College students know that they can make themselves more appealing to employers at graduation by obtaining some experience in their field of interest. Job-related work experience can be acquired through internships, summer and part-time jobs, while attending college. Therefore, here are a few things that students can do to help them find those great jobs:

Search Engines - Google Search and Yahoo Search are two of the best known search engines. However, there are also many others. Students simply type their request in the search box. Examples: Engineering Internships, College Internships, Internships in Ohio or Paid Student Internships. That will lead them to a long list of web sites that may be helpful, as they search for an internship, summer or part-time job. (Students can look at SimplyHired.com, CareerRookie.com, InternJobs.com, FindInternships.net, ThinkIntern.com, InternZoo.com, InternshipFinder.com, JobMonkey.com and many more.) Many search engines allow students to search by state and city - Example: OhioIntern.com. Students can substitute the name of their state.

Meta Search Engines and Meta Crawlers - These tools search multiple search engines and web sites at the same time and make it easier and faster for people to find what they want. Several also include the Google and Yahoo databases when they conduct a search. Some of the best known Meta tools include: Dogpile.com, Mamma.com, MonsterCrawler.com, MetaCrawler.com, and SurfWax.com. Students can find others by doing a Google search for Meta Search Engines or Meta Search Crawlers.

Direct Contact - Why not go after the specific employers that interest you? Students can use the search tools above to find employers in their field of interest. They can then call those employers to determine if they will be hiring interns, summer or part-time employees with their education and experience.

Networking - College Professors, Alumni, Current Interns, Business Professionals, Community Contacts, Politicians and others may very well have the information that students seek. Wise students use their networks to obtain information about possible employment opportunities. Also, the best networkers don?t ignore their contacts on social networking sites. Those contacts can be quite useful in finding this kind of information.

Career Services - The student?s College Career Services Office may already work closely with a number of employers that offer internships. Students should be sure to contact them first to see what they can do to help.

Local Business Associations - Nearly every county has a Chamber of Commerce and a local Business Association. If students take the time to contact or visit them, they can find out whether any of the members offer internships, summer or part-time jobs.

National Business Associations - Most National Business Associations have local chapters throughout the country. Students can check out the associations in their own field of interest and visit their web sites to find the local chapters in the area.

Get Ready to Compete - Since landing an internship or part-time job is a competition, students should strengthen their resumes, improve their interviewing skills, make a list of their accomplishments, think about what they will wear to the interviews and obtain strong recommendations from Professors and past Employers. If students are to be successful with their search, they will need to present a solid case for their employment.

Students Must Be Careful! - As always, students must be cautious as they search the web. The world isn?t always user friendly. Students should keep their personal information private and shouldn?t believe the claims for $50 - $100/hr. internships and part-time jobs. Searching the web can be very costly, when students are scammed by unscrupulous people who make unrealistic job promises or guarantees and ask for money or credit card information. Wise students look for the red flags and use their best judgment at all times.

Internships and all forms of job-related experience can be very important to the senior year job search. However, many employers will only offer internships to students who have completed two or three years of college. In that way, those employers can be assured that they will be getting interns who have already taken a few courses in their major, have done well and have some knowledge or experience in the field or industry.

Importantly, great internships, summer and part-time jobs with the best employers don?t just fall into someone?s lap. Those jobs are hard to find, require strong research skills and are earned by the students who are prepared to compete for them.