Charting Your Way Into a Career that You Really Want is help for those of us seeking a career change. You’re not alone! This is a peak hiring month and, inspired by a New Year’s resolution, many of us are thinking that perhaps we need a career change in the near future.

Here are a few tips from the article:

* Interview people who know you well. Friends, relatives and colleagues can help you sort out what truly engages you and turns you off. They may have insights about vocations you never imagined, and they could remind you of some important truths about yourself.

* Investigate jobs you think would suit you. Don’t imagine that you would enjoy being a paralegal; talk to a paralegal.

* Intern or volunteer to test your conclusions. Internships aren’t only for the young, and if those positions aren’t available companies are sometimes happy to take on unpaid workers for special assignments. Or the paralegal you called might let you shadow her for a day.

All of that said, perhaps the most important tip of all: Set realistic expectations. Finding the career path that’s right for you could easily take six months.

Or longer. I’m partial to Tip #1. I’ve tried that a few times and it’s always interesting to see how others perceive what you enjoy in your work life.