This is the Greatest Career Advice We Ever Received.

We were all newbs at some point.

Maybe you were a terrified intern who was afraid of making a mistake, or perhaps you were the bold one saying whatever you wanted, only to soon realize that might have not been the best move.

No matter who you were, there was one thing we all had in common when we first started out: we all needed guidance.

Whether it was through a parent, a college mentor, a co-worker (or even a group of them),  we all turned somewhere to better understand the business world, working with clients or on teams, the whole shabang.

We wanted to know what to expect and more importantly, how to handle all of it the right way.

With this in mind, this week, I went to my IMPACT colleagues and asked them, “what’s the greatest career (marketing or design) advice you’ve ever received?”

Here’s what they had to say.

Be in the moment:

This is advice I follow in every aspect of my life. Whenever I’m in a client meeting, I clear my mind and be in the moment with them. I listen to them with compassion and empathy, and look at things from their viewpoint, free of any personal agenda.

Be honest:

“My father's business advice to me: Give advice to your clients as if you were giving advice to me, your mother, and your sister. This way your advice is unquestionably honest.” - Eric Vachon, Marketing Coordinator

Don’t settle for the obvious:

The best advice I ever received creatively was from one of my college professors. When we were in the brainstorming phase of a project he would always tell us “Take the first 20 ideas you come up with and scrap them. Those are the same 20 ideas every other designer will come up.”

That advice is still something that I do to this day. It’s all about diving deeper past the simple and obvious solutions and getting to the brilliant and memorable ones that people will really appreciate. - Joe Rinaldi, Creative Supervisor

Always remain teachable:

This has always been a very powerful statement to me, especially in the industry that we work in. Trends are constantly evolving; the next bigger and better thing is always around the corner. If you are stuck in your ways or are unwilling to adapt and grow you will never succeed. - Gibson Starzynski, Account Strategist

Work for an agency:

The best career advice I’ve ever gotten was to join a Marketing agency. I know it sounds kinda cliche, but I was consistently told by my peers in college, my colleagues at work, my parents, my professors, and even at career fairs: if you want to make widgets, go to a widget factory. We don’t create widgets at IMPACT, we create unique Marketing campaigns. This is the best place to learn how to create out-of-the-box Marketing strategies.

Hit Control+N:

The second best career advice I heard secondhand from Amir Hamdi, by way of Tom DiScipio, our Chief Strategy Officer. It was to hit Command + N (for us Windows diehards, that’s Control + N.) You can have a great idea written or designed, but it’s too easy to get stuck in a rut around an idea that you are familiar with. Start over, and you might come up with something much better. - Derrick Weiss, Account Executive

How About You?

What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received? How has it impacted your work life and choices? Let me know in the comments section below. I’d love to share them with my team!