7 friends you need at work

You're moving up on the job, thanks to your hard work and rockin' ideas. It never hurts to make a few allies along the way, though. We picked the brains of a few powerful women and career experts to get their advice on work friends you need to have to help advance your career.

1. The Interns.

The interns might just be students now, but think five or 10 years down the road. They'll eventually be your colleagues-and might eventually be your "in" at a dream company.

2. The Office Gossip.

You know the type-she spends working hours doing everything but work. She might annoy the crap out of you, but she knows stuff-like who's leaving, who's being promoted-that you can use to strategize your own move up in the company.

3. The I.T. Girl.

Being the I.T. person at any company is a pretty thankless job-after all, you probably only talk to her when you need your computer fixed. Get friendly with her, though: You'll get your requests processed faster-and she'll probably give you a few tips to keep it from happening again, leaving you more time to wow your boss.

4. The Office Manager.

Like the work gossip, being friendly with the office manager means you'll get the inside scoop about upcoming job openings and other happenings in the office. She also orders everything for the office-including the goods you need to make it through a challenging project-so she should be your new BFF.

5. The Developer.

You have this great idea for a new software program that is sure to make bank for the company, but it requires a ton of legwork to get up and running. The problem? The development team-like I.T.-always has a ton of projects running. Get on a first-name basis with the team and your projects might get bigger priority over others.

6. The Male Colleague.

We're all for making nice with the women in your company, but getting the perspective of a trusted-and platonic-male co-worker can give you the different perspective you need to work through problems in your job.

7. The Boss's Assistant.

Want a chance at that cushy corner office? You need to get in good with the boss' assistant, says career coach Isha Cogborn. This super-organized colleague knows everything about her boss's schedule-and your meetings won't happen without her. Heck, she'll even bump you up the calendar if she likes you enough.

Taken from: shine.yahoo.com (article, By Meagan Morris), Google (images).