Students are throwing in the towel on their summer internship searches and picking up the spatula at the local fast food joint as options quickly run out.

After a string of high recruiting years, employers plan to hire 22 percent fewer graduates this spring, according to a survey by the National Association of Colleges and Employers.

“It’s a tough economy,” Bill McCarthy, associate director of the Career Development Center, said.

Employers are more conservative with hiring practices, and there is a cash-flow problem, McCarthy said.

The difficulty of the internship search depends partly on the area of work the student is looking for, McCarthy said. For example, the federal government has openings. The health care industry and engineering fields are also relatively well off. The finance industry, on the other hand, is under more stress.

The economy is going to affect students searching for a summer job or internship, McCarthy said. Finding a full-time job is a full-time job, so students should devote time to sending out resumes.

Many internship programs that were once paid are also now unpaid, or for college credit only.

Job hunts are challenged because some companies, like Lehman Brothers and Bear Stearns, have gone out of business and are unable to recruit.

“There were students at the University who have had jobs and internships at these companies,” McCarthy said.

Since Binghamton University’s employers are more diversified, its recruiting program is doing a little better than other schools, McCarthy said.

“There are over 200 job and internships on e-recruiting that students could look at and the opportunities are updated every week,” he said. “Another school I know of had to cancel its job fair.”

The strength of BU is that the University has smart students from diverse majors, which McCarthy said brings in diverse companies, which helps BU make it through a tough economy.

Employers, McCarthy said, look at internships as another way to recruit during a tough economy. Therefore, students should be looking more diligently for internships and jobs right now.

”Students have to open that paradigm so they have more choices. Instead of saying they want a job in a specific location, start with that location and expand to other areas,” he said.

There are many ways students can supplement the job search process, such as volunteer opportunities and shadowing employers.

AmeriCorps and Teach for America are popular among students, McCarthy said.

“Even during your first year outside college you can learn about yourself, gain skills in the work world and be more marketable when you eventually look for a job,” he added.

Building a job and internship support team is also important. This team, according to McCarthy, should include people who will guide and support students in the internship process.

Students need to be aware of the resources available to them besides the Internet, said Laura O’Neill, internship programs coordinator at the CDC.

“Friends, family and faculty are great resources for the job search,” she said. “They can serve as networking at its best.”