How to get career/business support from others

The older I get, the more I appreciate that phrase, "No man is an Island". I am not even sure the origin but I'm sure it's a wise source. Looking at my career and business journey so far, I can confidently share I couldn't have done anything by myself. People have always been a huge factor in my journey so far, and I am referring to direct/indirect support from family, friends, mentors and fellow entrepreneurs who were just glad to offer a helping hand.

But I've discovered something, it can feel awkward sometimes asking for help. Nobody likes to feel like a liability, neither does anyone want to hear the word 'No' when they ask for help. To set the context, I am referring to support you may need on your career/business journey, especially when you find yourself in situations where you're stuck!

Looking back at the last few years, I've learnt a few things which can help position us to get the support we need on our business/career journey.

1 - Don't isolate yourself, connect with community

My Alumni community has lots of WhatsApp groups, and I mean a very large number of WhatsApp groups. When I served as Vice President a few years ago, I found myself in 40 WhatsApp groups at some point. A lot, I know. You don't have to join many WhatsApp groups, but you know what, a lot of people join groups so they can be a part of community. The benefits are uncountable. I've seen so many situations where job applicants and recruiters have met in the same group. In fact, I recruited recently from one of my Alumni WhatsApp groups. The candidate heard about the opportunity, reached out to me, got interviewed and landed the role. Imagine they were not in that group? Who knows! In another group I was in the other day, someone was looking for a flat to rent, and a couple of others had referrals. Can you imagine how many opportunities you miss by isolating yourself? One of the first things you should do is to connect with community. It doesn't necessarily have to be a WhatsApp group. Whatever you do, don't isolate yourself.

2 - Find someone who can help

Help won't always find you first, sometimes you need to take a step to find someone who can help you. A couple of years ago, I hit a huge roadblock with my business. We craved some ambitious business growth and it was clear we couldn't go further without getting the right support. What did I do? I started looking everywhere to find someone who could coach/guide me. All effort to find the right person started looking impossible. I looked online, asked a few friends, and started to think I had hit a dead-end. Eventually, I stumbled across the website for Be the Business and discovered I could get a business mentor for FREE. For FREE? I applied, filled all the forms, and weeks later I was matched with a business mentor who turned out to be the exact person I needed, someone to challenge my thoughts and help steer our activities towards business growth. Finding someone who can help comes with a lot of determination though. You just keep searching without feeling discouraged, and hopefully you find the right person to support you on your journey.

3 - Be clear and vocal when you need support

You have to be direct when you're asking for support. If you're not clear, you're not going to get the support you need. If you're not vocal, nobody knows. Even the closest people around you may be completely unaware of your needs because you've not vocalised your needs. I experienced this recently when I found out a cousin has been looking for his first job since graduating almost a year ago. I had no clue until recently. Hearing this, I quickly turned to my network to find who could support his career aspirations as he belonged to a very niche industry. And guess what? That same day, I was able to connect him with two people who may be able to guide him in landing his first job. One last example. I once worked on a project in a team of five contractors whose contracts ended when the project was delivered. We all kept in contact via a LinkedIn group and I recall mentioning I was looking for my next opportunity. One of the other guys brought my attention to a role she had seen on a LinkedIn page and I applied for it. Weeks later I was interviewed and got the role. Dear friends, there's no need to be embarrassed if you're looking for a job. Tell your immediate networks so they can also be on the look out for you. I've attracted recruiters and landed roles in the past by setting my LinkedIn profile/status to 'Open to Work'. This is an example of being clear and vocal when you need support. It works!

4 - Be ready to invest time & resources

Unless you are completely broke and financially incapable to pay for the support you need, sometimes you have to pay for the support you need. It may not always be available for FREE. Over the last few years, I have supported many people in their careers by helping them optimise their CV and prepping them for job interviews. This is simply part of my service to community. But guess what? I also know a few people who offer CV optimisation on a larger scale, and at a premium. They've built businesses on these services and do not offer it for FREE. As a candidate who may need support, you may find yourself on the doorstep of someone who will only support you as a paid service. Sometimes, you have no choice, especially if you have no one to offer it to you as a FREE service. The point is, don't limit your quest for for FREE support only. It may not always be available.

5 - Don't take 'No' personal

To anyone looking for support, please don't feel offended if the answer you get is a 'No'. Equally, if someone needs your support, don't lead them on. Be clear if you're unable to help, and if you can tell them why, the transparency is appreciated. I will give you a few examples where full support can't be granted. For example - 'I really wish I could help you with your CV, but this is not my career field and I would not be able to give you what you need'. Another example - 'Honestly, I would have loved to train you in Business Analysis but it requires a lot of weeks and I don't have the time at the moment. You're best enrolling in a B.A. training school as they will also give you some work experience to boost your chances of getting a job'. Final example - 'I am happy to give you a coaching session, but if you need something more continuous, it would have to be via my structured training program and there's a cost to it'. If you're in need of the support but get answers like this, it's okay, just move on. I know it can be tough, especially if it's an outright 'No'!

6 - Respect people's time

I was a career mentor via my Alumni community's mentoring program Covenant University Alumni Association (CUALA) and I recall the mentors' briefing by Hansatu Adegbite . Hansatu told the mentees to respect their mentors' time. Imagine a mentor who is offering you free support, has taken time off from work or other commitments to attend to you, has now logged onto their computer to meet with you online, only to realise you did not show up. To make matters worse, you didn't give any prior notice. This is not good, but because you're a professional who respects peoples' time, you will value their time and honour agreed calls/meetings. It's so easy to lose support when you don't show up. It takes a good heart to want to support. Don't discourage them by taking their support for granted.

7 - Thank them

The least you should do when getting support from anyone is thanking them. But there's so much you can do to appreciate them even more. Buy them a thank you gift card, share a post of LinkedIn to appreciate them publicly, or find something they like and get it for them. Simple things make big differences, and the gesture will surely be appreciated. Another way to express appreciation is by bring them good news, good results and good feedback. Everyone loves to hear how their actions led to results. It's heartwarming and encouraging to hear. If someone helped you optimise your CV, let them know when you got the new job. If someone trained you on a specific topic, let them know how their training landed you your next career opportunity. If someone offered you a complimentary business coaching session, let them know how their coaching has resulted in growth in your business. Whatever you do, don't just go mute and move on. Show appreciation in every way you can.

While on the word 'appreciation', I am thankful you read through this whole article. Do me a favour and repost this on your LinkedIn page. Hoping someone may find this useful.