Have you ever tried to catch a bee? While I’m not one for being in the garden over the weekend, I do know that it is difficult to catch a bee in your hand, or even with a net. Even if you do catch one, you probably won’t get many more than one at a time.

However, if you build a bee hive, the bees will come in numbers and without a great deal of effort, you can catch as many as you want.

The same approach should go for the way we manage our personal brand and career. How do you become the alluring bee hive and place yourself in the best possible position for attracting opportunities and relationships that will help boost your career? 

"Bee" Visible.

If you can’t be found, you make it difficult for people to provide you with opportunity. Your visibility comes from both the voice you have in your organization, but also through the other mediums available to you. Are you putting yourself in front of the people that provide opportunities both within and outside of your organization?

Things to consider;

• Are you on LinkedIn?
• Who knows your name and story?
• Are you presenting to your team and stakeholders or just in the crowd

Help Solve Problems For Anyone You Interact With.

The problem many people have when it comes to career management, is they see everyone else as a service provider or an obstacle to getting what they want. The most successful people flip this on its head, and help others first. It allows them to avoid the job boards and process focused recruitment activities, and improves the likelihood of being recommended, supported and promoted faster than others seeking the same goal.

Consider the people you work with and who work for you. Where will they be in five years and how can you help them achieve their goals? This about the “service providers” that associate with people you will never know. What can you do to help them?

The Return On Your Investment In The Relationships You Have Is Based On How Effectively You Help Them, Not How Valuable You Think You Are To Them.

The old saying “the squeaky wheel gets the grease” is partially true. These days it is more like “the wheel that is useful and can help me get where I need to be, gets the grease”. Whilst you are on the journey of your career, it is important to understand everyone else is on their own journey too. Help them achieve what they want to achieve. This can be as easy as an introduction to the right person to solve their problem, or as detailed as working them through a problem that is "make or break" in their own career. Doing this reduces the need for you to convince them to act, when you’re in need of their help. In fact, most people give back, without thinking too hard about it. There is a natural “I owe you” system built into the way we work.

Give First and Be Open To Receiving.

Making yourself open to receiving opportunities, makes it easier for others to feel they can help you. It doesn’t mean you take every opportunity that comes your way, but you need to be open. Expecting someone to “guess” what you’re thinking or assume you know the right opportunity, is not the correct way to become the honey pot. Give your time, give your thoughts, give your solutions first. The individuals you have relationships with, will learn a lot about you in this process and often will be much more inclined to provide valuable opportunities in return. From this point, obviously, be grateful.

 If you are ambitious and taking your career serious, are you building a bee-hive, or out there trying to "take" them one at a time? Do you see giving value to others as a way to attract opportunity, or is this strategy all too hard?

How well are you building your "Bee Hive" - Click here for the Career Health Check.