The Recruiting Animal writes a good post for job seekers on research tools you can use on your next job search. He has a few good pointers to Google Alerts and ZoomInfo and though I haven't had the opportunity to review the book he references, I think there are some other good places to check out when thinking about your next career move.
Do you read sites that review products and start-ups on a regular basis? Some of my favorite places where I review feeds on a regular basis include GigaOm, TechCrunch and Engadget. While these help potentially keep you up to date on your industry, you may also be able to find a company that you might like to work for. It's all about changing your point of view to job seeking versus information gathering.
As Gretchen pointed out to employers a few days ago, you can also set up searches within your favorite RSS reader to capture keyword information on companies you are tracking. This is a great way to passively scan for the good, the bad and the ugly in the tech industry. Try a few different searches and see what works best for you.
Since blogging is all the rage these days, and boy do I feel like my dad when I say stuff like that, while you are setting up your RSS reader for keyword searches why not also include some corporate blogs on your list. You should consider including the "official" corporate sites on your list as well as digging for employee generated blogs where you can get the straight scoop on the latest haps in your industry.
You can also default to the traditional media outlet to research information about your next company. I particularly like CNET news, BBC Technology News, and CNN Technology News. But if you are looking for jobs in your local area, you should also see what your local papers have to offer online. Since Seattle seems to be a hot bed of hi-tech, the Seattle Times has great articles, blogs and other information that profiles companies in the immediate area. What about your city?
Then there are of course a few user generated content sites that also provide links and hat tips to new companies or news on the "older" tech set. The most popular and obvious being Slashdot and Digg, but you can also check out sites like Reddit.
Traditional research organizations are also starting to cater to those on a job hunt. For example, Hoovers, offers a lite edition specifically for job seekers and students. While these tools are generally seen as a place for sales and marketing to gather information, they may also be a great start in narrowing down your job search to a specific industry or location or both. Bonus: sometimes they even offer you a free trial to see if it's even something that is worth your time (though you may have to deal with a sales person occasionally).
While none of these sites are specific to the technical job seeker set they seem to be populated and propagated by the tech minded. And potentially they'll help you discover, and maybe even be discovered by, some great companies.
What about you? Do you find that any of these tools are helpful to you in your job search? Other then checking out JobBurner, of course :), where are some of the other places you go to research positions, locations and companies to find your next gig?