As we’ve mentioned and you have no doubt seen before, there is so much career advice available to job seekers these days; some of it beneficial and some of it not so much. What works for some may not work for your career situation, and vice versa. The key is figuring out how to navigate the sea of career advice and figure out what best applies to your own life and career.

In order to do this, it is important to separate the good from the bad and avoid making certain behaviors. These “career killers” may derail your career, even though they have every intention of helping you along your journey. Believe it or not, not everything you hear about career success will work for everyone. If you truly want to advance your career and are seeking advice, learning where NOT to look can help you find what will work.

Here are a few “career killers” you should avoid:

Multitasking

While many people view multitasking as one of their strongest and most transferrable skills, doing so may actually be hindering your productivity. Studies have shown that dividing your attention among many tasks instead of focusing on one can actually reduce productivity by up to 40 percent. Not only will your productivity dwindle, but your efficiency and quality of work will follow suit.

To counter these affects, slow down. It sounds crazy, especially in today’s society, but slowing down and focusing on the task at hand will do wonders for your productivity and effectivity.

Work More

Early career professionals are especially guilty of this. Common advice says that in order to catch the eye of your supervisor and prove your worth, you should work longer. After all, working longer means working harder, right? Wrong.

Studies show that the most effective and productive managers actually work fewer hours than their counterparts. Not only can these long hours have a brutal effect on your mental health (see: burnout) but it can also be detrimental to your physical health. According to British researchers, working more than 11 hours a day puts you at a 67 percent higher risk of having a cardiac event (heart attack) than those who work fewer hours.

Instead of burning yourself out, follow the common advice “work smarter, not harder.” You can still work hard, but figuring out ways to be more productive will help you in the long run both mentally and physically.

Fear Failure

Most people are so afraid of failing that when they inevitably do so, they beat themselves up over it and lose confidence. The only way to learn is to experience failure, so fearing it actually leads to fearing success.

If you go through your day to day afraid to make a mistake, you are more likely to do so, hindering any chances at ever experiencing success. When you begin to accept that failing is part of a growth mindset you will realize that the temporary feeling of failure will lead to success. Instead of fearing it, welcome it.

Wrap Up

There is so much advice out there that it can become difficult to realize what is good and what is bad. When you learn what advice can actually hinder your career development, that is when you can truly experience career growth. To read the rest of these “career killers,” click here.

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