When it comes to figuring out what makes sense for you in how you handle your career, there are a few basic principles that might help.  It does not matter whether you are starting out or have been at this job thing for a while now.  What matters is how you arrive at your destination and what are the values you bring along with you to work everyday.

It’s important to find out what makes you tick, but realizing that there are some fundamental outliers at play helps you to manage your expectations and come to the table ready to be present and make the most of what you have to offer.  If you are tired of being pushed and pulled and feel like a leaf in the wind blowing from one vacant lot to another, try applying the “Four C” principles to your career and see if you it provides you with a foundation on which to build your career castle.

The job search can and does feel like a crap shoot these days.  When you may feel no matter you do, how many networking events you attend, how many job postings you apply to, you are in a mean game of rock, paper, scissors and you are always a mis-match!  Even when you feel like your job search is more like a guessing game-guess again. You can win at this if you just sit back, and prepare yourself for an inevitable crap shoot with the occasional win.

It might not be that easy! Jumping, moving, changing are all actions that require you to either think or leap before you move.  Taking a different route in where you want to go in life and in job takes certain courage more than it takes foresight.  Sometimes you think any road looks better than the one you are on.  Knowing you have choices in how you get there might help lessen the burden of thinking you’ve got to decide fast in order to get back on track.  Not so.  There are many roads that lead to your goal.  Choosing one that’s right for you are part of the process and it’s not so much about racing to the get there, it’s just important you eventually get there.

We all over-think the obvious.  Not because we necessarily like to complicate our lives, but the drama we play out in our heads at times has a way of confusing our ability to make even a simple decision.  It’s not hard to know the difference when you are happy, challenged, stressed or even when it’s time to ask yourself, “Should I stay or should I go?”

A somewhat sad but true fact is that nepotism does rain rampant in the world of make believe and it’s better to know what you are up against when you apply for your next job or internship.  It’s not enough to have the right skill set but it’s even more important to have the right connections.  Finding a job is not as easy as it looks and you would think with the advances of technology, it might have gotten easier.  Not so.  The tried and true, “good old fashioned way” still holds court and finding your next gig is really about being “All In The Family.”

Like the man in the photo, “SALESMAN, Short, Fat, Bald, Single, Broke, Needs Real Job” you can paint whatever picture you like of yourself that does not mean you will get a job.  How you see yourself and how others see you may mean the difference between getting a “real” job offer and one you make up inside your head.  How you paint your job picture is up to you but realize you get what you put out there like it or not.

Ring Ring, no answer.  Ping, Ping no reply. Does this sound like a tune you’ve heard over and over again?  It’s called “the silent treatment” and if you’ve ever heard the sounds of crickets when you try to reach out to a recruiter for a job you’ve been dying to interview for, you are probably not alone.  The silent treatment doesn’t mean that a recruiter does not want you.  It just means that given the amount of people banging down their door, you are let’s just say, not necessarily a priority.

You’ve got to do more to impress the masses these days but it does not take a lot.  Common sense, simple courtesy and an ability to make an impression will drive how successful you are, not only the interview, but everything you say and do in between you and the job offer you are wanting.

Like any seasoned professional worth their weight in contacts, knowing who can help you when you need a job is vital to your long-term success no matter where you are in your career.  Creating your client list is like new business development; you need to know where the opportunities are when you go to sell your best commodity, yourself.

You may not think of yourself as a business but you should.  You are selling yourself each and every time you update your resume, pick up the phone, call in a favor, apply for a job or consider yourself for a promotion.  Don’t underestimate the power of who you are in relation to whom you know.  Developing your list of contacts and knowing how to skillfully and masterfully apply yourself to developing your relationships is key to being tapped for a job whether you are actively looking for one or not.  Remember EVERYONE is your client so begin treating people as if anyone can be a resource in helping you along the way to finding your next job.

We all need to detox from one thing or another in life.  Whether you are cleansing your system from years of alcohol, drug or food addictions or you are looking to just rid yourself of the emotional toxins that have built up from years of wear and tear, you may feel the need to cleanse at some point in your life.  One area you might want to consider purging is the emotional and physical drain on your energy and psyche caused by the stresses of work. When your work environment resembles a toxic waste dump, it’s time for a career cleanse.