do an internship with a contractor or landscaper. try to learn what you draw actually means, its not just lines ya know.

I wouldn't count on sources like Monster, Hotjobs, etc. Their are more than enough potential interns around that a firm won't have to turn to these sites. I'd say your best bet would be just to call or visit firms directly.

find firms you like and just call. Ask to talk to their HR director (if you ask that, they'll give you whomever usually handles those duties) I once cold-called every firm within a ten-mile radius of my apartment, and eventually got hired from it. Don't expect a great response right away, but eventually somone will remember that one random student who called them out of the blue, and decide they like the fact that you had enough balls to just call up anyone who's listed as an architect.

hit the pavement and go door to door. you immediately give them a face to match to the resume.

..try craigslist too, always internships listed there

http://losangeles.craigslist.org/egr/

good luck

i sat down with the yellow pages too. just cold calling as sanofiSYN & USCErin stated above. there are so many more firms listed, apparently some think of the internet as a new-fangled-soon-to-be-defunct resource.

those damn wippersnappers...

Also look through
http://www.architects-usa.com/
It's meant to be a source for clients looking for designers, but it works for interns too!

For the most part monster and other similar job sites aren't good for much, at least for architecture. I am a 3rd year student, was in the exact same situation as you , albeit in atlanta rather than LA. I simply went to google, did a search for architecture firms in atlanta, and either emailed or called every firm I could find. I get a few interviews, had a decent portfolio ready and was offered a job on the spot at one place, which I promptly accepted as I was more than willing to just get my foot in the door somewhere. So I would say actively seek out a job, don't rely on an internet job site to do the work for you. But dependeing on your experience level, the best resource may be connections, if you are just getting started in the field, ask around see if you can't get someone to put in a good word for you at a firm. Unfortunatley it seems that there are a lot of interns and you will need to set yourself apart from the crowd somehow, or have an inside route to the job. This is my experience at least. Oh and start early with your job search, or you may be left out in the cold if you're a student, as I was last summer.