Starting your Sim on a career track is one of the easiest ways for him or her to earn money. Get some Sims career advice here.
Getting a job
For a Sim, having a career is one of the most common ways to make money. There are several different career tracks for the Sim to choose from. A Sim can start a career by reading the newspaper, checking the computer, or visiting a business location in person. Getting a job from the computer in Sims 3 can allow the Sim to start at a higher level in the career track than getting a job from looking in the newspaper.
Finding information about your current job
The career tab will show you what your Sim's job is, what time it starts each day, which days of the week are work days or not, how good the Sim's job performance is, and so on. There will be an arrow pointing to the current day of the week, so you can see whether your Sim has the day off or not.
Job Performance
Job performance is shown in two meters on the right side of the career tab. If your Sim is doing well on the job, the green meter on the top will gradually fill up. If your Sim is doing poorly, the green meter will become less full, and if it empties, a red meter underneath will start to fill up. Too much bad job performance could result in your Sim losing his or her job.
Job performance depends on the factors listed next to smiley faces next to the job performance meter. Mood is always a factor in your Sim's job performance, so make sure that your Sim's needs are taken care of before going to work, because your Sim's mood will change throughout the day. If the Sim goes to work unhappy or becomes unhappy as the day goes on, the Sim's mood will have a negative effect on job performance.
Helpful Hint: When your Sim goes to work usually he or she will use the bathroom soon after getting there. If your Sim is pressed for time while getting ready for work, it's fairly safe to skip going to the bathroom, because your Sim takes care of that need at work automatically.
How to Improve Boss/Co-Worker Relationships
Some jobs require your Sim to have a good relationship with his or her boss or co-workers. This is as simple as forming friendships with your boss and co-workers. The better your friendship with them, the better that aspect of your job performance will be. When your Sim goes to work (for some jobs), you can choose to have your Sim socialize with co-workers or do a special project for the boss. In addition, there are opportunities available to your Sims that will improve boss and co-worker relationships if you complete them. Not only that, but just by talking to the boss or co-workers, either in person or on the phone or on the computer, you can improve that aspect of your job performance.
You can see who your Sim's boss is from the Sim's relationship tab: the boss will have a desk icon under his or her picture.
Skill Requirements
Other job performance factors are usually skills, like Cooking for the culinary career, or Handiness for the science career, for example. These skills must be up to a certain level range at each level of a career track in order to give the best job performance. Look at the skills tab to see what the expected skill level is for your career. It will be indicated by a white area surrounding the levels that are considered to be acceptable for good performance on the job at that career level. If your Sim's level of that skill is below the white range, try to increase that skill as soon as possible to ensure good job performance.
How to Quit or Take Unpaid Time Off
With your Sim's cell phone, you can have your Sim quit his or her job, or take unpaid time off. You can take one, three, or five days off. Your Sim might or might not get permission to do this when he or she calls. It probably has something to do with the Sim's relationship with the boss. Also, if the Sim has the Vacationer lifetime reward, he or she is pretty likely to get permission to take time off.
What if my Sim has a baby?
If your Sim has a baby, she automatically is given paid time off from work. Her romantic partner does not, though.