It was much easier ten years ago. I moved up after eight months. Great Attitude Entry-level jobs are not always glamorous, and employers don't want to feel they have to apologize for asking you to do some photocopying. New hires don't realize that we all have to do paperwork. We all do nonsense work.
People expect that there are secretaries that handle all the scud work.
Even if you're a talented genius in your field, you won't get far in the work world without the ability to get along with and motivate your co-workers. I don't necessarily look at grades or schools. Obviously, a design background or experience in the industry is helpful, but a new graduate isn't going to have much experience, and I'm only going to start them out in showroom positions anyway. So what's important to me are people skills, how they present themselves. If you played a sport in college, I will frequently ask about your team's record.