You get the picture. If your job doesn't reflect what's important to you, you may be unhappy. Before you accept work, be certain that it's compatible with your motivations. That way, you'll be less likely to choose a position that is the opposite of what drives you and, therefore, might make you miserable.

Secret 3: Be Resourceful

By interviewing with recruiters who come to your school, you may get one or more job offers. Or by responding to an ad in the newspaper or online, you may obtain a new position. If these approaches work, why would you need to be clever or imaginative to get a job?

Maybe you won't need to be inventive. Yet, what if the job market is tight and hundreds of applicants are pursuing the same position you are? How will you stand out from the crowd? What if you have a performance problem? Will you recognize your difficulty and be able to improve how you're doing? What if you become less satisfied with your job? How will you reinvigorate your role or even change positions in your company? Or what if you need to solve a problem or pursue an opportunity as quickly and effectively as possible? Will your ingenuity assist you?

Throughout your career, your resourcefulness-your awareness, cleverness, or inventiveness-will help you find positions, improve your job, change companies or industries, spot and address problems and opportunities, or even start your own business. For example, if you're resourceful, you might employ an idea or approach that you've seen a colleague use in order to improve your job performance, or you might ingeniously exploit your knowledge, experience, or contacts in order to secure a new job. Being resourceful can provide you with a unique route to achieve your goals-a shortcut when everyone else is stuck in traffic on the main road.

In short, the three secrets to a lifetime of career success and satisfaction involve knowing what makes you tick and keeping your eyes open and ear to the ground.

An entrepreneur and management consultant, Felicia Zimmerman is the author of Reinvent Your Work (Dearborn, 2001) which is available at http://www.amazon.com or http://www.barnesandnoble.com . Use it for a lifetime of career success and satisfaction.

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