See if your area has staffing agencies. They’re totally free, you can sign up for as many as you want, and the recruiter does all the legwork for you. Most offer permanent positions and health insurance.

Depends where you are and what industry you’re in, surely.

In many cases it’s a numbers game. Not a bad idea to connect with old colleagues or acquaintances, or to network with current or recent ones.

The unfortunate reality is the job market is kind of awful right now, insofar as the experience is for someone looking, so you run better odds leveraging who you know.

Specialized job boards are particularly great places to target (for example, postings at large public or private institutions nearby instead of generic job boards).

I’ve had ok results from recruiters. They will work hard to find you a job because they get a significant commission when they find an employee. The downside is they can be pushy and will try to get you to accept a job quickly once you’ve interviewed.

I relied entirely on linkedin for my most reason job switch. Make sure to set up a few alerts for search queries (/job titles) and apply as quickly as you can (it is a little stressful, I agree).

When job openings have the ‘easy apply’ thing, don’t bother and simply move on (I’ve NEVER had a meaningful response to any of these). Also, don’t bother if an opening already has more than 25 applicants (unless your resume is outstanding).

Indeed seemed to have nosedived in the last few years; monsterboard was never a success for me either. For me linkedin has been the only meaningful portal. Hang in there!