Your first job out of school has allowed you to test the waters of the working world, but now you’re ready to land your second job and do more than just get your feet wet. This is an important phase in your career because now you know more about your preferences when it comes to work environment, company culture, and where you’d like to be heading with your career. We’ve compiled a few tips to help guide you through this crucial transition.

After stepping out of the school life and into your career life, you’re ready to make arguably the most critical next leap in your career – landing your second job. Follow this advice to make sure the job search yields the best options for job number two:

• Don’t be short sighted.
Whatever the reason for leaving your current job, make sure you get out of it what you may need for your next career move. The goal is to squeeze out every ounce of career development, skill enhancement, or resume-enhancing achievement that will help land the all-important next job.

• Take your networking up a notch.
Don’t just rely on your existing network of friends and colleagues. Instead, make an effort to make more contacts through professional industry organizations, alumni events, or social networking venues. Try out informational interviews this time around to give you new insight into your career path and options, and perhaps uncover new job leads.

• Update your resume.
You’ve worked hard to build your experience and skills so don’t forget to update your resume to reflect those accomplishments. Working on your resume will be a lot more fun and rewarding now that you have concrete examples of work experience and achievements.

• Be more aggressive about finding the right fit.
With some solid self-assessment under your belt, it’s time to really focus on finding an employer and job opportunity that best fits your work preferences. Ask questions during your interviews about the company’s culture, values and environment. Be honest with yourself about whether the opportunity is a match for your work style and goals.

• Is there room to grow?
Always seek job opportunities that offer plenty of professional growth. Consider asking potential employers how employees at your level of experience are mentored and/or developed. Does the company provide career development and training options? Is it likely you’ll have the opportunity for promotion within a reasonable time frame?

Your second job is the time to get serious about your career, taking stock of what you’ve learned and beginning to apply it more independently to projects and tasks. So, don’t take the process of choosing your next employer lightly.