Looking to move up the career ladder? More importantly, are you trying to find ways to maintain a happy professional life doing something you enjoy and can be proud of? There's no time like the present to get started, but it isn’t just a question of asking for a raise, a promotion, or extra benefits from your boss or human resources department. It’s about gaining necessary skills, getting the right people to notice you for the right things, and working smart as well as hard.

Below, FN lists a few tips to help you on the road to success.

(Screencap from Trouble with the Curve courtesy of Warner Bros.)