It's Time To Do A SWOT Analysis On Yourself

A personal SWOT analysis is a great exercise to help you plan your next move. By, undertaking a personal SWOT analysis, you’ll see how your strengths can play to your weaknesses and how your threats could be potentially transformed into opportunities. At the very least, your weaknesses and threats will give you an issues list that you should be working on right away. 

If in the worst case, you’ve lost your employment, now is the time to do everything in your power to improve yourself, out-compete your competitors and become the most employable applicant on those future applications through some determined, hard work on self-improvement. 

STRENGTHS

Map out your strong points on your SWOT analysis- where you believe you outperform colleagues and competitors, what you’re confident doing, and the things you like to do that bring joy and keep you motivated at work. 

Don’t be afraid to seem a little egotistical in the process- there’s no shame in analysing yourself for strengths. 

Ask yourself: 

• What strengths do you possess? What’s a skill, certification, education, connection or personal interest that you can leverage further?
• Are there things that you can do better than anyone else? 
• Do you have access to any resources that give you a competitive advantage? 
• What do other people perceive as your strengths? 
• What are the achievements that you’re proud of?
• How do your values and morals support your vision for the future?
• How can you leverage your personal and professional network to achieve big things?

WEAKNESSES

Looking inward at your weaknesses can be a confronting exercise, no doubt. However, it’s one of the most transformative things you can do to improve your technical, professional competencies. 

Map out your weaknesses, so you’ve got a clear picture of what needs to change in the near future to turn them into strengths.

Ask yourself: 

• Do you lack confidence in certain areas?
• What tasks do you usually avoid in your day-to-day professional life?
• What do you think outsiders see as your weaknesses? 
• Do you lack any education, skills training, or professional development?
• What are some of your negative work habits? 
• Could you be more organised? A better communicator? More of a team player?
• Are you overwhelmed or over-stressed easily?

OPPORTUNITIES 

With the most confronting part of the whole process behind you, now you can turn to what opportunities are presenting themselves that you can take advantage of. 

Furthermore, with radical shifts in how the world does business, this pandemic has also opened many doors for organisations and professionals alike to leverage as they move into the future. You should keep all your possible options as wide as possible as you look to how you can capitalise and turn weaknesses into opportunities for your professional development or organisation. 

Ask yourself: 

• How can technology help you? 
• What are the opportunities in your industry? Is it growing? How can you capitalise? Has it shrunk? How can you jump in at a low point and capitalise as it improves?
• Are there any opportunities in your professional network to help and assist you with advice?
• Identify the management trends in your industry. How could you take advantage of them?
• Are your competitors failing to capitalise on an opportunity? This is an area you can punish them for neglecting. 
• Is there a customer need or expectation that isn’t being addressed? Could you propose an idea to your employer or an industry figure?
• What are the most common complaints or friction points that customers are mentioning? 

THREATS 

Analyse threats in your professional landscape and perhaps for your employer, too. By mapping these out, you will gain a sense of perspective, scale and urgency for the things that need to be addressed.

Ask yourself: 

• What is the state of your industry with recent events? 
• How competitive is this industry? 
• Within your organisation, are your colleagues competing against each other or working together? 
• Is the nature of your work - and the wider organisation - changing to something less desirable for the customer?
• Have there been decisions made that will impact customers negatively?
• How likely is technology or a competitor leveraging technology to disrupt your fundamental core offering?
• Could some of your weaknesses transform into a threat for yourself or your organisation? 

Lastly, remember to make yourself as sharp as possible, add as many parallel competencies into your arsenal, and show yourself or your employer that you are more competent and driven than many other candidates.

It's time to turn things around- take advantage of this time. 

Thanks, as always, for your time,

Kobi Simmat - Director & CEO of the Best Practice Group.