You need to be able to take charge of your own career.

Work Smarter

To make your career a successful one, you’ll need to work smarter, not harder. Employers value skilled workers, so it is important that you update your skills continually to realize your full potential.

Before you enter any career, do research to find out whether or not that industry is growing. Choose a career that suits your skills and gives you room for growth and advancement.

Accept Change

Always be open to change and take the initiative to acquire new skills. Try to be the first person to accept change – that way, you show your employer that you are flexible and adaptable. Technology changes every day, and you must be able to handle it.

An organization will progress only if it has productive individuals to lead it. Be a leader and develop innovative solutions that will bring success to you and your company.

You will be able to produce good results only if you are interested in challenges. Challenges can be overcome only if you are determined to resolve them. Success doesn’t come easily; you have to work for it.

Help Yourself

Make no mistake about it – employers reward people that take the initiative.

Do not be dependent on others. It is better to make mistakes initially than to be dependent on others for help every time. Constant dependency will only hamper your productivity. You have to create your own opportunities.

Be A Team Player

Always take part in work-related meetings and try to give suggestions that will help resolve problems. Develop leadership qualities, and extend your help to coworkers whenever possible.

If you want your career to progress, you have to take charge of it. Follow the tips above, and you will be well on your way.

A key question is what do you plan to do with that time? In some cases, it might be a fairly easy answer, like caring for children or an ailing relative. In others, though, you may have only decided that you need a break. Traveling and volunteering are options, but, whatever you might be interested in, you need to have some sort of plan beyond sitting on the couch and watching TV, if only to make a later transition back into the work force easier.

Another issue to consider is how you plan to keep your skills sharp. Even if you are contemplating a career change along with your time off, you will still want to be able to show future employers that you are still able to work well. You might consider volunteering your services on an occasional basis, or freelancing in your field.

Consider how your time off will affect your career path. You may lose touch with contacts that you need for promotion, or may be ‘mommy-tracked’ (a label given to women who have children distracting them from their careers). However, with effort, you can keep yourself in the loop throughout a sabbatical. You can find networking opportunities and be ready to dive back into advancing your career after your time off.

In most cases, employers welcome applicants with a break in their work history, as long as they can demonstrate that time was beneficial. For instance, taking a year to travel around the world can be hugely useful to an employer — you can point out your awareness of global issues, self-sufficiency and even expanded language skills. While not all employers will appreciate these abilities, many will consider it a boost to your value as an employee.

If you are considering any sort of side job, whether starting your own company or working a second job, you may want to take note of the following suggestions, in order to avoid any issues with your primary employer.

Make sure that you have not signed any sort of contract that would limit your ability to work outside of your primary employer. The most common contract that could affect your ability to do so is a non-compete contract, which states that, within certain geographical and chronological constraints, you are not allowed to work for (or start) a business that competes with your current employer. However, some employers are asking employees to sign more strenuous contracts, which limit their ability to work beyond their employer.

Do not allow your secondary job to invade your main work. If you are paid as an employee of one company, it is unethical to be doing the work of another — even if you own that other company. Don’t take phone calls for your other job, don’t read email for it, and don’t do work for it. If an emergency comes up, you may choose to take personal time to deal with it, but don’t make it into a habit.

Avoid networking for your ‘other’ job when you should be working on a project for your primary position. While you may have the temptation to speak up and say that your other company might be perfect for something, you should resist it. At the very least, you should keep a low profile on your multi-employment status.

Eliminate your second job if the workload becomes too much. Assuming that your primary job is the more important of the two, if you find yourself unable to meet the requirements of both, eliminate one. Depending on the reason you took on the second commitment, it may not seem like an option. If, for instance, you need the second income in order to meet your obligations, you may want to consider other options for higher income, such as asking for a raise, or finding a new job entirely.

Many individuals transition from employee to entrepreneur or from job to job with some sort of overlap. It can be difficult to balance such a workload, and it takes effort to keep such a situation from becoming a problem. You will need to prioritize to succeed, and even then, if you do not prioritize your primary employer, you may run into trouble.

If you can document the discrimination, or have tangible proof, you will be better equipped to handle the matter. Even a simple question at your interview can be enough to show that a hiring manager was biased against you for a specific reason. Written proof is often the most effective, but the most difficult to come by.

Your first step in disputing discrimination should be to talk to the employer in question. If a single hiring manager was the cause of the problem, try talking to a higher level of management, or even approaching the owner or president of the company. You may be able to get a review of your complaint very easily.

In some companies, however, you may find that discrimination is part of the company’s culture. You may need to take further steps to ensure that your problem is addressed, such as contacting an attorney. Some lawyers specialize in discrimination cases, and, if you can work with one, they may be able to suggest the best course of action against a given company.

It may also be worthwhile to check if other applicants, or even employees, have had similar experiences with the company in question. If there are multiple complaints, especially if a case goes before a judge, you will have a better chance of proving your accusation. An attorney can give you direction in proceeding with a case with multiple complaints.

Keep in mind that you may face discrimination for a wide variety of characteristics. Some of the best known are racial, sexual and religious discrimination, but ageism is rapidly becoming a key discrimination issue, as is sexual orientation. Additionally, a whole host of actions on the part of an employer could be considered discrimination (although many categories are very difficult to prove): firing, refusal to promote, etc.

Key In On Keywords

If you want to find a job quickly, the Internet is the way to go. When you upload your resume to job websites or job boards, make sure you use the right keywords in the text.

These days, most resumes are scanned first before being sent to an actual human being. Companies indicate certain words for their computers to look for before a resume is allowed through the electronic screening process for a second look.

Look through your resume and make sure you’re using the right words for your industry. You can look at the employer’s ad for clues.

Placement Agencies

Forward your resume to several job placement agencies. Let recruiters know what type of job you are looking for. Recruiters often deal with LOTS of people – so make sure you stay in touch with the recruiter for the latest updates on what openings are available.

Many job fairs take place, especially in major cities; make it a point to visit them with plenty of resumes in hand. You never know – you may come across the job you are looking for!

Network

Always let your friends, family and business associates know that you are looking for a job. They may have valuable information regarding openings they can refer you to.

The more people that know about your job search, the more help you can get. It is a well-documented fact that companies prefer to hire people that are referred to them by an employee or someone else they know.

Research

Visit company websites and forward resumes to them. Even if they do not have an immediate vacancy, they might be willing to contact you in the future if an opportunity opens up.

If you have already applied to some companies and haven’t heard from them, you can send a small email reminding them about your application.

Your job search will be a lot easier and productive if you stay focused and positive.