The various employers you will encounter will be able to guess at your competence based on your reputation, how you carry yourself and often by asking some pointed questions or possibly by testing you in some way. This allows them to offer contracts suited to your skill, abilities and level. The more you do for a Guild or other patron the better they will get at matching you with the right jobs.
It is a good idea to choose something to be the focus for your Circle. It can change over time and you can do things unrelated to that focus but it gives you a foundation from which you can build your careers.
For example, your Circle may decide that for the most part you are Bounty Hunters but may take a job as mercenaries aboard an Elven ship.
Remember, you are always free to do whatever you like. Your focus may be something unlike anything you see here.
For example: you could decide that your focus is running the best tavern in the Lower Wheel, that you own and operate a gladiator stable or that you want to involve yourselves in politics to break the influence of the handling masters. It’s all up to you.
Not every member of your Circle needs to be a member of a Guild to get contracts from that Guild. Only one has to belong and will usually bear some sort of seal that serves as their credentials. This can be very helpful if the guard feels like hassling you for wearing armor or carrying weapons in the city.
Often, a Circle has members who belong to several Guilds. It is even possible to belong to more than one but some of the more prestigious of them frown on the practice and prefer loyalty.
For example: The Hand of Vengeance Circle has a Rogue who is a member of the Whispers, a thieves Guild that gets them contracts involving burglary and other larceny. Another of them is a sellsword whose membership in the Ironbound gives them access to mercenary contracts.
Bounty Hunting
These are "hunters of men" (and women) who track and capture for a price.
Some work for law enforcement, seeking those who have escaped justice.
Others will hunt anyone they are paid to hunt.
You can find more information about Bounty Hunting and Bounty Hunter's Guilds HERE
Caravans
Trade with the warring Freeholds out beyond the Wasted Wild is dangerous. These expeditions require guidance and protection. There are are several Guilds in the Merchant District of the Upper Wheel and in the Upside Sprawl who specify in that kind of work.
You can find more information about Caravaner's Guilds HERE
Crime
There are said to be over a hundred words for crime in the lingo spoken by those who inhabit Murgulmuir’s underworld. Crime is such a problem that the city has given up on trying to control it, choosing instead to prioritize their efforts based on influence and affluence. The Inner Wheel is heavily patrolled so is relatively peaceful but the Downside Warrens and sections of the Sprawl have effectively been left to their own devices.
Thieves Guilds specialize in specific sorts of crime and usually target specific areas.
For example: the Velvet Veil preys on aristocrats using seduction and other forms of intrigue. On the other hand, Marco’s Boyz are thugs whose contracts involve protection rackets and extortion.
Demon Slaying
When the Gods clashed during the Maelstrom the Infernal Gates were swung wide. Many of the demons and devils that escaped have been destroyed or banished but there are still an unknowable legion in the mortal realm. There are Guilds who seek out and destroy these blasphemies. It is very challenging but vital work.
Explorers
The Maelstrom left a lot of the world that was in ruins. There are Guilds whose members explore these gods forsaken areas. There is quite a bit in the ruins of the Old City at the edge of the Sprawl and in the Wasted Wild that surrounds the city.
Fighting
There is a broad range of Guilds that employ warriors (and Circles that include one or more vetted warriors) as sellswords.
There is usually war going on near the city in which case you may be paid to join the battle. When the battles are more remote, the better Guilds have access to Teleportation Circles that can get you to the action no matter where it happens to be.
Monster Hunting
The city infested by all manner or terrible creatures. There is work to be done as exterminators. These contracts are exceptionally dangerous but when there is need it is pressing and pays well.
Torchbearers
It is believed that the God of Death was slain during the Maelstrom. Since then, the dead - including the recently deceased and those long fallen - sometimes rise again as the undead. The Torchbearers seem out and destroy these horrors. Lone zombies are simple enough to put down but contracts to track a swarm of specters can be deadly.
Voyages
The Elven ships run by the Corsairs and often owned and operated by the Halfling trading companies often hire adventurers to bolster the protection offered by their marines. These companies contracts are often longer and more involved than those that take place in and around the city but can be very lucrative.
Hiring Hall
A clearing house for missions registered that don’t fall under the purview of a Guild or by those that for some reason prefer not to work with Guilds.
No membership is required to claim a contract at a Hiring Hall but because of this the staff won’t know you as well and won’t be as good at matching missions to your abilities so the challenge can be unpredictable and sometimes very dangerous. The pay also isn’t as good as you can get through a Guild, particularly if you have influence with them.
Patrons
There are individual Patrons who seek assistance directly rather than through a Guild or the Hiring Hall. This is a more direct and personal relationship than the others previously discussed.
For example: An Enchanter who needs someone to find him the rare materials he needs to create the items he sells.
Descriptions of the various Guild Halls can be found HERE
