If you are an aspiring actor and you have a childhood friend who works at a talent agency, give them a call. A credible, established talent agency, not the kind that wants you to pay them forty dollars up front and then tells you that before you even can be submitted for any work you have to completely re-write your resume, and then keep you in their reception area with the crusty old lady receptionist that insists on three to four cockamamie revisions before finally approving a version that seems to be nearly an exact replica of the original.
No, this is not the talent agency that is going to take you to the top. There is a reputable talent agency out there for you, the challenge is weeding through the rip-off artists that give you crappy audience work which pays twenty bucks a day with no meal, and the elitist and exclusive ones that don't want you in the first place and won't dedicate any time to you if you are able to get them to take you on to their roster.
In fact, finding a talent agency that is really going to help you and work for you is probably one of the toughest aspects of an acting career. For this reason, many people are now turning to alternatives like online talent services that put your personal acting profile directly in touch with those people who are holding auditions and casting calls.