Personal SWOT Analysis

What is SWOT Analysis?

• SWOT is an acronym for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats.
• Used by businesses and individuals for self-assessment and strategic planning.

Importance of Personal SWOT Analysis

• Useful for job hunting, career advancement, and life goals.
• Helps in understanding current and potential future states of career and life.

How to Conduct a Personal SWOT Analysis

• Honesty is crucial for meaningful results.
• View yourself from an objective perspective.
• Answer questions in each category with honesty.

Strengths

• List all strengths, even dormant ones.
• Focus on unique qualities compared to peers.

Weaknesses

• Identify areas needing improvement.
• Recognize factors that hold you back in career or life.

Opportunities

• Look at external factors that can be leveraged for success.
• Applicable to both work and personal life.

Threats

• Identify external factors that could harm your chances of success.

Analyzing the Matrix

• Matching: Connecting two categories for action.

  • E.g., matching strengths to opportunities to identify proactive steps.
  • Matching weaknesses to threats to understand defensive measures.

• Converting: Turning negatives into positives.

  • E.g., converting weaknesses into strengths through education.
  • Highlighting a weakness as a unique strength.

Follow-Through

• Essential to act on insights to ensure the analysis is effective.
• Align strengths with goals and navigate potential threats effectively.
• Aim for actionable and successful outcomes.

Resources

• Various SWOT templates available online.
• Offers own template, example, and comprehensive questions on request (via email).