What's your professional image saying to others? Getting bigger promotions, better clients, and a richer career depends largely on how you are perceived by senior managers, team members, peers, and potential clients or employers. So to maximize your career opportunities and get into a career that inspires you to get out of bed in the morning turning cartwheels, let's start by polishing up your professional image.

1. Understand your "value".

Having a powerful personal brand means that you are confident in your "promise of value" to a manager, clients, and potential employers. Whether it's being scary smart when it comes to a new technology, or developing creatively outrageous marketing campaigns, or constantly finding ways to tap into new markets and generate revenue, your career success is fueled by the value that you consistently deliver.

Your career success is fueled by the value that you consistently deliver.

So what is YOUR "promise of value"? What is it that you offer to employers or clients? Your promise of value is a unique blend of your strengths, professional accomplishments, and personal characteristics (such as being a good leader, risk taker, problem solver, strategic thinker, etc.). All of these things combined, make up your "value package" which makes you truly unique from a crowd of peers, networkers, and even job applicants.

2. Create your North Star.

Being in a passionless job is a career killer! If you're walking around dull and listless (like the L'Oreal Girl before she shampoos her hair), then others will view you as someone who's unmotivating, uninspiring, and deadly dull to work with. You need to be in a career that excites and energizes you.

What are the three key ingredients you need in the work itself to be happy and fulfilled?

Where do you want to be one year from today? In other words, do you want to be working for the same company, or the same clients, doing the same kind of work that you're doing today? If not, then you need to determine what you want to be doing. Start by identifying the three key ingredients you need in the work itself to be happy and fulfilled, and consider that your North Star.

3. Send the "right" messages.

Everything you do and say sends messages to your manager, senior managers, clients, peers, and potential employers. Your words, actions, presentations, reports, work deliverables, and professional accomplishments, shape the perceptions others have about you and the value you provide.

You have a proven skillset and consistently deliver high quality and results.

You should be sending out a very clear message that you have a PROVEN skillset of experience, training, and knowledge, and that you consistently deliver high quality and results. This is where you are an asset to a company or client. When you send a message that you consistently deliver something of value to your employer or clients, you are not only creating a powerful personal brand but you are also developing an emotional connection in which they feel that they need you.

4. Network strategically.

If you want bigger promotions, better clients, and a richer, more meaningful career you must work with people who value you for your professional strengths, talents, and accomplishments. Otherwise, you will be living in a frustrating world, spending precious time and energy to accomplish things, yet receiving very little in return.

You need to create a strong support system of career influencers.

You need to create a strong support system of career influencers. Identify those managers, clients and colleagues who you feel know and appreciate you. Create a list of those you admire professionally. What has been their career path? These are the people who can give you the strategies, insights, and inspiration to advance your career. They are people who can support you, teach you, inspire you, and influence others.

5. Dive into your "career think tank".

Never leave your career in the hands of someone else like a manager or client. Make a commitment RIGHT NOW to take charge and drive your own career. Every week, carve out 30-minutes to turn off the phone, shut down your computer, and go into your own private career think tank.

Think about what you can do to drive your career and raise your "happiness" level.

Think about what you can do to drive your career and raise your "happiness" level. Start shifting your career towards your North Star by looking for, and creating, opportunities to expand your network, strengthen your value, or send a clear message to your career influencers. It takes time, focus, and commitment, but the payoff is HUUUUUGE.

Imagine a world where you wake up and actually start turning cartwheels :)

Sherri Thomas is the author and President of Career Coaching 360. Sherri has successfully transitioned into the radio, television, advertising, finance, professional sports, and high tech industries, and now she teaches others how to do the same. Career Coaching 360 provides tools, resources, and personal coaching to help professionals take their career up to the next level.
http://www.CareerCoaching360.com