A new year brings new challenges and opportunities to anyone in a job search. This year, we job seekers are facing even bigger challenges due to the global economic recession.

"I'm in a new (or prolonged) job search, and I just don't know how to figure out what companies I should be targeting?"  Does that sound familiar?  There are many answers to this questions, ranging from networking to driving distances.  But today I want to quickly focus on a strong list of of firms that all job seekers should look into.

I recently stumbled across a couple of blogs (mostly through CodeProject, if memory serves) with smart career advice. Whether you're employed or unemployed, an active job seeker or a passive one, I think you'll find the following three entries worth bookmarking or sharing with friends.

Most everyone can relate to hiding a job search from a current employer. But how can job seekers protect their identities from public abuse when the majority of online career and social networking websites require job seekers' personal information to sign up and for potential employers to find them?

Flamenco dancers are sexy. So are languid summer nights and first dates with a new crush. But résumés? Not so much. If you want your résumé to get you to first base with a potential employer, it has to push the all the right buttons.

It’s been several weeks since my last post, so I want to bring you up to speed on the progress of my job search.

To start, the economy has continued to make finding my next great permanent position difficult. Finding opportunities and getting interviews does not seem to be an issue (it's quite possible to find a job in a recession); it’s finding employers that are ready, willing and able to move to actual start dates that seems to be my problem in this recession.

Is there a time when a job seeker should stop trying to find a new job?  If your job search has been going on for months, maybe over a year, is there an appropriate length of time or some other condition when a job seeker should "put a fork in it" and quit?