Before you begin your career search, ask yourself a few questions. What do you want to do? What are you trying to do? What kind of job do you want? By answering these questions at the outset, you create a career plan-a clear, targeted objective you can use to focus your search. Review the following 25 tips organized to help you further in your career planning process.

1. Know what skills you most enjoy using.
Job hunting requires going back to "square one." Make an inventory of your abilities and your acquired knowledge-this will assist in career decision making. You should develop an understanding of yourself including values, interests, aptitudes, abilities, personal traits, and desired lifestyle, and become aware of the interrelationship between you and your occupational choice.

2. Match your interests to career-related skills.
To make a successful career choice, you must match your interests with your skills. There are a variety of tests: aptitude, personality, and interest that allow you to determine your strengths and match them to career-building skills.

3. Identify a career direction.
Career planning is a lifelong process, requiring continuous effort to meet changing employment conditions. To achieve and manage a satisfying career, it is crucial to identify a preferred career direction and to implement effective career enhancing strategies.

4. Maximize your resources.
There are many resources available to help in planning a career. Locate vital information for career assessment, exploration, and planning to help you identify potential careers, gather information about those careers, and match the career to your own assessment of skills. These can include: career planning computer software, attending career workshops, school career service centers, Internet resources, library resource centers, employment service departments, career fairs and career days.

5. Research occupations.
Find out more about the nature of the jobs that interest you, such as educational requirements, salary, working conditions, future outlook, and anything else that can help you determine the best career for you.

6. Gain practical experience.
Evaluate your occupational choices and gain practical experience through internships, cooperative education, relevant summer employment, volunteer work, and campus activities.

7. Begin preparation for a job search.
Prior to embarking on your job search, it is crucial to learn how to prepare resumes and cover letters, complete employment applications, understand job search strategies, and practice interviewing skills.

8. Prepare a career portfolio.
Prepare a collection of work samples, a resume, recommendations, a personal data sheet, references, transcripts, copies of applications, and other pertinent data.

9. Plan your personal job search campaign.
Once you are aware of your career values, interests, and skills and are able to link them to the current workplace, you are ready to plan your personal job campaign. This entails: establishing your career goals, planning and organizing your job search campaign, preparing materials, and carrying out job search campaign tactics.

10. Interview people whose occupations interest you.
You can always find someone who has done something that at least approximates what you want to do. Find the names of such persons, and go see, phone, or write them. You will learn a great deal that is relevant to your dream.

11. Anticipate and prepare for problems.
Setting out to find work or decide on a career is a step that needs planning to go smoothly. You may not be able to predict exactly what problems might arise, but you can guess what may be likely in your case. If you take the time to plan for potentially difficult situations, you may be able to turn an obstacle into a solvable problem.

12. Determine the best way to market yourself.
Think of your job search as a campaign-you're promoting your skills, training and experience to potential employers. Your campaign strategy includes your resume, but also involves tapping into the "hidden" job market and having effective interview skills.

13. Determine what skills employers want.
Today's workplace looks different than it did in the past-employers are talking more and more about the skills their workers need, not just job titles. Find out what skills today's employers are looking for.

14. Expand your horizons.
Don't just limit yourself to looking for new careers in growing industries. What is hot today is not always hot tomorrow-and there is more competition in these areas. Let your research carry you into unexpected and unanticipated arenas. You may be surprised at what you discover. Be prepared to boldly stake a claim to the uncharted future where few have gone before.

15. Learn new skills.
From your research, you will know which skills employers value most in your target job area. If you do not have those skills, you will want to get training. There is a variety of training that will help you prepare for a new job: formal training, customized training, on-the-job training, and internships. Explore your options and make a choice based on your needs and those of your employers.

16. Decide which employers to contact.
Once you have completed your goal setting and market research, it is time to make choices about which employers you want to contact. This should be easy, as you have already done most of the work. Start making a list of companies that you think are likely to have jobs in the career of your choice, or that may have them in the future. When it is time to begin your job hunt, this growing list becomes extremely valuable.

17. Probe the marketing trends of the workforce.
The better grasp you have about how global events affect the workplace, the more prepared you'll be to meet the challenges. To learn where the job market is going, it is necessary for you to probe the current trends, and see where they are leading us. Which industries are spurring new jobs and opportunities? What skills will be needed to compete in the future?

18. Develop a daily plan.
Once you have narrowed your career choices, create a workable plan with a schedule for each of the strategies and steps you will take. Map out which activities you will do each day, e.g., Monday and Wednesday will be devoted to Hidden Job Market Strategies, Tuesday and Saturday for Online Job Search Strategies, etc. and stick with your plan. Your job search needs to be treated as a new job and it is far easier to manage when you give it a structure and have a routine.

19. If you are currently unhappy in your present position, start planning now.
If you don't start planning now, typically your attitude will continue to deteriorate and usually begin to affect your job performance-which may put your employment in jeopardy. It is more difficult mentally to conduct a job search in the later stages of this process, especially if you are fired. Although sometimes issues can be worked out with your employer, often you need to begin to explore alternatives.

20. Assess your career choices.
Make an assessment inventory to get a fix on your appropriate options, ensuring you do not overlook options, and helping you find the right fit. This can help you be happier, more fulfilled and even more effective in your occupational choices. Compare the facts you have collected about yourself and facts you have collected about jobs and decide questions such as: Can you see yourself carrying out all the different duties of the job? Would you be happy doing those tasks? Can you use your abilities in that job? Does this career satisfy your needs?

21. Talk to the people you know.
Talk to friends, parents, teachers and/or career counselors. Brainstorm with them; let them know what your interests and skills are and they may be able to think of possible career choices that you weren't able to.

22. Maximize your online resources.
There are many sites on the Internet, which discuss the thousands of career options available. Explore the Internet world of options and explore this list of resources, which can help you in your career search.

23. Narrow your focus.
After all of the researching, interviewing, exploring, and assessing you have completed, you should have a general idea of your likes and dislikes and a general idea of what you are good at. Now it is time to focus on the specific job you might consider. Define a set of target jobs that meet your criteria and then get ready to go for it!

24. Look for new career ideas in all areas of your life.
Careers can be built on ideas from anywhere. Look for, or create environments in which they can flourish. Foster creativity in all areas of your life: at work, in traffic, shopping, or in the shower. Make brainstorming a part of your career search. Encourage others to join you in this endeavor. Use outside sources for new thoughts. Break your routines. Go to a library, museum, or city hall. Read a different newspaper or magazine. See a different kind of movie. You want new ideas and they can come from anywhere.

25. Listen!
Be patient and be real. Do not expect glamorous careers immediately. Use your common sense. Listen to other people's advice. Do what is expected of you, and do it well. Be yourself in your career search. Identify the style that brought you success in the past. Those are the skills you're most comfortable with and can use to your best advantage.