Starting Out Before you start First Day Guidelines Demonstrating a Positive Attitude Dress and Grooming Know the People Know the Organization Reliability and Calling In Shift Tracker Questions that Need Answers

Staying on Track Ethics at Work Teamwork Quality Work - On Time Socializing at Work

Moving Up Life-long Learning Taking Initiative Communication for Moving Up

Moving On Developing a Career Path Job Search While You Are Working Leaving:  When and How

Other Articles Handling People Problems At Work The Top 10 Ways to Make Positive First Impressions Employer's Expectations: Measuring Up Monster Career Centre On the Job Basics Monster Career Centre Networking 10 Ways to Poison Your Career Job Smart: Tips for staying employed  (pdf)

ASPECT'S GUIDE TO SUCCESS AT WORK

Developing a Career Path

If you have put solid effort and an appropriate amount of time into your current job, but feel that it's a dead end, it may be a good time to assess your situation and decide where you want to go from here.

Ask yourself what you have learned at your current job:

	Is this an industry I would like to stay in?
	Is this a level of work I am satisfied with?
	Are these the kind of people I want to continue working with?
	Is this the right atmosphere for me? "No" answers may indicate need for a change.

You may have established a career plan prior to starting your current job. If so, look at it again.

Ask yourself these questions:

	Am I on track? Learning the skills and gaining the experience that I had hoped for?
	Am I on schedule? Have I moved upward or onward as quickly as I had planned?
	Am I satisfied? Is this job, this organization, this industry what I still want?
	Have I communicated what I want and need to my employer?

The answers you get to the previous questions may lead you to look for career counselling and career exploration materials. Or you may begin to write out a plan for yourself.

Be aware that plans are not carved in stone -- yours will probably change as you move along your career path, just as the world of work is constantly changing. Look at your plan often and revise it when necessary.

One very simple career planning exercise follows. If you need more help, Career Exploration workshops, along with vocational testing, are offered at community employment agencies and at schools and colleges.

Career Planning Exercise

1. Where do I want to be working in six months? In what sort of position?
   What have I done that will help me get there? What do I still need to do?

2. Where do I want to be working one year from now? In what sort of position?
   What have I done that will help me get there? What do I still need to do?

3. Where do I want to be working five years from now? In what sort of position?
   What have I done that will help me get there? What do I still need to do?