Thinking about your options

After looking at your skills, work values and work style you’re probably starting to get a feel for your future direction. The next step is to think about all the options open to you and to evaluate which ones would be right.

To start with, you’ve got three broad options:
1. Staying in the same type of role in the same industry
2. Looking for a similar role but in a different sector
3. A complete change of role, self-employment or an alternative lifestyle

Even if you’re planning to stay in the same kind of role, you still need to be able to recognise the right choice when it comes up.
If you’re thinking of a complete change, you must look at your options even more carefully to make sure you choose something that will work out in the future.

Read more or download the pdf here


Defining your personal options
Before you start pursuing particular roles, you need to define what makes the right kind of role for you. This means looking at your broader lifestyle as well as the type of work you can do.

What are the key factors that influence you?
- The balance between work and life
- Your commitments
- Your financial requirements
- Your preferences

What are the options open to you?
- Review your skills
- Review your values and work style
- Think about your interests at work and home (practical, investigative, artistic, social, enterprising and organisational)
- Think about what you want from a role and what an employer might need


The different employment options
It’s worth looking through all these options as you may discover that you want to consider part-time work, self-employment or a portfolio of roles.

The different employment options are:
- Permanent roles (either full or part-time)
- Contract roles (temporary work or fixed-term contract)
- Self-employment (consultancy, interim management, non executive directorships, setting up your own business, buying a business, running a franchise)
- Portfolio careers (several part-time roles, sometimes with self-employment or voluntary work)
- Working abroad
- Alternative lifestyles (retirement, voluntary work, charity work)


Researching market options
With a clearer idea about your future options, you need more information so that you can test out your ideas and refine your thinking.

What information are you looking for?
Knowledge is key to a successful job search, so you need to find out as much as you can:
 - What kinds of organisations need your skills?
 - What kinds of roles do those organisations offer?
 - What are their needs?
 - Look at different types of lifestyle and employment options
- Get advice from experts in your areas of interest (if you’re thinking of permanent or contract roles, please do not hesitate to contact Office Angels for advice)
 
Where do you start?
These are the main research routes:
- The internet (you can get a wide range of information and advice through specific websites or via search engines such as Google)
- Publications and journals (these are particularly good for information and ideas about particular roles. Articles and advertisements can tell you about the needs of specific organisations)
- Professional bodies (such as trade organisations, institutes and other bodies associated with your chosen option)
 - Libraries (can be a useful source of local and national information)
- Other people (friends, colleagues, neighbours, relatives and other contacts may have useful information about the options that interest you. All you have to do is ask!)


Evaluating your options
Having researched the options available to you, you should evaluate your top three and then go on to make a final choice.