Ask friends, neighbors and co-workers for recommendations.

So, in addition to some self-study, you'll also need to ask your friends, family, or current co-workers to tell you what they see as your strengths.

Ask family, friends, neighbors, or co-workers for their recommendations.

Occasionally, after hearing about a friend who had lost a job at another company, I would ask co-workers what they thought about the security of our jobs.

You may even have asked co-workers for hints about what to do.

Firms typically do a "360-degree evaluation - they go all around an individual, asking advice from supervisors above, co-workers to the left and right, and subordinates below."

Ask friends, family and co-workers to support your efforts to change.

I sent out an e-mail blitz asking friends, family, co-workers to go to the site and contribute," he said, "and within 20 days, I'd raised the minimum.

If I have trouble, I'll use resources around me such as looking through the Internet, asking co-workers, asking my manager, or looking through some books.

Ask co-workers who witnessed a particular incident to corroborate your account of events.