Think about where you want to be in your career in five years and decide what you need to get there, such as a new job or more skills. Consider your current company's reputation, growth potential and how that may affect your growth potential. Also try to track upcoming industry trends. Looming changes may seem ominous, but acknowledging the eventuality of these events will help you prepare for the future, said Marianne Adoradio, a career counselor in San Jose, Calif. 3. Network, network, network.
Career counselors point out that the best way to find a new job is through personal contacts.
That means that expanding your network is vitally important to the professional life. Start out by listing every person in your network. Include business colleagues as well as friends, fellow club and church members and your kids' friends' parents. Evaluate your contact list and decide whom to add in 1998. Scout out people who hold senior jobs in your organization, those who earn a living doing work you'd like to do, those who can help you fine-tune your career goals, those who could be a new friend or a potential mentor.