Twitter.

Have you used social media in your job search? Let us know in the comments.