Looking for a job, the first time or after being laid off, is never easy. And I mean a job worthy of your abilities, talent and experience. If you are into a job search and want to be successful fast you have to maximize your efforts at employment. Here are some tips on how to go about your job search (I am presuming you have the Resume ready, probably after having it thoroughly edited by someone else, maybe a porofessional):

First of all you have to know where all to look for information. These could be Personal contacts, placement agencies, colleagues,Classified ads,National and local newspapers,Internet resources, employment service offices, Professional associations, if you are a member of any, and professional networking sites.

Many jobs are not advertised, they are filled by word of mouth. So tell everyone you know, friends, colleagues, alumni, that you are looking for a job, so that they can pass on any information they lay their hands on to you or better still recommend you for the job.

Direct Solicitation: This is prbably the best way to look for your new job. Since you are the one who knows yourself the best, it will save you a lot of time if you hunt for companies or organisations in your line of work and contact them directly. Most reputed companies have their own websites and mostly have a link for job openings. Spend most time on these.

Register with employment service office in your locality and if you are not already a member of some professional organisation, find one and then register with them. These can be very helpful as most will have a placement assistance department.

Registering with professional networking sites like linkedIn etc can also be helpful, but it is still in a nascent stage and it will take a lot of time to build up a network. In any case start now, you may need it later:(

Using the Internet: These days many job search websites and job boards like Monster, Naukri etc have come up who give a free service for job seekers to upload their resumes and also have a job search agent that will allow you to enter the keywords for your job search and then send you regular emails to you with matching jobs.

I am not sure if the free service offered by these websites works. Consider this, Monster gets more than 30,000 resumes everyday. It is very difficult for any prospective employer or his HR staff to sift through millions of resumes looking for the right person. My guess is the good ones don't use it manually. That itself is a good enough case for going for the paid service where in they will not only keep your resume in a less cluttered section for a period of six months or so and also send your resume to many headhunters, placement agencies hired by the companies to undertake a specialised head hunting catering to the needs of the company.

The job search agent also is going to be pretty useless unless you can create a profile and then use the keywords in such a manner that you get the most relevant jobs. But if you do that you will end up missing out on a host of other opportunities which you may be interested in, especially if you want a job in a hurry.

In any case posting your resume on a website is a passive method. Use active methods like looking for jobs yourself and then contacting the prospective employers.

Create your own web page. In all probability you will find your ISP will give you hosting space. If not their are many others who would give you hosting for free. The advantage is that you can design and display your resume the way you want it to look. A website like Monster may not allow you to present your resume in the way you want, they have a set format and you have to follow it.

Think Local: If you have decided that you are not open for relocation or are open to relocation to certain places, use job boards or job serach websites specific to that region instead of going on global websites. The response will be much better.

Don't go on a resume distribution spree. Don't send it to every company who looks like they are remotely connected to your line of work. You are wasting their time and your own.

Don't put all your eggs in one basket. Internet services may be free, but the success rate of online job hunting does not go beyond 10 percent. Don't overlook the more conventional print media.

Lastly, once your resume has been forwarded, be prepared, keep your phone handy and check your mail everyday, lest you lose the opportunity.

That said, don't forget to spend some time with your family. They can be a big source for support, inspiration and motivation.