An advice advisory

Separate effective advice from advice that works against you

There’s so much advice out there, isn’t there?

Spend half an hour trawling LinkedIn, and you’ll no doubt find many different hacks that will transform your job search.

With much of it contradictory, and some that are plain awful.

#OpenToWork is a great example, varying from a helpful tool to a desperate gambit.

This article is meta advice on what to look for when reading or taking advice.

---

1. Advice context

Today I read a post from Liz Ryan, a LinkedIn Top Voice on something who said something along the lines of

“Tell them today is your last day,” when you resign.

The idea being that you don’t owe your employer anything, and you need to manage your own risk, in case they let you go without paying severance.

Terrible advice if you are in the UK, where our notice periods are broadly different to the US, where I believe Liz is based.

I can’t tell you if it’s good advice in the US, although it seems to lack integrity to me.

Yet here is the first point.

If you are a UK reader and come across such a post, how are you supposed to know it’s for a US audience? How are you supposed to know it is most certainly is not for you?

---

Hers is a post that highlights an issue with how social media works.

By breaking down geographical and cultural barriers, it can become hard to know who advice is for.

Legislation will differ from place to place. Nuance will differ across demographics.

Then you have transadaptation, where lingo that makes sense locally, may have a very different meaning elsewhere. Even though the language is the same.

---

When taking advice, the first thing to check is whether that advice is suitable for your context.

What expertise does the advisor have that relates to your job, your market, the channels you have access to, your seniority, where you are based, or these many other variables that make up your context?

What about the hiring process an employer takes? SMEs, corporates, public sector, government, civil service and more may all have very different rules of play.

A 22 year old data scientist in Birmingham, UK, will have a fundamentally different effective job search to a 52 year old CFO in Birmingham, Alabama.

---

2. Advice function

I split advice into four functions:

• opinion-led

• tactical

• strategic

• selling

Opinion-led advice is typically given when someone strongly believes that what worked for them once is viable advice generally.

There’s one question you might ask.

Is it replicable for me?

Often it’s tethered to words like Always or Never. Just make sure passion is backed up by logic and evidence.

Examples might be

“Always have a 2 page CV”

“Never use #opentowork”

“Don’t use job boards, they don’t work”

Consider - how does the hiring manager for your next role view these statements?

The thing about opinions is that they are seldom wrong for the advisor, they just might not be right for you.

My favourite line about opinion-led advice is this:

“Ask 10 people for advice on your CV, you’ll end up with 11 CVs.”

Tactical advice works in a specific context.

For example, if a cover letter is given priority in an application process for UK Civil Service, it’s a good idea to read up on how to write cover letters for the UK Civil Service.

However, the chap I spoke to yesterday rightly pointed out that the article on this topic he read had no bearing on his applying to private sector companies, many of whom will never even read a cover letter.

Tactical advice can be great, if it’s suitable, because it’s advice you can do straight away.

What experience does the advisor have in your domain?

Strategic advice works in any context.

For example, advice that makes you ask the right questions… about advice.

Or which helps you put together an informed job search strategy based on your market conditions.

While strategic advice is potent, it takes agency and commitment to apply.

It’s rarely a short fix.

Selling advice is when someone gives advice to support their agenda.

Such as a CV writer who tells you they can make your CV optimised for the ATS.

Or how to access the part of the job market hidden from you.

Or that classic, “my client wanted £100k, I got him $250k. She’s so happy!”

It’s worth asking, “Where is the money?”

Then if you are prepared to spend money, “What evidence is there this seller can help me.” Ask for testimonials, ask to speak to current clients.

Then, “Is this person going to do the work or outsource it?”

Understand what you are signing up to if money or commitment is involved.

---

In summary, remember that any advice you encounter—whether opinion-led, tactical, strategic, or selling—should be filtered through the lens of your unique context and needs.

Always ask: Does this apply to me? What’s the motivation behind it?

Evaluating advice in this way can keep you focused and help you make informed decisions.

Thanks for reading.

Regards,

Greg