Q: Check employment sites like Monster.com or your local newspaper for employment opportunities. You could also try cold-calling a company you're interested in working for. You could apply for either a job or an internship. An internship is a temporary work assignment with a company or design firm. If you're lucky, you can get a paid internship. If not, you might settle for an unpaid internship. However, even unpaid internships can provide valuable work experience, network connections, and open the doors to better opportunities further down the road. Look for ads that closely conform to your skill set. In other words, if the company is looking for a graphic designer with a specific skill set or specific bunch of experiences, you should be sure to list those experiences and skills which the company seems to be particularly interested in. For example, if the employment ad asks for a graphic designer with a degree in graphic design and experience in photography, and you have both, be sure to emphasize that on your resume. Double-check your resume and submit a portfolio of your best work. You don't need to list every job you've ever had on your resume. List only jobs you've had in the past five years, plus any other volunteer positions or internships pertinent to the position you're applying for. Your cover letter should give more depth to the info on the resume. For instance, if you listed your education and other jobs on the resume, explain in the cover letter exactly what classes you took, and exactly what the nature of your responsibilities at your other relevant jobs were. Limit the cover letter to one page, single-spaced. Submit your resume and portfolio promptly. If the company is accepting applications only until the first of the following month, don't wait until the end of the current month to submit your application. If the company holds interviews as it receives applications, you could be the first to get an interview. If you impress, you might get the job on the spot. Call or visit the company you applied to. If possible, submit the application in person. You could also go to the firm with questions about your application before submitting it. For instance, if the application asks for three pieces of recent work, you could ask if it's alright to include slightly more than three. Visiting or calling the graphic design department of the company you want to apply to will give the staff there an idea of who you are and help you build rapport with department leaders before they see your application. Even if you don't have questions, it's a good idea to make a pretext for visiting just to check out the conditions under which you might be working and give the staff there the chance to meet you. After a week or so, give the company a call. Say, "Hi, I'm just calling to follow up on the application I submitted last week. I was wondering if you were still conducting interviews for the position? If so, I'd like to schedule one." If they say they are no longer interviewing for that position, return to the job ads and apply for another job you're interested in. Nail the interview by being honest, personable, and smart. Dress professionally -- a dress shirt and suit for men, and a tasteful dress or blazer for women. Choose muted earth tones like navy, brown, black, and dark green. Prepare and ask questions of the employer about the position. For instance, "When would I start?", "What departments would I be working with?", and "How much variety does the position entail?" After the interview, send a thank-you note or email to the person or persons you interviewed with. Be specific in your thank-yous by citing particular questions that were clarified or points of interest you learned during the interview. If you are trying to get hired by a marketing firm, get ready for some hard work. Be prepared to start at the bottom and work your way up. Once you get a position or land a client, give it everything you have. Put every ounce of creative energy you have into every job you do, even if it seems like a minor job. It will pay off in the end, in the form of recognition or more clients. Don't give up. If you don't get a job right away, don't worry. If you feel passionate about graphic design and have an artistic temperament, continue to pursue it even if it takes a long time to get an internship or job. Put in lots of applications, continue building your portfolio, and stay in touch with your peers in graphic design.
A: Look for work. Tailor your resume to each job. Write a cover letter. Apply for jobs. Land a job.

Q: Saying more by saying less can make some people shut down or quit listening. Add content to discussions that is as condensed as possible without being vague. Talking until you get to your point will ensure half of your audience has already tuned out. State your point up front and people will know what you are trying to elaborate about. If you have to give a speech and there's a time limit, don't squeeze in the thirty thoughts that come to your head. Pick the three most important ideas, and elaborate on those. Words such as um, a, like, etc... degrade and detract from what you say. They disturb the flow of a sentence and make it detached. A nonverbal pause is much better. When floundering for words, a nonverbal pause, placed correctly, gives the listener the effect of a dramatic or studied thought. It confirms your control over what is being said. Speaking more slowly, eliminating distractions, and making eye contact will also help you stick to your message. Another way to speak more clearly is to speak more slowly. You may feel that if you rush and say everything you wanted to say, that you'll be able to get it over with and make people see your point more clearly. However, if you take the time to slow down, think about what you have to say, and pronounce your words in a way that won't make you mumble or confuse your audiences, then you will actually be more well-spoken. You don't have to speaksoslowlythat you feel like you're pausing between every word, but pausing in between sentences to give yourself time to prepare your next sentence will do the trick. If you speak too quickly, there's also a chance that you will say something that you regret or that makes absolutely no sense, and you'll have to do some backtracking to make your audience understand what you really mean; you can avoid all that by speaking slowly to begin with. If you keep your hands in your pockets, you are more likely to stutter, forget what you have to say, or to confuse your audience. That's because using your hands to gesture can help you explain what you mean and can get your whole body into the speaking process. Communication doesn't just come from your mouth, but from your posture, your eye contact, your gesturing, and your body language -- it's part of a whole package. So the next time you speak, take those hands out of your pocket. Even if you don't use them to gesture a ton, you'll feel more comfortable if you gesture a little. Keeping your hands in your pockets will also make you look less confident, which will make your message look weaker. Another way to be more well-spoken is to be really focused on your message. You may be saying "um" and "uh" or forgetting your train of thought every few sentences because your phone keeps vibrating, because you're running late, or because you're worried about a meeting you have later that day. So, stay in the moment and focus on what you're saying when you're saying it as much as you can. If you are focused only on your message, you'll be able to deliver it more articulately, and your audience will pay more attention, too.
A:
Be more concise. Eliminate verbal pauses. Speak more slowly. Use your hands. Limit distractions.