Our land, water and climate are all threatened by the latest federal budget. Proposed changes to Canadian law will weaken environmental rules and silence the voices of those who seek to defend them. All of our voices are at risk. Silence is not an option.

You should also be willing to help others us much as you can as often as you can. Networking is a two way street - and people remember those who went out of their way to help them in the past. Pay it forward.

Keep in touch with your network. People stop taking phone calls from someone who only contacts them when they need something. So update your connections with what is going on with you, and make genuine inquiries about how they're doing.

Have a short 'elevator speech' ready. This is a short couple of sentences that describe your career accomplishments and goals in a conversational manner. It's just enough for you to summarize your expertise and career path in a brief and friendly way should someone ask you to.

Make sure your social network information matches your resume. You don't want to claim a degree on your application that your Facebook or LinkedIn profiles show that you don't have. (See the former Yahoo! CEO's resume scandal.) Employers have also been known to double check that the dates of employment you list in your resume match with your profiles.

Be honest with everyone. Always