We're already more than a month into summer, but many college and university students are still searching for a summer job.

Statistics Canada recently reported that the national unemployment rate for April dropped to 7.6%, however the national youth unemployment rate remains approximately double that at 14.3%.

So what can students do to rev up their summer job search?

Treat the job hunt like a full-time job

Mike Gooley, Regional Vice President for Robert Half Canada, an international staffing firm, says he encourages students to not give up and treat job searching as if it's their full-time job.

"Many people will just send off a bunch of résumés for a short period of time and wait," he says.

"Typically if students treat the job search like a full-time job they'll build up momentum and can usually get multiple offers."

Second-year McMaster University engineering student Robin Ng, who just landed a job at a major car company, says she found it challenging to find a summer job specific to her program. She wants employers to take a chance on students still in their general years of study.

"A lot of employers say that the knowledge of students, in their general years of study, isn't specific enough," she says. "The kids who take a general year also have a lot of experience and knowledge. It might not be specific, but we do have a broader set of skills and understanding of subjects."

Revamp your résumé

Gooley says students should re-assess their cover letters and résumés to highlight specific skills they've developed in previous positions, rather than just work history, and tailor them for the company or position.

He also recommends that students quantify their achievements on their résumés. For example: Showing how they reduced costs or listing by how much they increased sales.

Students should also work to broaden their professional networks and always have their 20-second elevator pitches ready, says Gooley. "Use a 20-second elevator pitch when networking with contacts that could be potential employers. It's a quick summary of your skills and why they should hire you."

Work your online presence

Students can also broaden their networking contacts online to rev up their job search. Having a LinkedIn profile can be a helpful tool to refer hiring managers to. However, students should be careful of their online presence and manage it closely.

"Google yourself and see what shows up.  Make sure these things are professional and show yourself in a good light," says Gooley. "Maybe prospective employers might not want to see those photos from a certain party and students might want to consider taking them down."

More and more students are also looking online for summer jobs on websites that aren't necessarily traditionally considered for job searching, such as Craigslist. Second-year Ryerson business management student Shannon Cosgrove warns students, from firsthand experience, to be careful and to make sure they do their due diligence on the employer posting the ad.

"I applied for a job at a kids athletic organization, on Craigslist, and I made sure to check them out. I was given an interview time, but when I showed up no one was there," she says. "You just have to be careful and you can't always trust these ads."

Student Voice - a campaign to fight youth underemployment

In the winter of 2005, I was a soon-to-be graduate with zero job prospects and no idea how I was going to make a successful transition from school to work. And I was not alone.

All around me on campus at Queen's University in Kingston, Ont., other students were experiencing the same situation. They were hard-working, smart, involved with campus activities, and also jobless.

Over the next few years, many of my friends and acquaintances continued to struggle through the school-to-work transition, obtaining various combinations of post-graduate education and work experience that neither lived up to the expectations they had set for themselves nor the qualifications they'd earned in university.

My personal journey led me to the London School of Economics in England, where I earned a Master of Economic History. I loved London so much that I decided to stay, and I was shocked to find that, for British graduates in 2006, the school-to-work transition was not nearly as complicated, messy or confusing as it was for their Canadian counterparts.  I easily landed a job as an analyst with a consulting firm in central London.

After a year, I decided to move back to Canada and launch TalentEgg.ca in an effort to implement some of the efficiencies that I had witnessed in Britain, and TalentEgg is now a leading online career resource for Canadian students and recent graduates.

But while we've gone a long way in facilitating access to career information - from jobs to resources - for students and employers alike, across the country, Canadian students and recent grads are still incredibly frustrated by the summer and after-grad job hunt and the school-to-work transition.

They have good reason to be.

According to a study of 17 countries that fall under the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), Canada boasts the highest rate of youth underemployment. Almost one quarter of employed Canadian youth feel they are overqualified for their current jobs. 

This isn't just a matter of a generation that expects more than it deserves. This is a cohort of graduates who are being instructed to go to university and/or college with the expectation that when they graduate, they will be able to find meaningful work. A cohort that is being encouraged to enrol in arts and science programs, while only a very small fraction of employers are open to hiring students who major in those subjects. And even beyond the emotional impact of not being able to find suitable employment, this is a cohort that is being burdened with more student debt than ever to pay for that education.

