Graduates face the real world.

Okay, college is over. It's real life. Time for a job. You do have one, don't you? "Hopefully, students have been preparing for this day since they got to college," says Roland Walters, director of Radford University's Career Services Center. Even if you haven't done that kind of preparation, a job is still within your grasp. Here are some tips that may help as you join the working world.

"Basically, you're marketing yourself to prospective employers," Walters points out. That can seem a daunting task, given today's dismal economic situation. "It's tough out there. it used to take an average of six months to find work ... today's graduates find it can take over a year to get the job they want."

Employers look at three things: grade point average, leadership abilities, and work experience. In most cases, no one element is more important than another; it's a matter of balance. Most employers would rather interview someone with good grades who holds an office in a campus organization than a student with a perfect grade point average and no activities. Remember, the operative term is good grades.

In today's tight market, work experience is a critical factor. Internships, practicums, and work-study jobs not only let you see firsthand what the field is like, they also are a powerful networking tool. Many students get offers at firms where they interned because the employer knows their work and how it fits into the company. Even if there are no positions available where you intern, you have met people who can be a reference for a similar job in another company.

Even jobs outside your field can speak volumes about you and your work habits. Maybe you think of it as just flipping hamburgers, but you have demonstrated that you are educable and understand the responsibilities of being on time and putting in your eight hours. If you have been given raises or asked back the following year, it indicates that you understand these things very well. If you have shown someone how to do your job, you have demonstrated leadership and management potential.

With those preparations, it's time to face a prospective employer in an interview...