The secret to your future growth is to invest right now in building your contact bank. That's your network of key people in your business and industry. These are relationships that extend beyond your current position. For example, maintaining an ongoing communication with customers and vendors.

When you take this career advancement tune-up recommendation and make this investment starting right now, you'll find, when it comes time to make your move that these contacts will become you greatest source of leads and opportunities.

One committed job hunter said that in his next job he plans to create a spreadsheet that tracks his monthly efforts to stay in touch with key people in his network. He found himself getting buried in his current job and losing the sense of the bigger picture which included in personal career advancement.

So, now's the time to give yourself a career advancement tune-up. And here are six questions to ask yourself to make sure you're properly investing in your future growth.

1. What did you do to enhance your visibility or worth last year?

2. How many new people did you meet?

3. How many of them did you make part of your contact bank or network?

4. Did you join a new association or professional group?

5. Did you talk to any headhunters?

6. Did you do any research on other businesses in your industry?

If you're like most dedicated employees with your nose to grindstone, it's unlikely you did much, if any, of this kind of investment in your future. But, now's the time to recommit yourself to your career with this career advancement tune-up recommendation: Get out of survival mode and lift up our head and think, ?What can I do for my career??

The good news is that you don't have to do it alone or without a sense of direction. Those of us who are committed to breaking through the old-fashioned, traditional ways of thinking about career and job search are excited by the innovative 21st Century alternate job search and non-traditional career advancement strategies.

When you incorporate these amazing techniques in you career investment plans, you'll find that you're remarkably prepared for making an intelligent decision about how and when to get into the job marketplace. It's a different marketplace from the last time you were there . . . filled with different expectations and needs

And one where the old-fashioned methods just don't work anymore. Don't implement your career advancement tune-up without these tools!