“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” Many of us have heard of this famous African proverb, and it often rings true in the world of work. It’s pretty much impossible to have a successful career without the support of a few people – and the right people, for that matter.
There’s also that other saying: “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know.” Well, we say it’s actually “It’s both what you know and who you know.”
It doesn’t matter how many books you read or how much you study, if you don’t know enough of the right people to help you get into the right doors. It also doesn’t matter how talented you are, if nobody knows who you are or what you do!
Being booksmart is all very well, but for many careers, it’s essential that you also have good people skills and know how to network effectively. Whether you’re looking for a corporate job or you are running your own business, it’s all about the “know, like and trust” factor.
Communities such as Black Create Connect offer an amazing platform to meet and connect with brilliant black professionals both online and in person.
What do we mean when we talk about community?
In the context of the professional world, a community can take many forms, and various formats both offline and online can also intertwine. They include, but aren’t limited to:
- Networking groups and events (in person and online)
- Conferences and trade shows (in person and online)
- Workshops and masterclasses (in person and online)
- Online discussion chat groups, such as those on Slack and WhatsApp
- Internet forums
- Social media groups, such as Facebook and LinkedIn groups
- Social media following and connections
- Newsletters
- Places of study, such as college, school, university or a study group (in person and online)
- A company and its employees and/or contractors
- People you have worked with, both currently and in the past
- Coworking spaces
- Coliving spaces (particularly popular with digital nomads)
The types of community you engage in will depend largely on your interests, industry, personality, lifestyle and time constraints. For example, some people prefer not to travel to any in-person networking and solely only engage with people online, whereas others need those face to face connections. Just try different things and see what works for you!
The benefits of being in a professional community
- It’s a space where you can find out about incredible opportunities for jobs, programmes and courses that you may not have heard about otherwise.
- You need to be visible in the right places in order to get known by people – being in a community will assist with that.
- Your interactions within a professional network is what helps to form your personal brand – your reputation, public perception, and how you’re seen as an authority in your industry.
- You can meet a diverse range of fascinating people to learn from and get exposed to many new ideas that will inspire you. This could be informally through their online content or by having interesting discussions with them.
- You can ask for advice from people in the know about a certain work topic that you’re struggling to find the answer for from Google.
- You could ask the community to help you with market research, whether this is just by having conversations or getting them to fill in a survey.
- You could meet someone in your chosen industry to become your mentor and show you the ropes. This could be an informal arrangement where you just chat whenever you need to, or it could be a more formal mentoring agreement in a structured programme. Either way, they could really help you to learn some valuable knowledge and avoid mistakes in navigating your chosen career.
- You can find and ask for recommendations of professionals to help you in your career, whether you’re looking for a coach, therapist, or CV writer to assist you in getting a job. Networks are also a great place to seek suppliers for your own business, your clients’ or your employers’.
- Over time, you can develop professional relationships with relevant people who later refer or recommend you to job vacancies where they have a connection to the company (eg, they are the CEO, an employee, or they know someone working there). It can sometimes be easier to get an interview this way rather than just applying as a cold applicant. Plus, you can also find out from them what it’s like to work at that particular company, especially in regards to its culture.
- It’s not just about what you can gain, but also what you can do to give value to others. You will likely have some useful knowledge that you can share to help other people, such as sharing your insight into what it’s like to study a certain course or work in a certain place. And as you develop in your career, your knowledge and experience will only accumulate. You’re more likely to be remembered and seen as someone useful and valuable if you know how to consistently help other people, and this can also lead to great opportunities for yourself.
- It can alleviate loneliness, especially if you are a freelancer, business owner or remote worker. It can really help to have a supportive community around you to lean on and discuss things when you need to.
- It’s not always about work – it’s also possible to find new friends, or maybe even a romantic partner, that enrich your personal life.
The Black Create Connect Community
Here at Black Create Connect, the core of our work is providing a valuable community for ambitious black professionals in the UK to connect and progress their careers. We have ample different ways of accessing it, such as our very active WhatsApp group, newsletter, in-person events and social media content. Learn more about our community here.
