(MONEY Magazine) – The transition from academe's ivory tower to the corporate rat race will be especially brutal this spring when college students enter a job market decimated by layoffs. As many as 25% of the '92 college grads may still be unemployed at the end of the year, predicts L. Patrick Scheetz, author of the Michigan State University annual recruiting survey. Career counselors advise grads to do all they can now to strengthen their resumes. Three ideas: -- Volunteer at a nonprofit. When Vangie Goldwire (shown in YMCA sweatshirt at right) graduated with a political science degree from Morehouse College last May, he signed on for a year as a VISTA volunteer in Atlanta's downtown YMCA, assigning youth to the Y's programs. ''This job doesn't pay a lot -- we get $550 a month for living expenses,'' Goldwire says. ''But it's valuable experience.'' He hopes that when his contract expires, the Y will offer him a higher-paying staff position doing the same work. ''Volunteer opportunities consistently lead to jobs,'' confirms Charles Supple, a vice president at the Points of Light Foundation, a national community-service advocacy group based in Washington, D.C. ''You develop salable skills like lobbying or proposal writing.'' -- Get a foot in the door you want. You may be able to invent your own internship by offering to do a specific project for a company you like. Don't be reluctant to take a clerical job or a part-time position to start. Then take the initiative to show your stuff. ''Outstanding performance, even just working extra hours, will distinguish you,'' says Michigan State's Scheetz. -- Go overseas. English can be a marketable skill. Opportunities to teach English in Japan, for example, have been rising recently. After a year of such instruction, you could look attractive to a U.S. company seeking employees familiar with the Japanese. A new book, Teaching English Abroad by Susan Griffith (Peterson's Guides, $13.95), offers helpful tips on lining up work around the world.