OTTAWA - Moving up, getting ahead, climbing the ladder, making positive changes - it all sounds good, but sometimes it seems like only a chosen few ever actually make it happen.

Kathryn Ullrich, an executive search consultant based in Silicon Valley, and author of Getting to the Top: Strategies for Career Success, offers up these tips for career success:

Take responsibility for your own career development: Especially important in the current business environment, where many companies have cut back their training budgets.

Set a clear goal for yourself: It's hard to have a career strategy if you don't have an idea where you want to go.

Think in terms of maximizing your contribution to your employer: How does the work you do support your company's goals?

Be aware of what your customers want and need and dedicate yourself to supplying it.

Make a point of working well with others: "Working with and through others is requisite to innovating, creating and producing business results,'' says Ullrich.

Commit to improving your communications skills: Whether listening, presenting, persuading or distilling messages.

Give yourself cross-over appeal: Moving from an area such as finance to sales, or from marketing to IT helps you grow your skills, broaden your network and enhance your political capital.

Expand your experience: Talk to your boss or HR rep about finding opportunities to volunteer for projects or assignments outside your everyday role.

Reach out to a mentor.

Get involved in groups and professional associations in order to broaden your network: Taking a leadership role will show off your expertise.

Specialists are becoming more popular than generalists in today's workplace: Distinguish your skills and strengths, develop a personal brand.