Whether a teacher, a mentor, a parent, or a boss says them, majority of best career advice still get ignored, most of the time. In fact, these real-world insights could skyrocket the careers of so many… if anybody would actually take the advice!

Today, I’ve listed down a few of those great career advice and hope that (if not all) you’ll follow at-least a few of them.

Making a To-Do List

Executing any task or campaign requires perfectly planning, and to make sure that your plan is perfect, you need to divide your campaign into a list of tasks and then further divide those tasks into the number of available days. Only then you’ll be able to create daily and weekly to-do lists of these tasks. And this is not all, you need to get those tasks done as well, so that you may tick them off at the end of the day. In short, a to-do list is a mandatory element of staying organized and being able to properly prioritize your next activity.

Personalizing Everything

Do you think that those generic connection requests on LinkedIn and auto-DMs on Twitter will get you noticed in a positive way? Or you maybe are of the misconception that a generic cover letter and resume will get you an interview? Or that generic email template you are sending to all those employers/mentors will provide a platform for some valuable professional relationships? You’re wrong! You need to personalize each and every professional communication in order to develop solid and lucrative relationships.

Following Up

It’s a natural phenomenon that our society as a whole sucks at following up. The reason could be the fear of failure or laziness or perhaps the failure to prioritize stuff. Many studies have found that not more than 2% people actually follow up after exchanging business cards. No matter what you wish to achieve in professional relationships, make sure to follow up and you’ll always be successful.

Finding Mentors

The existence of professional mentors in your professional life is nothing but vital. Perhaps a stable of them or maybe a personal board of advisors. If you are not sure about where you can find mentors, there are a number of mentoring groups on LinkedIn where you can find and follow mentors related to your field.

Presenting Yourself as a Problem Solver

In today’s rapidly growing and fast-paced job industry, there’s hardly any room for automatons who simply “do their jobs”. The companies these days seek innovative thinkers who provide solutions. If not solutions, at-least they offer ideas that contribute to the solutions. To make sure that you are a problem solver or a solution provider to your employers, identify a challenge, think of a solution, present the solution, actively listen to your employer’s feedback, optimize the solution and voila!

Owning Things

It doesn’t matter what it is. It could be that challenge that needs a solution. Or maybe a big project that gives you a chance to shine. Perhaps it’s the garbage that needs taking out, or a bathroom that needs cleaning before a client comes to the office. Or, just maybe it’s a mistake you made. No matter what is thrown at you, or to you . . . own it.

Being a Stalker

If you want to make sure that your organization stands out from the rest, you just don’t need to focus on your own planning and strategies. You also need to keep a strong eye on your business competitors. By being a stalker, you are keeping a thorough check on your rivals and making sure that your organization isn’t failing to keep pace with its competition.

All Anyone Cares About is Results

No matter how hard you worked on a project, your boss would always care about the results. In fact, in the real world, it doesn’t matter one little bit how much effort you put into a project. The only thing that matters is results. How does your work measure up against milestones? Did you meet the goals of the project? Or did you exceed expectations?

If not, the last thing you want to talk about to a boss, mentor or potential employer is how hard you worked . . . to achieve nothing.

As you build your career, be the 5% who will follow this worthy, career-changing advice. And don’t be afraid to pass it along to others. Just don’t be surprised when they don’t listen. But be incredibly grateful for those who do—that’s when the magic happens!