It’s impossible to know everything there is to create a successful career. So what do you do? Yes, that’s right. Ask for advice. Luckily for you, it seems that everyone and their mom is willing to lend an ear and share their insights to help create the perfect formula to professional success.

However, the older we get, the more you should learn that all advice is not always suited for you. Here are three types of bad advice givers:

1. The projectors 

Be able to identify people that project their views onto you. When soliciting advice, be mindful that if you’re soliciting advice from other people, the bulk of the ‘advice’ is made up of biased opinions based on their own experiences. Aspirant career climbers should listen to a trusted mentor that forces self exploration as opposed to merely hearing them ask You don’t wanna do that, do you? 

What you should really be hearing is they don’t want to do that, but you do.

2. The empty advisors 

Great advice is usually tailor made to your situation and leaves you feeling secure about acting on it. So as you can imagine, context is important. If your ‘advisor’ is offering suggestions without much information about you, your aspirations or your brand, politely excuse yourself from the conversation.

But before you skiddadle, ask yourself if this person is really listening to you and your concerns.

3. The ‘you should-ers’

It’s always great to positive feedback from someone that seems to believe in your abilities. However, it becomes troublesome to recognize what’s actually worth pursuing when ‘you should do this’ or ‘you should look into that’ is constantly thrown around. According to the Journal of Business and Psychology’s 2009 study, advice is 89% more effective if the giver refrains from using definite terms to tell its recipient what to do. In layman’s terms, using the word ‘should’ raises a red flag in our brains and more than likely comes off as more authoritative as opposed to collaborative and supportive.

And remember, always use your gut as your first line of defense when navigating the confusing world of career advice. No one knows you better than you.

MADE by Jasmine Browley