SF State's Career Center is seeing more traffic into their offices these days, from frustrated job-seeking students to alumni who graduated a year ago and still can't find work or have been recently laid off.

"We're seeing the unemployment rate going up and all the headlines about the banking bailouts and so people are panicking," said Alan Fisk, a counselor who works at the Career Center. "But there are jobs out there - people just have to work a little bit harder to get [them.]"

For those seeking employment, here are five tips on how to navigate the choppy waters of this economy's job market:

1) Meet with your career counselor early in your college education.

Meeting with a career counselor early in your education can help you set a clear and focused path for the kind of work you want after school. "Ideally, we'd like to see students come into the Career Center in their freshman or sophomore year," said Fisk. "Don't wait until your last semester before you graduate."

2) Get an internship (or two, or three or four!) related to the field you want to pursue a career in. This is a way to build work experience on your resumes, and many times also get college credit for the work you do.

Again, start looking for internships early in your college career. Chelsea Pearl, an SF State marketing major who graduates this summer, has one unpaid internship under her belt. But as a current job seeker, she wishes she began the process earlier.

"If I started looking [for internships] during my sophomore year, I'd probably have two or three internships by now," she said.

3) Network, network, network.

According to Fisk, this may be the most valuable tip for young job hunters. Often, students limit themselves by only searching for jobs in newspaper postings or Web sites like Craigslist or Monster.

"Join a student organization or join a professional organization - that's where you're going to meet actual people and find out about actual opportunities, whether it's an internship or a hot job that's not listed out for the public," said Fisk.

SF State graduate Anna Karlsson acknowledges the importance of networking. "Try to talk to a new person everyday," she said. "Even if it's at a coffee shop - that person may have new ideas about things you never thought of."

4) Sell your "intangibles."

With the current lean job market, college students and recent grads are finding themselves competing with recently laid off professionals. But while professionals may have more work experience, they can also be less flexible, set in their bad habits and tied down to location because of family.

So that's where Linda Le, the regional recruiter for Enterprise Rent-A-Car, suggests young job seekers work their intangibles. These traits include leadership skills, willingness to learn and flexibility to relocate and/or travel.

5) If at first you don't succeed...try, try, try again.

Understand that competition for work is tough right now, but try not to take rejection from possible employers personally. Even if you've gone months without a single job interview, career counselors and recruiters remind job hunters to keep their chin up.

"Stay positive and have a great attitude," said Le. "Know that there will be something out there. You just need to make sure you know what you want, prepare for it and then be aggressive and confident about it."

For more information about the SF State Career Center and its services, visit its office at the Student Services Building in room 206 or visit the Web site at www.sfsu.edu/~career/index.htm. The Career Center is open to all SF State students and alumni.