Astute employers observe how changes in the professional labor market can affect their businesses. They take the time to define carefully what kind of employee they need, now and in the future. They avoid legal pitfalls that plague other employers.

They use all the hiring strategies available, formal and informal, to increase their chances for hiring the best workers, while reducing the risk of committing to inferior workers. They use the hiring process itself to begin the integration…

Most businesses review their progress on a yearly basis and publish or print an annual report – the status of the business – for the past year. They also go through a formal planning process and create formal plans for the future. You need to treat your career as a business: with annual reviews and formal planning.

Once a year you can evaluate your career progress using the following criteria. Evaluate each area on a scale of 1 (awful) to 5 (fantastic). Assess the weak spots (scored 3…