Job searching in today's job market

I am in the middle of a job search with all that implies. I know that companies are starting to hire more and am seeing more jobs being advertised. I no longer send my resume through the "blackhole" of the companies job listings, I am a follower of the Liz Ryan approach. Take a look at her website http://www.asklizryan.com She advocates writing "Pain Letters" that reach the hiring managers not going to the HR department! This seems to give me a response at least 1 out of 5, much better than sending resume's into Monster or a blind ad on Craig's list.