What is a Personal SWOT Analysis?
From the above you can see how beneficial this could be for a business, but it can be equally beneficial to you, personally. Whether you’re looking to start a new business or attempting to climb the corporate ladder, a personal SWOT analysis can help you achieve your goals.
A personal SWOT analysis can help you spot opportunities you didn’t know existed or identify problems or circumstances that could have a negative effect on your career. This creative self-assessment method can give you a clear view of where your career currently is and where it could potentially go in the future.
How to conduct a Personal SWOT Analysis
Examples of questions you could ask yourself in a Personal SWOT Analysis that cover your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats,
Answer the following questions within each category:
Personal SWOT Strengths
- What professional qualification/skills do you have that makes you stand out from the crowd?
- What expertise do you have that makes you vital to your business?
- What projects have you completed successfully?
- What personal resources do you have access to?
- What do others see as your strengths?
- Which achievement are your most proud of?
Personal SWOT Weaknesses
- Where are your weaknesses in your skills/qualifications?
- Do you have bad habits that could be holding you back?
- What tasks do you usually avoid because you don’t feel confident doing them?
- What do others see as your weaknesses?
Personal SWOT Opportunity
- Are there any significant changes/advancements in your industry that you can take advantage of?
- Is there a new technology or industry trend that you can use in the future?
- Is there a new position advertised that matches your skill set?
- Is there a need in your company or industry that no one is filling?
Personal SWOT Threats
- What obstacles do you currently face at work?
- Is one of your peers doing a better job than you in a similar role?
- Does technology threaten your position?
- Are your personal traits hurting your career advancements?
How you can benefit from a SWOT analysis personally?
You can use your SWOT analysis to coordinate your strengths with opportunities and take aggressive action in those areas. Alternatively, you can match your weaknesses with threats to discover situations you should avoid to stay ahead. Once you’ve completed the analysis you can use the information gleaned to convert weaknesses into strengths and threats into opportunities.
Improve at work: You can use your personal SWOT analysis to improve at work. The analysis will offer you great insights, actionable steps and targeted goals, which will help you achieve professional and personal success. Knowing how to improve yourself and what set-backs to avoid can also help you to become more confident in yourself and in your position.
Weed out weaknesses and boost strengths: If you’re looking to start a business a personal SWOT analysis will help you weed out weaknesses and threats before they prematurely effect your business. Similarly, you can use the strengths and opportunities you discover to give your new business a competitive advantage.
Improve relationships: Improving yourself will have the added benefit of improving your relationships with your partner, family members, friends and colleagues.
Don’t know where to start? The following slide will assist you in what factors you need to consider when putting together a SWOT analysis.