People are looking for career advancement all the time. In an average person's working career, it is estimated that most of us will make between six to ten jobs or career changes, hence the reason why career advancement is absolutely necessary. Here are 5 simple steps to take to achieve that goal.

1. First and foremost, look for advancement within your own company. Try talking to your boss, hinting that you can take more responsibility and you are ready for new challenges. If there are no career advancement opportunities in your existing workplace, you can begin to look for a new job somewhere else.

2. When you have decided to look for a new job, you have to set aside personal life. If you are in the middle of expecting a new child or in a middle of a messy divorce, the timing is no good. You will need all support you can get from family members when you decided to find a new job. This does not mean neglecting your family altogether but some time off and commitment is required.

3. In almost every profession, strong communication skills and the power to communicate in an effective manner is the most important skill necessary for career success and career advancement opportunities. To have a business or organization running smoothly, effective internal communication is crucial between employees, management, team members, and employers. So, make sure you are armed with good communication skills. Practice in front of a mirror.

4. To achieve your career advancement goals means getting rid of bad habits for career advancement that hurt your success chances, such as having a poor work attitude. Bosses are more likely to promote people that are pleasant, willing to help others, make personal calls on their break or lunch hour, and use their time wisely. During business hours, never use the telephone for personal calls unless it is an emergency. And time management is a must, always be punctual.

5. Start setting aside a fix amount of time each week for job search. As with so many other things in life, you get out of it as much as you put into it. If you want an impressive cover letter and resume, you have to spend a lot more than 20 minutes to make it right. Start listing down what kind of jobs are you after. Spending some time listing what kind of companies you would like to work for. Does the job scope similar with previous job? do some homework before sending in your resume.

6. Take good care of your appearance. Looking professional does not take much effort. Change the answering machine message to be more formal and use more serious corresponding email address. Sweetgirl16@somemail.com is cute but not suitable for career usage. Make sure you give a phone number that can be reached. People get frustrated after a few times calling but couldn't get through. First impressions are very important.