Market yourself as a brand! Create a blog, twitter, etc and use them rigorously. This online identity will become more useful than your resume – so make sure that whatever you post is something that can be used to further your career (i.e. skip the pictures of you being drunk at a party, but be yourself—it’s a fine balance).
Have a mentor: Find someone in your industry that you can look up to and develop a relationship with. The contacts and feedback you’ll gain will be very valuable.
Make connections in your industry: Go to meet-ups, connect with people on twitter and facebook, go for coffee. In short, network—virtually, and of course in person.
Create a portfolio: You can’t expect people to hire you if they can’t see your work, right?
Get References – After a job well done ask the client if they would be willing to write up a short testimonial on how you work. Ask them if it is OK if your future clients were contact them to ask how you performed.
Podcasts: Listen to as many podcasts as you can on your given topic as they will give you insight into best practices, trends and where your industry is going
Don’t work for free (don’t let people take advantage of you): I do however, highly recommend you donate some of your time and talent to furthering a non-profit, charity or religious organization. This is especially important if you have a light portfolio.
Learn to manage your time: Once you start getting jobs you’ll be very busy with school, friends, work, etc. You can’t learn this in a textbook, only through experience.
Invest in some good clothes: Essentially what I am saying is be aware of how you are presenting yourself to your potential employers. Remember, you are a brand.