With government furloughs in effect, it's time to prepare for that next career opportunity.

Budget sequestration has limited the size of federal budgets. This means reduced paychecks for many government employees and cuts to education and training programs. In the name of survival, it's time to fortify your career power.

The best way to fight through policies, politics, and tough economies is to build your career documents and have them ready at all times for the next great opportunity.

In today's volatile employment market, your career power comes from the skills you have to research careers and companies, create an effective résumé and cover letter, and build an online web portfolio with evidence of your accomplishments.

I call those abilities "career power skills." Here's what you can do to embrace them and build your personal brand right now.

Reassess and research your happiness goals. Have you thought about a job change or a company move? Now that you have a chance to reflect, make a happiness list of what you truly want in a career, and then look for companies that can give it to you.

Build your skills and credentials. If your company provides tuition assistance or training stipends, use them to get new skills, certifications, and credentials. Building your skills now will give you additional value when you pursue jobs later.

Refocus your résumé and cover letters. Dust off the résumé and update it with current work and projects. Take off older, less relevant positions. Add or beef up the existing skills section with new abilities that are relevant to today's standards.

Create an online web portfolio. A recent study shows that more job candidates are hired based on personal web portfolios than professional profiles on social media and career sites. Assemble a free professional online web portfolio at www.portfoliovillage.com and cross-promote your web portfolio on your social media sites.