How to get a job as a new graduate.

I get to interact with a lot of great students while on the ACE board. They all have one question, “How do I get a job at an agency?”

Here is how:

Start today
Google your own name. Delete things that are bad (old social media accounts, pictures, YouTube videos, comments on blogs)
Buy your own name’s domain (http://yourname.com) If your name isnt available, come up with something close. This site will help you get started.
Create a portfolio, hosted on that domain. If you are a writer, this means a blog. If you are a social strategist or account executive or anything else, that also means a blog. Art directors, illustrators, copywriters etc, create a portfolio. If you dont know how to create a website, design it in Photoshop, and pay these guys $200 to build it for you. No, seriously.
If you don’t have a portfolio, begin making it up. If you write copy, go write some copy. Illustrators, pick a brand and make an ad. The point of a portfolio is to show what you can do, not what you were assigned in school.
Take this course in Google Analytics. It will make you smarter and more aware of how the web works. It also gives you a certification that you can put on your resume.
If you a designer, learn how to write basic code. Learn HTML and CSS at Code Academy. This will make you 1000% more hireable immediately. Even a working knowledge is better than nothing. And no, making it in Dreamweaver doesn’t count.
Create a Twitter account and start tweeting about the industry. Find a voice, craft some great content. Dont tweet anything stupid. Follow people who you want to work for.
Get a LinkedIn account and add every fellow student and uncle you have. This is for later, but it is good to get a solid head start.
Make your Facebook account private.
Designers, get an invite to Dribbble and Forrst and post your work there. Those communities are where the best show their stuff off. Watch and Learn.

If you do the steps above, you will immediately make yourself more hireable than 99% of students out there. Don’t wait until you need a job, start right now.