When we think about a SWOT analysis most people will think about this in a business context, but how many people actually apply this matrix to their own personal life? Whether you’re going for a job interview, thinking about a career change or perhaps looking to start up your own business; a personal SWOT analysis is a great way to better understand yourself, who you are and what you want to achieve.
The SWOT matrix can be used to help advance your career or gain clarity over your career direction by focusing on your strengths, identifying your weaknesses, uncover opportunities you may not have previously considered and manage the threats that may block you from moving forward.
What are your strengths and weaknesses?
When considering your strengths and weaknesses it is important to think about them in relation to your current environment and the people around you.
Strengths:
- Do you have a specialist skill, experience, qualification, connections or networks etc. that other people don’t have?
- What do other people see as your strengths?
- What Achievements in your career are you really proud of?
- What values do you believe in that others fail to exhibit?
Identifying your weaknesses will be more confronting but you will be more successful in life if you are aware of your weaknesses and put strategies into place to manage these. This will also help prepare you for the interview question “what area/s do you think you need further development in?”.
Weaknesses:
- Are there things or tasks that you avoid doing because you are not confident in your ability? e.g. public speaking
- What do other people see as your weaknesses?
- Do you have any negative work habits e.g. disorganised, poor time management, tardiness etc.
- Is there a gap in your skills and/or experience preventing you from moving forward or advancing in your career?
After looking at your strengths and weaknesses, have you identified any new opportunities to challenge yourself or areas for improvement that you could work on?
Opportunities:
- What opportunities are open to you?
- Is your industry growing and/or what trends can you take advantage of?
- Can you learn new skills or gain more experience in another area?
- How can you turn your strengths into opportunities?
Threats:
- Are there any obstacles or threats that you currently face at work?
- Is your job changing due to changes in technology or lack of demand?
- Could any of your weaknesses lead to threats?
So why not challenge yourself by drawing up a SWOT matrix and head into the new year with a new frame of mind. You might be surprised what opportunities present themselves that you hadn’t thought about previously.