If you’re among the 93 percent of the workforce who plan to look for a new job this year, now is the time to begin. Workers should start 2005 with a career assessment to ensure they’re on track for a positive and productive year. After all, a positive outlook on the job leads to better health, increased happiness and greater overall success.

Jeff Taylor, founder of Monster and author of "Monster Careers: How to Land the Job of Your Life," encourages workers to deliberately plan their careers, using what he calls the FAME approach. "Think like a Free agent. Train like an Athlete. Prepare like a Marketer. Work like an Entrepreneur.

"Oftentimes, employees spend more time planning their vacations than they spend planning their careers," he said. "I certainly advocate a quality work/life balance but a job is about a third of your life. You should strive to be happy in what you do."

If happiness means landing a new job this year, make updating your resume the first cleanup project. Regularly polishing a resume is essential as terminology and employer needs are always changing. To get feedback, send the updated resume to others in your targeted field and incorporate their suggestions.

Smart seekers learn about job openings that aren’t widely advertised through networking with others. Start with some phone calls—track down helpful contacts by talking to family, friends and acquaintances in the desired field. Join a professional organization and start participating in order to meet like-minded individuals.

Many workers aim to move upwards within their organization in 2005. To increase chances of a promotion, use nearby resources and learn from the employees in the office. Locate someone who enjoys and excels in his or her work and ask that person to be a mentor for the year.

If your career assessment calls for a complete job change, research the desired field to understand what hiring managers want from their workers. Review job postings to learn about the skills and credentials that are important to the industry, and don’t forget, the old resume won’t work—revamp it to emphasize key qualifications and new objectives.

This story provided by North American Precis Syndicate, Inc.