Spring is finally here. Sports fanatics create their March Madness brackets, spring cleaning gets bumped to the top of the priority list and college students prepare to graduate.

Most of these students –anxious to finally end their college career – are left with one door that leads to the world of employment. As a graduate who was recently hired, a few pre-graduation tips on how to get through that door would have been helpful. This is the first of a series of posts that will offer tips to others who are searching for advice on the transition from college to the infamous entry-level job.

Three tips to think about before graduating:
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1. Create a profile on a few online job search engines like Careerbuilder, Monster and Craigslist. According to Careerbuilder, out of their 21 million users, 11.4% are within the ages of 18-24. Two million users are already getting their foot in the door just by uploading their resumes.

2. Network Online. Those not on social networks, such as Facebook or LinkedIn, can deem themselves as laggards. Joining these platforms allows people to build relationships with others and enhances networking within an online community of professionals. It’s all about who you know! A recent document from Careerbuilder on the industry trends stated that many employers are starting to screen candidates via the internet:

To ensure they are recruiting the right talent, more employers are leveraging the Internet as a vehicle for screening potential employees. Thirteen percent of employers report they always or usually use online search engines and social networking sites to research job candidates while 33 percent report they do so on occasion. Nearly one-in-five (19 percent) say they are likely to start using or increase their use of these resources to research job candidates in 2008.

3. Read. Whether it’s a book or a blog, reading will help fill your brain with knowledge; and as most know, knowledge is power. Many books and blogs offer tips and insights into the professional world. What better way to hear about the ups and downs of a job hunt than right from the horses’ mouths? Justin Driscoll’s 7 Things I Wish I Knew Before I Graduated provides excellent advice specifically for graduates.

These three tips are no-brainers. The real challenge is to set yourself apart from others by strategically using the resources available. Learn the new applications on LinkedIn. Read company blogs to fill your mind with more information about the person interviewing you. Use that “Google Juice” to research and embrace all that the internet has to offer because once that college door closes, all that’s left is to turn the knob on the next door.