I am a professional job seeker.  What do I mean?  I spent 13 of the last 17 months unemployed.  The 4 months I was gainfully employed during that time I worked for a tiny medical device manufacturer where I LOVED my job, but my boss was the biggest, most arrogant jerk I' ve ever met, so I left.  That happens, but it' s never a good thing on your resume.  I had to explain that away, but I would do that in one quick sentence.  I' ve searched for the right job so long I may have some advice to give you.

• Looking for a job is a full time job.  If you are unemployed, there is no such thing as a "casual search."  Start at 8AM, end at 6PM.  You should be calling, emailing, and reading Monster' s wonderful interview advice section and anything else you can read that can help.
• I don' t know if Monster will let me say this, but ONLY 3% OF ALL JOBS ARE FOUND ONLINE!  That means you should spend approx. 3% of your time pressing that "Apply" button.
• Post your resume on Monster (and that other one) every week.  Tweak something small, but this is to make your resume appear fresh to all of the recruiters out there.  RELAX.  THEY WILL FIND YOU.  This is the real reason sites like Monster are so wonderful.  EXPOSURE.
• Check the yellow pages for other recruiters.  I have seen on average a recruiter can get you an interview about 10% of the time.  This means you need MANY recruiters.  Chase every lead.  I had 30 recruiters!  (I just counted, I' m not joking or exaggerating at all.)
• Call them all every week.  I call this "The Squeaky Wheel" approach.  If you have a good rapport, ask them to meet face-to-face.  2 of my recruiters have now become good friends.  I talk to a few of them regularly for advice, etc.  Call the ones you like more often.
• Identify a list of companies you wish to work for.  Email that list to all your recruiters.  If they have contacts there, your recruiters will start smelling $$.  You are a paycheck to them.
• Email that list to all your family and friends.  THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT PART.  Ask them if they know ANYONE at those companies.  Ask them all to ask all of their friends and family if they know anyone in your target industry.  Chase down those leads like a cheetah.  ALL LEADS.  Multiple leads = multiple chances. 
• Avoid recruiters that say "I sent 15 resumes to that company for that position."  Good recruiters provide a service to you by providing a service to the hiring company.  That service is choosing 1-3 suitable candidates for a job so the hiring manager doesn' t have to weed out candidates.  Once you identify who these good recruiters are, call them every day to discuss possibilities.  When the recruiter likes you, he or she will FIGHT for you. 
• Join any professional organizations you can.  Network, network, network.  Look to see if your college has an alumni club in your area.  Mine did, and I' m 500 miles from my school.  Ask everyone if they know people at your list of companies.  Most companies offer a cash bonus for bringing on new employees, so even if a person at a company doesn' t know you, they will still send your resume in, in hopes of that bonus.
• Don' t hit the "Apply" button unless your are emailing someone directly.  Don' t apply through their websites!  Recruiters can' t present you if you' ve already presented yourself.  In large companies, resumes are reviewed by search engines.  DON' T DO IT.  Find someone there and get them to pass on your resume.  Ask them to lunch, give them your resume and your best presentation, and your in.
• Get the interview and nail it.  Nail it to the ceiling!  Look sharp, smile, eye contact, confidence, and you' re in.
• Keep as many irons in the fire at all times as possible.  Check craigslist as well.  I' ve found some good local opportunities there, and it' s usually the same people who posted here on Monster too, just a more direct route.
• DON' T EVER, EVER, EVER GIVE UP.  Fight for your goal with everything you have.  The job market slows (but doesn' t stop) in the 4th quarter and then starts again helter skelter by  the end of January.  Never give up.  But hurry up.

This approach has worked for me multiple times in these last 17 months.  I start next Monday at a company I love.  I had multiple offers to choose from, and I did so last time I took a job too.  (Unfortunately, last time I chose wrong.  That' s what we call "experience.")  In the meantime, I needed money so I waited tables.  I was an unemployed engineer waiting tables at 30.  I used it to network too.

I hope this helps someone.  I know how it feels to be unemployed, when nothing you do seems value added.  But when the search is over, then you can relax.  And then you can work hard at your new company and build your resume up even greater.  GOOD LUCK!