If you are less serious, then scouring the job boards can be a great way to learn about what skills are in demand, what companies are hiring, and, possibly salaries. (You should do this if you are seriously looking too.) This helps you build context. Also, if you see a great company or an interesting position, this can give you some focus. You can research on linked in, or install an applicable open source project, or write a blog post about tech the company uses or the business they are in.
But I think that @eadz's comment about knowing what you are looking for is spot on. That is the first step to prepare for finding a new job. Don't just say 'I want a tech job', as that won't differentiate you or guide you at all. Instead, say 'I want to be working on a small, local team doing ecommerce websites, preferably on .NET' or 'I want to work on big data processing at scale, in a large company, and am willing to relocate'. That "mission statement" will help you shape your resume, your networking, and your after work job hunting pursuits.
What's most important is to be clear about yourself, what your skillsets are and what you can offer to the company. You should also have a good sense of what you're remotely interested in or looking for even if you're not 100% clear yet. Also, think about what skillsets you would like to grow and whether you want to deepen your skills or broaden your skills - You are the master of your growth/development.
So as I already arrived at my 5th full-time job, I have all the nice keywords on LinkedIn and headhunters contact me on a regular base. When I look for a job, I basically start answering them again. Also I'm looking on typical job websites, so for me that would be right now indeed.com and possibly berlinstartupjobs.com. I must admit I don't have the tightest network of other developers in the region, so I don't communicate much on LinkedIn besides to headhunters ("job consultants").
Actually im not always on lookout for a new job because I find communication with recruiters too stressful and time consuming. I try to keep every full-time thingy for 2 years, so I don't look like a job hopper. :)
2. Put your self in the shoes of a hiring manager for that role
3. Edit your CV to emphasise the skills and experience that makes you a good match.
For tech roles, recruiters are everywhere, and uploading your CV to job sites will get your phone buzzing if you have the right keywords.
For professional roles a vast majority of recruiters use LinkedIn, and the site has a setting for "looking for work" which will boost your profile to hiring managers and recruiters.
I'm currently in the process of moving cities* so going through this process myself, and this approach has worked for me.
*Melbourne here I come!
Do you opt for a one page resume/CV or a more longer version for your job search? Just curious because I always find it difficult to pack more subjective/general info on a one page resume.
Tried that. Kept getting spammed by companies trying to offshore their stuff. I usually found that morale was super low when I looked them up on Glassdoor after hearing their pitch.
Another way I've done it is by finding jobs on job boards, searching for one of (or the) manager of a team that you're interested in working for and sending them a (short!) message on LinkedIn or email expressing your interest in a job. By short, I mean:
- Hi, I'm <name>
- Your group's responsibilities seem interesting and I'd like to join.
- I'm good at and can help you with <x, y, z>
- I've done projects like <x, y>
- Do you have time for a phone call next week to learn more about me?
They will either not respond (most likely), forward you to a recruiter or talk to you directly. I've gotten better responses from LinkedIn than via email, since some managers have admin assistants who read their email and are good at ensuring this spam doesn't get back to them.
This can sometimes even work if you message a member of that team instead of the manager directly, especially if their one of the top contributors on that team. That can even work better since they'll be more likely to talk to you and can help short-circuit your resume to the right people/their manager. It's a little trickier, though.
Another good way of finding jobs if you're in a big enough city is by checking out local tech Meetups and meeting people. This is a slow way of doing it since you don't want to be "that person" that's fishing for a job at an event that "clearly isn't for that" (most of them are), but it's a good way of expanding your network and finding opportunities that you definitely won't get with recruiters (startups, by and large, don't use recruiters; too expensive).
Good luck!
Look instead for people (founders/senior executives) you can help.
You can find them at meetups and conferences. Relevant to your search - how to find hidden jobs > http://www.pbs.org/newshour/making-sense/ask-headhunter-can-...
The job was really nice for the first 3-6 months after I got hired but it sucked later on. YMMV but I decided afterwards to find for jobs myself and not let the job find me. Making sure I don't work for needy people because they are prone to behave badly at some point.
Or employers without enough resources. Unless you have known the people for years, you don't want to wind up as the sole developer at a business.
So, how does anyone work on their CV?
I don't list the same weighted skills for both roles.
In both cases, I list and describe relevant projects for each work experience.
I've actually never looked for a job per-se, instead I've looked for companies that I've found interesting and then figured out how to get a job at those companies. This usually involves networking.
I would start by creating a list of companies that you think wow that would be a cool place to work. Then start figuring out if a job opened up who you need to speak with.
I've never landed a job by submitting a resume to a job board or to the HR department of the hiring company.
In fact, I already had an offer from my last job before HR even saw my resume.
Phone didn't stop ringing after uploading my CV.