Needless to say, there is a serious, systemic issue in the way that Canada raises, educates, and then transitions its youth into the workplace.

The failures leading to our shocking rates of youth underemployment are on the shoulders of parents, employers, career educators, and students themselves.

Employers in Canada are hiring from a candidate pool that is far too narrow, and on a schedule that is far too narrow. On TalentEgg.ca, we see Canada's largest and most respected companies repeatedly recruiting from the same degree backgrounds (business and engineering) and from the same handful of schools. This is a phenomenon that is not mirrored in countries like Britain, where even the most prestigious accounting firms open their hiring to students with politics, economics, and even philosophy backgrounds. They recognize that tomorrow's top talent is going to be represented by people who have demonstrated qualities far beyond industry-specific knowledge and training.

In a country where, according to Statistics Canada, approximately 74 per cent of students are enrolled in non-business or engineering degrees, this represents a huge problem. Not only because of the structural unemployment that anyone with even the slightest understanding of economic principles could predict, but also because of the loss to our economy and society that is occurring as a result of the high numbers of incredibly talented Canadian youth who are ignored by our current campus recruitment system.

And it's not just arts and science graduates who are suffering. Campus recruitment in Canada occurs on a schedule that seems to be a closely guarded secret known only to those students who make it their business to prepare for the job search years in advance of graduation, or whose teachers and career educators have the necessary reach to let them know that if they miss out on the 30 days in September when 'new grad' jobs are posted, they are missing out on any chance of being recruited while still a student.

The value of Canada's youth in the workforce can be compared to purchasing a car. Students' value dramatically decreases the minute they leave campus and are unemployed, much like the value of a car after it leaves the lot for the first time. Amazing, intelligent, qualified recent graduates from all degree backgrounds suffer because of this.

To exacerbate the problem further, students are approaching their job search woefully unprepared and this, too, is a major, systemic failure that can be attributed to poor career preparation resources as well as a lack of initiative on the part of students.

When I started TalentEgg, I naively thought that with just my voice and the company I was creating, I could simultaneously encourage employers to hire more openly, and provide a resource that could train students to be more job ready.

For the past three years, we've been shouting about the problems inherent in the Canadian school-to-work transition that are leading to youth un- and under-employment. While our voice alone has made an impact, it could never be loud enough to inspire real change.

That's why we've launched a new initiative called "Student Voice - a campaign to fight youth underemployment." We are inviting and encouraging students and recent grads to mobilize and share their job search stories - the good, the bad, and the ugly - as well as their messages to employers, educators, government, and other decision makers in the school-to-work transition.

To illustrate how passionately students feel about the difficulty that faces them in their job hunt: When we decided to launch Student Voice, we sent a brief e-mail to a small subsection of the students registered on TalentEgg.ca. Within an hour, and with no incentives other than the opportunity to be heard, we received 10 thoughtful stories, with constructive feedback for employers, career centres, and the government. Since then, we have received another 50 stories, and expect hundreds more to come through in the coming weeks.

The government and Canadian employers should feel passionately about this too. Not only because we should be concerned about our ranking in terms of youth underemployment, but also because of the looming Baby Boom retirement wave - an issue that was of great concern before the economic downturn but seems to have fallen off the radar since. We need to do something today to better align the goals of students, educators, and government, or (continue to) suffer the consequences.

For those of us who have already finished our undergraduate degrees but haven't found full-time jobs, this time of year can become a period of mourning. If you've been in denial until now, January is when it all starts to sink in - it's a whole new year.

Many recent grads find themselves in a bit of a slump after school ends. Moving back home and figuring out the next stage of your life or looking for a job can be stressful, but there are ways to avoid falling into a funk that many refer to as "the post-grad blues."

I've discovered some simple ways to keep myself happy in the moment and focused on the future - as uncertain as it may be! Whether you're an overwhelmed grad student or an un- or under-employed graduate, trying these simple tips will help you learn to adapt to your new adult lifestyle.

Find a new hobby

After graduating from Queen's University in April and moving back to Toronto to live with my family, I felt like I had lost my independence.

This can be countered by finding a new hobby, whether it's playing tennis a few times a month or starting a book club with friends. Doing something new on your own will make you feel accomplished and more invested in your new lifestyle. The more social the hobby, the better!

