1. Be persistent.
2. Follow every lead.
3. Don't be afraid to embellish your accomplishments. It's expected.
4. Don't take job requirements literally. Employers always overshoot on the off-chance that somebody matching them actually walks in the door.
5. Oftentimes you can get a lower position by applying for a higher one. The lower position you get is still probably better than the listed one that "matches" your experience.
6. When all else fails, freelance - it looks good on your resume when you get sick of it, which you probably will.
Always remember that an employer can do no worse than reject you. Even if you do make a complete ass of yourself by applying/interviewing for something you're not even close to qualified for, you'll only end up in exactly the same position you would be in if you had kept sitting around like a spineless schmuck (minus some time which you have plenty of and maybe some gas money).
Pretty much everybody who's graduated or left college since the 60s has had to find a way to break through the same catch-22 scenario. The fact that there are successes in the world proves that it's certainly possible. The business world chooses to keep perpetuating the social barrier as a sort of rite of passage into post-educational life. It sends a clear message: "We could give less of a shit about your actual talents, knowledge, or work ethic. What we need to know is how much you're willing to prevaricate, kiss ass, and focus on your goals with a bloody-minded intensity, because you're going to find out real quickly that that's the only way to get things done in the real world."
