Pounding the pavement after graduation.

It's been an invigorating school year. You've been studying, working on projects, writing reams of papers. But school is almost over, or maybe you've already donned your cap and gown. If you haven't already done so, the next step is weighing heavily upon you. Now you need to find a job.

In today's market you'll be competing not only with other new grads but with people who have years of work experience. But don't despair, even if you've put off tracking down a job until now. There's still plenty you can do to improve your chances.

First, view looking for work as a full-time job, advises Robby Gregg, national director of recruiting and diversity for Washington-based Adia Personnel Services. "It can take six to 12 months to find a job, so it's important to develop a strategic game plan."

That can be tough, especially for time-pressed students "Job hunting takes time away from my dissertation; my dissertation takes time away from job hunting," laments Lori White, a doctoral candidate at Stanford University. Between studies, White, 37, scours the classifieds in professional publications and electronic bulletin boards. The educational administration and policy major has her career sights on a position as a college dean of students. To help achieve that goal she logs online to the Chronicle of Higher Education and reads Black Issues in Higher Education.

Her 10 years of administrative experience at schools like the University of California at Irvine has plugged her into a professional network of college administrators and professors. And she is using the resume and cover letter writing services of Berkeley's career placement office.

Taking advantage of career placement is a good idea, notes Gordon Gray, director of Career Services at the University of Colorado at Boulder. "Statistics show that students who use the career centers get better-paying jobs--that are more related to their academic studies--quicker and easier."

In fact, survey results at one university show that 60% of the students using career placement found jobs in their preferred field, whereas 53% of students not using career services got stuck in jobs unrelated to their field of study.

For Richard Lamb, the career services office at Northwestern's Kellogg Graduate School of Management was a wellspring. The 28-year-old MBA candidate benefited from the center's lists of corporate recruiters and extensive files on individual companies. Lamb, who is looking for a job in telecommunications, says, "I called on Northwestern graduates to find out if their companies are on good financial footing and about the corporate culture."

In addition to tapping into his own personal network of corporate insiders to facilitate his job search, Lamb periodically scans the career files at the local library.

"You've got to be connected," warns Adia's Robby Gregg. He suggests partnering with professional organizations and human resources professionals. Every experience--part-time work, summer jobs, temp work--has networking potential, says Gregg.

If you've developed and maintained contacts in your industry, partnered with recruiters, worked with your career placement office, subscribed to professional magazines and joined key organizations, your job search is sure to be successful. If you haven't started yet, begin today.