Web Winners: Web Wealth By Reid Kanaley

The warnings are out: Unemployed grown-ups are competing with students for this year's crop of summer jobs. So, students, use these sites to get an edge in your search.

Snag jobs. The article here gets you started on a summer job search by asking if your intention is to make money or gain valuable experience. Then it steps through the process. The site goes beyond summer employment to offer advice for older workers, seekers of part-time positions, and "jobs for moms." In a hurry? Just type your zip code into the search box and you'll likely turn up a selection of local employers that want help.

Cool work. This place was advertising jobs for a cook on Santa Catalina Island, dude-ranch housekeepers in Montana, and bicycle-taxi operators in Alaska. Some very unusual stuff, for sure. The site operators, with headquarters in big-sky Montana, specialize in what they call "cool working" experiences in seasonal jobs or offbeat careers at or near national parks, ski resorts, and on or near water.

And, at this site, find a limited selection of camp-counselor-type positions - some of them overseas.

Lots of links. Given the host of come-ons, dead ends and creeps on the Web, you could get lost quickly after launching an online job search - or spend all summer on it and never score a paycheck. This site offers lists of vetted resources for writing and posting resumes, places that list jobs, and how-to advice for acing an interview.

Job scams. Check out this cautionary tale about online job scams that involve fake employers getting job seekers' bank account numbers and other personal information. Scams must be guarded against, even when you feel you're using a reputable Web site. "A Year in the Life of an Online Job Scam" is part of the World Privacy Forum Web site.

Uncle boss. Uncle Sam employs high school and college students, according to this federal government site billed as a "one-stop portal," for such employment opportunities. But it's as clunky to navigate as the tax code.