
Are you the type of person who asks for help the minute you need it? Or, do you always do everything possible to figure things out on your own before you dare ask for someone to help you? Maybe you’re like me and you’re somewhere in between. I’m not too stubborn to ask for help when I know I need it, but I also like to do some digging before I reach out to someone else. I won’t lie – my impatience gets the best of me sometimes and I ask before I’ve put in enough effort on my own, but I’m working on not doing that!
There really is no perfect answer that works for everyone when it comes to knowing when to seek help, or what the best method is for approaching someone when you need help. However, as I’ve been paying closer attention to how people approach me for help, I think there are three important things everyone should do before any type of help is requested.
Do your own research – This should be a given, but unfortunately people think it’s OK to put the onus on someone else rather than investing time to find the information or answer. Maybe you won’t find the entire answer, but if you do some digging and come to the person you’re asking for help with at least some information, it shows initiative. And frankly, if you don’t know the person very well and you’re asking for help without doing some searching on your own, you immediately come off as lazy.
Taking time to figure out the answer on your own is really important for professional growth, as well. What is your boss going to think if you’re the person who always asks questions without at least making an attempt to answer them yourself first? Managers should never condemn smart questions, but jumping to questions before trying to problem solve on your own will not get you far in your career, or in life.
Think of specific questions – Rather than asking broad and very general questions (e.g. “How can I get a really great job like yours?”), come to the person you’re reaching out to with very specific questions. Recently, I’ve had a few PR students ask me very broad questions similar to my example. I could spend an hour talking about this, and I could write a novel of an email trying to explain this. Depending on the situation and timing, make it as easy as possible for the person you’re requesting help from to provide you with valuable answers. It’s going to take me longer to put my thoughts together around a broad question, but I can think of an answer more quickly the more specific you get.