Best way I’ve seen to approach job-hunting is to be “hunting for a job” all the time, even when you have one. Never abandon the task of searching for new business prospects, even when (especially when) you are feeling “fat and happy.” Haven’t ever found these well-publicized sites to be too useful, though, because they are well-known to everyone and his dog; and they are especially well-known to recruiters vs. the ones who are actually doing the hiring. The somewhat odd way I heard it put was, “Nobody cares more about that Fuller Brush® than you do, therefore don’t expect somebody else to do your selling of that brush for you.” Which is basically what a recruiter tries to do: thus, you are selling to another salesman who can’t actually buy the brush, and you have no idea how many other folks might be trying to peddle (literally) the same brush to the same person.
The game of looking for a job is the game of selling, and it basically follows the exact same rules of play. Looking for “the stones that are more-often unturned” is often a more pragmatic approach to the problem of finding business. Also, seeking to put yourself into direct contact with the person who actually has the “Money, Authority, and Pain” to hire you ... while it is more work to do this ... is usually more productive. When you do finally make that contact, nothing speaks stronger on your behalf than a good personal reference or three, so cultivate those references throughout your career.
