According to the Florida Today.com website, we may see fewer than one million 16-19-year-olds finding summer employment this summer.

This will be the first time since 1954 that the numbers have been that low.

Studies show that most employers line up their summer employment in May. So, if you're planning on working this summer, now is the time to get busy!

My 16 year old daughter is looking for her first job. I'm pickier than she is. I don't want her doing waitress work, not that I think it's beneath her or anything, but I just want her to think about finding a job more in line with her career path.

She wants to be an interior designer. She is all about paint, textures, wall coverings, furnishings, lighting, etc. There should be plenty of opportunites in areas related to that, right? Well, I thought so. It seems many of them don't hire you until you're 18.

Teens4Hire.org Notice this is a dot.org site. It claims to be the #1 site for teen jobs for teens ages 14-19.

Some great articles I found on their website:

Click here for the Top 10 Qualities Employers Want Most in a Teen Candidate.

Click here for the Top 10 Places For Teens to Look for a Summer Job

Summerjobs.com is a website offering seasonal and summer job positions. Many of them are with national parks, hotels, resorts, environmental organizations, camps and amusement parks.

Cool Works.com is for those looking for a seasonal job. Some of the jobs found here are summer jobs in national parks like Yellowstone or Yosemite They also have summer camp counselor positions. Positions at ranches, theme parks, ski resorts, and tour companies.

JobMonkey.com I was really impressed with this company's website front page. It had lots of variety in its category listings. There seemed to be some categories that you don't find at most job sites.

Backdoorjobs.com The adventure jobs found here really caught my attention. They look like so much fun if you live in one of the states where they have them.

I'll share with you the same suggestions I've given my daughter. When looking for a job consider the following:

• What kind of time can you commit to? Don't apply for a job that needs you on weekends if you like having weekends off. You'll never be happy there. Work to your strengths. If you are a morning person, find a job that starts early like a donut shop or bakery. If you tend to run late, find a job that is more flexible about that or give yourself lots of time to get there.
• What kind of people do you like to be around? Do you work better alone or in groups? Do you like working around the elderly or young kids?
• Do you like to work somewhere where you'll meet people? What kind of people do you want to meet? Will these types of people come to where you work?
• How will this job look on your resume five years from now? How does it fit in with your career plans? Will a potential boss look at it and think highly of you?
• Have you observed or talked to others who work at this company? Do they seem happy? Do they like their boss? Does this company have a high turnover?
• What will it really cost you to take a job at this place? Is it close to home? Will it take a lot of time and gas to get there? Are there any perks for working there such as discounts, etc. All of these things have monetary value.
• Referrals from adults are great resources, but be sure to remember that they have put their reputation on the line for you. Make sure you behave.
• Act as a responsible teen and you'll stand a better chance at being treated like one.
• Teens tend to tell the world about every aspect of their lives on MySpace, FaceBook, Twitter, etc. Just remember that your boss and co-workers can read them and many people have been fired over comments made online. Some things are better kept to yourself.