10 Tips to Tune Up Your Career This Fall

While the summer is often a time to get away from it all, autumn can be a prime time to give your career a much-needed tune up. Here are 10 winning ways to get back in the game this season.

Meet with your supervisor or a human resources representative at your current job and create a list of professional goals that can further your own interests as well as those of your employer.

Join a professional networking association and get involved in it at an administrative level as soon as possible. This will help you get closer to the organization's movers and shakers.

Have your resume assessed by a professional. Ideally, seek out someone who works in human resources or an executive search professional who can offer you an unbiased assessment of your resume. You can also meet with a professional resume writer; however, their services come at a price.

Get a new professional wardrobe. Image isn't everything, but it's something. Not sure where to start? Click here for tips from some of today's top fashionistas.

Go on a job interview for a position that's one level up from your current job. Use the experience - even if you don't receive an offer - to assess what skills or specific know-how you need to make that next leap.

Get informed. Become an expert in a particular niche in your chosen field. Read everything you can get your hands on so you start to become the go-to person in your company - and your industry.

Get published. Write a trade article. Create a blog (check with your employer for any guidelines so that you don't violate your employment agreement). Start an e-newsletter. Getting your name in print and/or on the web will help fuel your efforts to establish yourself as an expert.

Get a mentor. No one understands what it takes to reach your professional goals more than someone who already has. Odds are you can find a fantastic mentor at work, in your current network or through a professional or alumni association.

Learn another language. Business, big and small, is going global. Knowing how to speak German, Japanese, Mandarin, Russian or Spanish will increase your desirability tenfold.

Go back to school. You don't have to earn your MBA (although, depending on your field, that might help your ascent up the career ladder), but there may be a professional certification or credential that will help you advance.

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