Looking to jump-start your career? Or, perhaps you just want to test the waters to see what else is out there.

Either way, you’ll find a wealth of information at a computer career training center. Whether the center’s location is a traditional building, or whether the center is an online entity, you can’t go wrong with a plan to beef up your computer skills.

Do some research to find out what computer classes you need to take to qualify for the job you seek. Will you need Microsoft® or Cisco® training programs? Will you need to develop technology skills in Oracle®, Linux®, Java™, Novell®, Sybase® or Lotus®? If your prospect uses proprietary software, it may be challenging to find a computer career training center that will offer these classes.

Log on to www.dol.gov and see what kinds of jobs the U.S. government predicts a need for in the future. Read the skill set required for each of the positions. Use this information to schedule additional classes at the computer career training center or online tutorials to update your computer skills in order to qualify for the job you seek. Now’s the time to do it.

Here are 5 employment tips that might help get you started:

  1. Write a great résumé that highlights your skill set and your past experience. Try to limit the résumé to one page if possible. If you use a resource like a computer career training center, learning center or community college courses to update your skills be sure to include these in your résumé or cover letter.

  2. Go to job fairs and distribute your résumé to participating companies that have jobs that might interest you. Talk to the company representatives about their workplace culture and advancement opportunities within the business.

  3. Apply for every job that you think might suit your needs. That means, don’t wait to apply for one job while waiting to hear about your application for another.

  4. Network. That means you need to tell everybody you’re looking for work. You never know who might know of a job opening that would suit your needs. Many companies offer bonuses to employees who refer successful job candidates. So, think of it this way: You’re not asking for help; you’re offering to do a favor for your working friends.

  5. When you get a job interview, go fully prepared. That means you need to do some research on the company so you can tell the interviewer what you have to offer and how your services will benefit the company.

It’s a good idea to get some help from a career coach at a job training facility. Your career coach will help you develop a plan of action and will assist you in the follow-through. Additionally, your job coach has several resources they can refer you to, to improve your skills during your search. They can help you find that computer career training center mentioned above for example. When it all begins to seem like a waste of time, your job coach can even help stroke your ego and pump you up for the long road ahead.

Here’s another decision you’ll have to make somewhere along the way: Are you prepared to relocate for a new job? There are many factors to consider, and only you know what they are. Your career coach can help you sort through this dilemma and make a relocation, if necessary, go a lot smoother.