Signs are pointing to an improving U.S. economy and job market. Claims for unemployment benefits have fallen to their lowest level since January 2008. The unemployment rate of 7.8 percent is the lowest since January 2009.

Whether you're a college senior looking for that first real job or a baby boomer seeking to switch careers, the search begins online. Put these general and niche search sites in your job-hunting tool belt, then start getting ready for interviews!

Simply Hired - This search engine currently has more than 5.5 million job postings that have been aggregated from thousands of other websites.

Creating an account allows you to name and save searches, save notes about job listings and receive email alerts. You can block specific companies or sites from showing up in searches, which is nice if you don't want your current company to know you're in the job market.

Be sure to check out Simply Hired's Special Searches. There, you can focus your search on companies that are friendly to 50-plus workers, dog lovers, moms, veterans, new graduates and more.