There may be some situations where opportunities seem to just leap into our paths, but like birds of prey we probably have to hunt for the right opportunity. Whether you are researching potential employers, seeking sales leads, networking, or pitching to targeted clients there are many applicable lessons nature teaches.

As human beings, we are equipped with the power of choice, large complex brains, moral codes, and more. Access to modern conveniences mean we generally don’t have to spend a significant proportion of our lives finding food, and our long gestational periods, and the high survival rates of our offspring translate to a relatively low number offspring. We are interconnected, and I am impressed by large extended families that can live harmoniously in close proximity and pool resources. But in my experience, members of the same family are fore more likely to maintain separate households and make life choices independent of on another.

In contrast, wasps have much smaller brains than we do and unlike humans, they live in colonies populated by their relatives and don’t leave the nest. Led by Professor Sean O’Donnel, PhD, researchers at Drexel University studied the wasp societal structure and found that while the brain of each individual wasp is small, collectively the brains of wasps support the existence and success of the colony. Colony-dwelling insects are so in sync and with complete devotion they work toward a common purpose to such an extent that it as if an entire colony is one ant!

Collective intelligence can teach us about the power of actively participating in networks. Working alone, you will probably eventually uncover information leading to what you seek. But a network is a form of collected intelligence. The more you network, the more likely you are to uncover ideas, learn about companies, share information, get leads, and accelerate the pace of learning what it takes to thrive in the marketplace. Perfect your resume, polish your interviewing skills, and be willing to demonstrate how you will be able to support the ongoing success of all members of your network.

Besides being the star ingredient in sashimi fugu, a dish which can be fatal if not properly prepared, the puffer fish or blow fish is equipped with the ability to puff itself up in times of danger or distress. Some male amphibians and birds also puff up or display full plumage in order to catch the attention of a mate.

In a TED Talk, Harvard professor and social psychologist Amy Cuddy says that we humans instinctively cast our arms in and upraised wide manner when we feel victorious. But, she says we don’t have to wait around until a deal is struck or until an interview is over. We can induce feelings of well-being and confidence simply by assuming a posture of power. As a job seeker you can raise your arms in a a victory pose in the privacy of your home or car before an interview or marketing pitch.

We are all born with talents. But how do we apply them? Strengths and gifts have to developed and put to use to make us industrious prosperous. Look at the beaver: bestowed with super strong teeth, beavers thrive in wetlands and have been known to persistently divert water much to the chagrin of developers. Beavers have been known to enlarge ponds, change the flow of streams and rivers. Swedish researchers concluded that beavers are born with the ability to create dams. A group of beavers that had never had access to building materials or the opportunity to build dams was able to build a dam similar to the dam of the control group. In the wild, young beavers work alongside older beavers within their social group. The young ones do okay on their own, but with guidance they become master builders by working shoulder-to-shoulder with master builders.

What can we learn? Internships, apprenticeships, co-ops can all be excellent opportunities for skill-building. Having the wisdom of a trusted advisor can help you better yourself. Enlisting a mentor might be a good idea. Identify someone who might be able to help and ask them to help you. Don’t know anyone who fits that description? According to entrepreneur Paul Carrick Brunson, it is possible to be mentored by a person you’ve never met personally. No matter the circumstances, seek guidance and as you develop your career make yourself available to others who might need a mentor in the future.

Pheromones are hormones released by an animal in order to affect the behavior of other members of its species. Dogs, cats, mice, moths, and ants are among the many members of the animal kingdom that secrete hormones. Animals release pheromones to signal the desire to mate or to communicate the route to food sources. Have you ever seen an ant trail? Pheromones. Or perhaps you’ve witnessed an unspayed female cat that seems to attract male cats from afar. Again pheromones.

Net worth, value and reputation are all signals business send out to the economy. In this case, the business or company doing the hiring seeks to maximize its chances of success by attracting the most desirable customer and the most strongest available talent. Stock prices, annual reports, branding, low workforce turnover rates–these are all bits of information employers send out into the economy. Job seekers have the dual task of detecting these signals and sending signals of their own out to the job market. How? Let people know what you are good at and that you are available. Being aware of industry developments, researching the company, stories that are evidence that you can do the job they need done can potentially influence businesses to hire you.

Have you ever seen video of salmon swimming upstream to spawn. Or maybe you are lucky enough to have witnessed this spectacle live. Salmon have a reliable ability to find precisely the stream in which they were spawned many seasons prior. To return there to spawn young of their own, salmon swim against the current often leaping out of the water, at the risk of easily being eaten by predators. Wouldn’t it be easy for them to just, you know, head to the nearest calm bay, do the deed, then head out to smoother, less perilous waters for some seafood to celebrate the continuation of their lineages? And how do they re-trace their steps? Oregon State University researchers have found that salmon are able to locate the tributaries of their birth by imprinting on the earth’s magnetic field.

If you find yourself looking for work, it is important to assess all of your values, and your strengths, in order to find the best fit to use your all. Use these to guide to your next step. Like salmon swimming upstream on a mission fraught with obstacles all for the purpose of reproducing, a candidate in any market has to do some soul-searching and determine her own purpose and her own mission. With clarity and focus you too can locate exactly where you need to journey to. Expending energy to land clients or the right job is tough, so check where your gifts and strengths are guiding you. Finding a good fit can feel like swimming upstream, as you press  forward in the face of obstacle after obstacle. People don’t have to wait for the same timing cues that salmon follow. But be like a salmon during this process so you can find a way to pursue your mission and use your talents where you will flourish!

Besides being fascinating, animals  can teach us many lessons from the skills they use to adapt to and exist in their given environments. We humans though have the extraordinary opportunity to go beyond mere survival. Once our basics are covered we can choose what to do to enjoy the lives and connections that we build.

Falcon kincese_j CC Zero

 Wasps, Beaver Qedem1611 via Morguefile

Puffer fish KevinYi CC Zero

Salmon dannymoore1973 CC Zero