That's a GREAT question - how do you get your foot in the door to start your career?

Jumping starting your career will depend on the industry you're going into but there are a few universal "words of wisdom" I can impart (it's been 13 years since I graduated from college and I've picked up a few tricks along the way).

Take this for what it's worth...

Here are my top THREE tips for getting your foot in the door to start a career:

1. Network, network, network. Ways to do this:
a) Tell everyone and their mother what you do and that you're looking for a job. You'll be surprised how many people "know" sombody who knows somebody that is looking to hire the right person.

b) Use social networking platforms like Facebook to update your status about new skills, training, or interest in jobs in the field you're interested in. Again...you may have contacts that will read your status and know someone that can help you.

c) Sign up for LinkedIn (www.linkedin.com). It's like the professional Facebook for your career verses your social life.

2. Be proactive in your search verses reactive. What do I mean by this? Instead of looking at "for-hire" or "want-ads" in the paper or online at places like Monster.com and Careers.com, do some research and PROACTIVELY send your cover letter and resume to companies, firms, or people that you'd like to work for!! Again...while timing is often crucial in this approach, you may find yourself getting a callback if you do your homework and target your career launch directly with the companies you are most interested, even if they don't have a for-hire ad out.

3. Be open to change. What I mean by this is that your career path will probably change over time - including a total shift in what you end up doing for living verses what you went to college for. Yikes...don't let that scare you! It's rare that people leave college and then work for the same company for 30-40 years now-a-days (I tip my hat to my uncle and father-in-law who are exceptions to this statement) For me, personally, in the last 13 years since graduating college, I've worked at eight companies ranging from a Big 10 University to a small branding agency (10 employees) to the world's largest marketing firm (5000+ employees). At each of these places, I did something totally different than what I had been doing at the previous place. But the experience I gained at each helped me move my career along. And looking back, in each job/role, I learned invalueable lessons for my career. So open yourself as you jump start your career to these many possibilities!

I could keep writing but people have probably stopped reading. lol.

Keep us posted on how it goes and when you land your first job!

Good luck!

That addersess several of my concerns actually.