In our last two articles, we showed you how to explore your interests and skills. Now it’s time to identify your best career options.

Remember, you’re looking for a career that will allow you to indulge your interests, and use your skills. (Finding work is much easier when you can describe what you want with clarity and confidence.)

Do a Reality Check
As you think about the types of work you may want to do, consider your achievements and your failures, and which skills you used -- or wished you had known -- in each case. Analyzing your accomplishments and failures and the role of your skills will help you define reasonable, long-term career strategies.

As you brainstorm about your job options, consider the “realities” in your life and assess your job choices accordingly. Are you interested in a certain kind of work, but lack the requisite skills? Or do you have great skills for a certain job or career, but no interest in performing the required tasks? Alternatively, maybe you have the skills and the interests, but the job market is flat, and there are no positions in your preferred field. Perhaps self-employment or another entrepreneurial option would be a good fit for your skills.

In some cases, you can overcome hurdles with a little initiative. The “right skills for the job” may simply mean extra training or courses. If finances are too tight for training, you may consider a job that’s similar or related to the one you really want, allowing you to gain the skills and experience you need for your ideal slot. If hurdles are geographic, perhaps relocating to a high-growth area -- or exploring a “virtual” position -- is in order. If self-employment or a small business seems daunting, maybe it could be phased in gradually, while you continue your present job. 

Create a Game Plan
To get a better sense of what your next steps should be, take a moment to list your top three career options or business ideas -- the ones you would most like to pursue. When your list is complete, the following exercise will help you “measure” them for a fit with the interests and skills you identified earlier.

Thinking of your first career/business option only, answer the following 20 questions with a simple “yes” or “no.”

1. Do your strongest motivations for listing this job/business come from your interests and your skills?
   
2. Are outside pressures (from family, peers, the job market, etc.) pushing you to pursue this kind of work?
   
3. Would your motivation in this job/business be strong enough to enable you to succeed?
   
4. Is this truly your dream option?
   
5. Will this choice satisfy your career desires for the long term?
   
6. Will this job/business serve more as a stepping stone to long-term career goals?
   
7. Will this job/business allow you to exercise and honor your values?
   
8. Does this job/business mesh with your interests?
   
9. Will this option tap into existing skills and experience?
   
10. Will this option enable or allow you to learn new skills?
    
11. Will this job/business be more of a joy than a burden?
    
12. Will you feel proud of what you are doing?
    
13. Will this option enable or allow you to achieve your personal objectives?
    
14. Will this option enable or allow you to achieve your professional objectives?
    
15. Will this job/business fit well in your personal, social, and family life?
    
16. Will you be happy in this work two years from now?
    
17. Will you be happy in this work five years from now?
    
18. Must you learn new skills to land this job or launch this business?
    
19. If you’re considering self-employment or a small business, does your spouse or partner support this choice?
    
20. If you’re considering self-employment or small business, are you certain of the demand for the products or services you’d like to provide?

Now, still thinking about your first career/business option only, dig in a bit deeper and answer the following questions:

1. What new skills or experience would you need, if any, to pursue this option? 
   
2. How can you learn more about the employment area or business you’ve chosen?
   
3. What are the barriers to pursuing this job or business, and how can you overcome them?
   
4. What is your “cut-off point” for the pursuit of this goal? If for any reason the goal eludes you, how long will you pursue it before going to “Plan B”?
   
5. Who are your allies, and how can they help you achieve this goal?
    

Get Views of Friends and Family
As you consider your options for a job or business, don’t forget to ask friends, family, and colleagues for objective opinions on where your “best fit” may be, in jobs, careers, companies, or self-employment. Then ask them why.

Their answers may not only broaden your thinking and stir your imagination, but point you in exciting new directions you may not even have considered.