Educate yourself. Choose a genre (stage, TV or films) and get training from a professional. You can go to university, join a college or opt for community-based programs, which are much cheaper. Try different styles to find the one that suits you best and take more than one course from different teachers. Acting courses culminate in performances that are good for experience.
Schedule an appointment with a headshot photographer. Check your local yellow pages or ask your acting instructor for advice on the best photographers. Your headshot is your calling card and needs to be of the highest quality. Have your photographer take headshots and print your resume on the back.
Look online and in local papers for auditions in your area. Audition for roles and participate in as many local productions as possible. This will help you network and meet other actors, directors and talent agents.
Look for an agent by searching online or relying on your network of connections to recommend an agent to you. Find someone who specializes in your genre and schedule a meeting with him. Agents have access to unadvertised jobs and auditions; work with him to book as many gigs as you can manage.
Go to the auditions that your agent books for you and source your own from the Internet and your network of acting contacts. Always bring an up-to-date headshot and resume to the casting calls.
Find a film editor to help you build your reel, which combines clips from your best acting performances and showcases your body of work and your versatility. You can find a film editor by looking in the phone book or online or by asking someone from your network for recommendations.