Get a great headshot. It serves as your resume and calling card, the first thing that represents you as an actress. The headshot should capture you accurately. Choose a photographer who really gets you and your goals.
Enroll in a great acting class. There are formal colleges in Los Angeles like the American Academy of Dramatic Arts if you are looking for an intense, overall two-year program with a degree. You also can take weekly classes from a private acting school. Take a class at least weekly that helps you hone your craft, an essential part of working in Los Angeles as an actress.
Get experience in student films, short films and independent films. The Los Angeles Film School often casts novice actresses in its many productions. So do the film schools at USC and UCLA. Look in the magazine "Backstage" for their casting notices. Having a reel is important to having a flourishing career in Los Angeles, and an actress should have a film reel if she hopes to get a major agent and manager.
Sign up for casting websites. Before gaining an agent, this is often the only avenue to big auditions. Now Casting, LA Casting and Actor's Access are the main casting websites for Los Angeles for actors trying to market themselves independently (see Resources).
Sign up as an extra. The best place to start in Los Angeles is Central Casting. You can mail your headshot and resume to: 220 S Flower Street, Burbank, CA 91502. Registering in person is the method of choice for the agency, but they only accept people at designated days and times on a weekly basis. Call them at 1-818-562-2755.
Join the Screen Actors Guild after you have enough experience. Joining the union before you are ready will be detrimental to your career, as you will no longer be able to do films that do not pay well or that do not go through the union. This can hurt your chances of doing some smaller scale productions. However, once you feel you are on a truly professional level, joining is a must (see Resources).
Go to Samuel French, a book store located on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles. The store offers the best resources for the Los Angeles actress. You can get current directories of agents, managers and casting directors. The directories contain email addresses, website addresses, phone numbers, and physical addresses as well as detailed information that can help you more precisely address the company.
Do at least ten things every day to develop your acting career. Although you may have to get a survival job in the city, it's important to remain focused on your goal. It's too easy to get caught up in the daily grind. Submitting information to agents and producers on a daily basis is important.