Maybe you want to take a few months off to care for an ailing relative, to take a longer career break to raise a family or to realize your dream of hiking the Appalachian Trail now, rather than when you retire. When work becomes incompatible with the rest of your life, and you take a leave of absence from the job, don't drop your career in the dust.

If your job squares with the Pareto Principle, 80 percent of the results come from 20 percent of your work. So, you're probably investing much of your time on assignments that yield little return.

Criticism can actually help your career, if you let it. Keep this in mind: The boss who heaps phony praise on everybody isn't doing you any favors. It's the one who takes time to dole out feedback who's helping move your career forward.

More than a résumé, a portfolio spotlights your strengths. While a résumé focuses on job duties, a portfolio draws attention to results and accomplishments.

FYI, the CEO wants the HR and IT reports ASAP. We rely on thousands of acronyms and initialisms, and in many cases, one set of letters can have a wide variety of meanings. Here's a test of some of the most common office terms.