Laura Oliver is editor of the website journalism.co.uk and a new media enthusiast
Understand the potential of social media: We're seeing the rise of the social media editor and community manager at many news and media organisations. These roles often involve developing a title's presence on social media sites, dealing with feedback through these channels and helping find ways to create a more interactive website to keep readers online for longer. Being able to show an understanding of how different social media sites work and their potential for news organisations and publishers is of growing importance to many journalism employers, whether you are hired as a social media manager or not.
An awareness of new audiences and social networks could set you apart: Social networking sites can be a great way of making new connections, promoting your work and therefore impressing employers, as well as getting a better idea of what organisations do and who they employ. Showing that you are aware of new audiences and new ways to serve existing audiences could set you apart. Look at what other titles are doing, experiment on a personal level and see what social media can do for you as a journalist — from news gathering to promotion. But apply common sense — future employers may be watching what you tweet. Use Twitter to track job announcements too — there are lots of specific media jobs feeds.
Do your research on training courses and find out what employers think of them: Before signing up to a journalism course, ask yourself what you want to get out of it and find the programme that best suits your needs. They're often very expensive so it needs to be worthwhile for you. Browse this comprehensive list of courses in the UK to see how much variation there is. Different employers will expect different qualifications. Former student's views can be really useful and check where alumni have ended up. As for length, a journalism course is what you make of it. You will impress employers with evidence of the skills you have learned and writing you have done whether it's over a six-month course or a year-long degree.
Joanne Mallon is a media career coach and journalist, who founded online network www.MediaWomenUK.com. She also writes her own media careers blog
Be open minded about new ways of working: The brave new online world means a lot more potential work for writers. Businesses that used to just have a leaflet, now have websites. And if they had a website, now they want a blog. Step forward professional writer. As long as you're open-minded about new ways of working and prepared to take on a little extra techy stuff, online is your oyster. The type of writing can be very different to many print features: often shorter, opinion-led and designed to draw out comments. Compared to traditional journalism, the fees can be pretty low, too. But work quickly and it's not so bad. People who write fast and well tend to do best online.
A blog can work as a CV for you: If you want to get paid to write, why not start your own blog to show what you can do. Take a look at other journalists' sites and note what you like and don't like. Some journalists use them to develop their writing style, showcase new work or work out ideas that may become fully fledged pitches. I use mine to give media tips and crack jokes about stupid TV. What do you want your blog to do for you? Once you have a site, link to it whenever you apply for work — it should really work as a CV for you. And if your blog is not doing what you want, how do you think it needs to change? I think people respond to honesty and an authentic voice in blogs — is your blog really you?
Give your career plan some thought: There is no right way into online journalism. Each person's way will be unique to them. So stop thinking about what you should do and focus more on what you want to do. If you could wave a magic wand, how would you be spending the next week of work? Who would you be talking to? Would you be at home or in an office? You might as well start aiming for the things you want to do, otherwise the danger is that you'll end up doing things you don't want to. There are far easier ways to make a living than journalism. And yet still we persevere, because writing is one of those vocations that doesn't go away. You'll get there in the end, though it may not be the fastest trip you ever took.
Carrie Dunn is a freelance journalist and Guardian live blogger, with a particular interest in theatre. She also lectures on journalism and the media
Use a blog to develop your online skills: Online journalism is an ever-expanding field which offers its own challenges — most obviously creating an impact with the immediacy of what you write and being able to engage with your audience. I had a blog where I developed my own sense of online writing style, sent the link to an editor who liked it and offered me work, and I went from there. Going freelance isn't the right thing for everyone. Some people would hate the insecurity and intermittent income, so consider it carefully. But personally, I love it as it allows me to manage my own workload.
If you don't know anything about copyright or libel, learn now: If you have a solid portfolio and an idea of how the industry works, don't worry about what degree subject you studied — employers are more interested in seeing what you can do. But studying media law, even if you don't get a formal qualification, is absolutely essential — it never fails to amaze me how many graduates want to go into journalism but don't have a clue about copyright or libel. McNae's Essential Law for Journalists is your friend. Invest in the most recent copy and have it on hand at all times.
Don't be afraid to ask for payment: The plethora of long-term unpaid internships in journalism is a disgrace and a campaign the NUJ (National Union of Journalists) is picking up. I don't write for free (except on my own blogs) and I didn't even when I first started out. I'd rather do a non-journalism job than persist with a system that thinks you should feel privileged to write for a publication for nothing. When people say to me, "We don't really have a budget," I ask them if they are getting paid, then suggest a price I think would be fair for the work they want me to do. It is hard to talk about money, but you need to stand up for yourself and for journalists everywhere. Fly the flag.
