How to Invent a Job

Job hopping has become the trend of the hour, but workers should look in their own backyards before they leap.

Changing jobs too often, career experts warn, can leave you with a rsum long on titles and short on accomplishments.

One alternative: Work at creating a new position for yourself right where you are. This is not a task for the unmotivated. It takes work - lots of it - and some pretty smart politicking as well.

"Workers need to start by asking themselves, 'What are the things I really do well, and how can I get to do more of them?' " says Marty Nemko, a career strategist in Oakland, Calif.

Here are some tips from those who have done it successfully.

* Test out your idea on someone you can trust, such as a mentor.

* Find out whom to sell your idea to. Try to bring your boss on board.

* Write up a job description complete with title, duties, and department where the job belongs.

* Explain how the new job will benefit the company (not you).

* Get additional training to bolster your case.

* Make yourself more visible in the company.

* Polish your public-speaking skills. You might have to present your idea to a variety of audiences.

* Try to suggest a replacement for your current job, and offer to train that person.

* Don't wait for the door to open. Start doing at least a part of what you want to do right where you are.