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Jenny  writes:  
I’m trying to set some goals for myself in the new year – in terms of my career.

I think there are six things you should examine, contemplate, and act on to help you achieve your career goals.

First, review your accomplishments from last year. Make a list of them on a piece of paper. Are you satisfied with what you accomplished? If not, make some plans for accomplishing more this year.

Second, make some career goals for the year. Where do you want to be at the end of the year? Do you want a new career? A promotion or raise? Work-life balance? Career-change?

Third, take action. All the planning in the world is not going to help you achieve your goals. You need to make action steps – and then take them! Sometimes a big change does not seem so unmanageable when you break it down into smaller steps.

Fourth, make time for professional development this year. Join a professional organization, attend a conference/workshop/seminar, get more training, read trade journals/books. Rejuvenate your skills and interests in your career.

Fifth, build your network of contacts. Networking is not just for when you are looking for a new job. Find innovative ways to add people to your list of contacts. Build those relationships.

Sixth, work on those job-search materials – your cover letter and resume – even if you are not contemplating a job change. You should always be prepared for opportunities.

These six things are a lot to work on – but all of us need to find the time to work on our career and professional development. Not only will we be better prepared for new opportunities, the process will also keep us focused on where we see ourselves going next.

But before you jump into the world of working with recruiters -- also referred to as headhunters, executive recruiters, executive search consultants – let me offer some advice.

First, it always works better for you if you have been contacted by a headhunter rather than the other way around. Headhunters work for the companies that hire them to find and screen the candidates they seek, so a headhunter may not be as interested in you if they do not have a particular slot they are trying to fill that matches your qualifications.

Second, never pay for any kind of services. Some folks mistake employment agencies with recruiters. Recruiters are always paid by the employer; job-seekers never should have to pay any company a fee for helping them find a job.

Third, you need to adjust some of your job-search materials to the format that recruiters want. Your resume must be a standard, chronological format. You should have a specific job-search goal in mind. And you should have a detailed list of your specific – and ideally quantified – accomplishments.

Recruiters and headhunters can be a valuable asset to you in your job-search. They are connected to positions that may never be publicly known – the so-called hidden job market. And if you have the skills and accomplishments that match the types of jobs they fill, it can be an extremely beneficial relationship.

But remember, you should always strive for a balanced job-search – using multiple sources of job leads.

Learn more about using and finding headhunters in this section of Quintessential Careers: Recruiter/Headhunter Resources, Directories & Associations.

According to the American Society of Home Inspectors (ASHI), “Ever since home inspection first came on the real estate scene in the mid-1970s, consumer demand for the service has been growing rapidly. Home inspection is a young and growing professional consulting service aimed at helping homebuyers make the biggest financial decision of their lives.”

And the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Outlook Handbook states, “Home inspection is becoming a standard practice in the home purchasing process, creating more opportunities for home inspectors.”

Home inspectors need extensive knowledge in many areas of residential construction such as: soils and foundations, wood and construction, roofing, plumbing, electricity, heating and ventilation, air conditioning and heat pumps, appliances, swimming pools and spas, termites and wood-destroying insects and environmental considerations.

According to a 2002 edition of the American Society of Home Inspector's Home Inspection Business Operations Study, full time home inspectors' annual income ranges from $35,000 to $150,000. The median salary for a typical building inspector in the U.S. is about $45,000, according to Salary.com.

Home inspectors need training and certification. Once you’ve accomplished these, you have a couple of employment options. You can join an existing company or start your own home inspection business.

Here are the main professional organizations, where you can find more information, tools, and resources:

American Society of Home Inspectors
National Association of Certified Home Inspectors
National Association of Home Inspectors, Inc.
National Institute of Building Inspectors

The situation you find yourself is more common than you think, and I do not understand why.

First, let me assure you – or deflate you – that you can only in the very rarest of situations ever keep a job-search completely confidential. Job-hunting is a people business and people talk. So, you kind of need to get over this hurdle. You can do your best to make people promise to not divulge the information, but the world is smaller than you think – and word often gets out.

But word getting out that you are job-hunting is not always such a bad thing. In many cases, you become almost instantly a more attractive worker. In a sense, job-hunting is a test of your value in the marketplace. Will some bosses be offended? Of course, but others may see you in a new light – and especially if your work helps them look better.

Back to my soapbox… yours is another example of the importance of networking – building relationships – throughout your life, not just when you are job-searching. People in your inner network should respect and support you enough to serve as a reference for you even if they work in the same company – all the while keeping your job-search confidential. On the other hand, a casual acquaintance may also serve as a reference, but has fewer reasons for keeping your job-search confidential.

Finally, remember to keep up relations with at least a handful of people from previous jobs – people who knew your work – and make them active members of your network.

Read some general strategies for using references in my article, References: The Keys to Choosing and Using the Best Job References in Your Job Search, published on Quintessential Careers.

Dr. Randall S. Hansen is currently Webmaster of Quintessential Careers.

Dr. Hansen is an associate professor of marketing at the School of Business Administration, Stetson University. He has been a published career expert for the last 10 years and an employer and consultant with hiring/firing decisions for the past 15 years.

Through his experience as a professor of marketing, Dr. Hansen uses proven marketing techniques and applies them to job-hunting. He is currently working on such a book. Some of his work can be seen at his personal Web site.

He and Katharine Hansen co-wrote the very successful job-hunting book, Dynamic Cover Letters, published by Ten Speed Press. You can order copies from Barnes and Noble of this cover letter bible. He is also author of several career-related magazine and journal articles.

Finally, Dr. Hansen has been an employer and has firsthand experience in the hiring process. He also stays active in the field by reading magazine and journal articles and by talking with employers on a regular basis.