Invest in yourself with a list of goals

So what if you have yet to find your dream job? If you find yourself feeling lost and confused about your career path, don't despair. Make a list of things you want to accomplish, whether they are plans for grad school or volunteer initiatives that you want to undertake.

Set realistic goals that you can meet. Crossing things off a goal list will give you a sense of satisfaction and increase your level of happiness. Have you always wanted to learn a new language? Train for a half marathon?

Think of it as an investment in your future. By enrolling in French classes once a week or attending a conference that caters to your career interests, you will be expanding your own skill set and making yourself more employable. Don't forget to celebrate your accomplishments!

Connect with friends regularly

Let's be honest, one of the best parts of university was the social life.  As an undergraduate student, you're always surrounded by good friends. If you're living at home, it's especially important to make an effort to get together with friends a couple of times a week. You'd be surprised how much a quick coffee date can brighten your day.

Developing simple routines like meeting pals for lunch every Thursday or going for a manicure once a month will give you things to look forward to and make this transitional period more tolerable.

Volunteer in your community

Now is the time to experiment with potential career paths through volunteer initiatives. If you think you want to pursue a career in social work, volunteer at a shelter or local food bank. If writing is your passion, take on assignments for your local newspaper. Volunteer experience will not only give you an edge in the job search, but it may help you discover what career is a best fit for you.

Find a healthy work-life balance

Studies have shown that people are happiest when they strike a balance between spending time at work and relaxing with family and friends. Whatever you are doing after graduation, make sure that you set aside sufficient time to unwind and engage in your favourite hobbies and activities.

Entry-level positions and graduate programs can be demanding and stressful, but finding the right balance between work and play can help you focus better during the week. Above all, remember that you are not alone. The majority of 20-somethings feel confused and desperate about the state of their life after graduating.

Use the ample resources at your disposal, including TalentEgg, Volunteer Canada, Ontario Public Service Careers and University Affairs. These websites will help you jump-start the next chapter in your life and provide opportunities for personal growth.

By thinking of your post-grad lifestyle as an exciting adventure, you'll get over any lingering nostalgia for those undergraduate days before you know it.

Whether you're a student who doesn't have a job lined up for the spring or an unemployed recent grad, the holidays can be a nightmare.

Besides wondering how you will pay for gifts, you're probably also stressing about how to handle those "So, what have you been up to?" and "Where are you working after graduation?" questions, which are sure to come your way from all those well-meaning relatives you only see a few times a year.

Don't be tempted use the holidays as an excuse to drown your career sorrows in chocolate liquor cordials and eggnog.

Take advantage of this downtime to get a leg up on the job hunt, and come out on top in the new year by following these five steps:

1. Network like crazy

The holidays are a great excuse to contact old employers, acquaintances and friends to let them know you're looking for your next opportunity. Call them to meet up for coffee, attend lots of parties, and send greeting cards to put yourself back on their radar.

Many major cities also have holiday parties and fundraisers organized through Twitter, such as HoHoTO in Toronto, which are perfect opportunities to meet young professionals who are a few years ahead of you in their careers (particularly in technology, marketing and public relations).

When questions about your career come up, focus on what you've done in the past and what you're hoping to do in the future.

2. Update your résumé, blog and social networks

While you're relaxing by the fire and sipping on some cocoa, it's the perfect time to finally update your résumé, write that blog entry you forgot about, and start connecting with people online. Don't use the excuse that no one in your industry uses social media because it just isn't true!

Update your LinkedIn profile, find some new Twitter followers, and write some thoughtful blog posts to show off the new, employable you by January 1.

3. Research new opportunities

If Santa doesn't drop that full-time dream job into your lap, use December to research new possibilities for next year. Find an organization in your field searching for volunteers, look into further education options, or find a professional association where you can make some industry connections. With new activities and courses lined up you won't have any time to blame your unemployed status on your New Year's Day hangover.

4. Make a realistic calendar

Take all of that new year resolution energy, and all of your research from Step 3, and create a realistic calendar filled with goals and other things you hope to accomplish next year.

Mark down recruiting or hiring dates, industry events, course start dates, and any other job related deadlines that may help you turn your visions of sugar-plums into reality.

5. Relax

Use the holidays to recharge your batteries and enjoy some love and support from family and friends. With a renewed sense of confidence, you'll be in much better spirits to continue your job search in 2011.

Asking loved ones for some awesome interview clothes as presents can't hurt either.