Personal SWOT Analysis

Making the Most of Your Talents and Opportunities

•You are most likely to succeed in life if you use your talents to their fullest extent.

•Similarly, you'll suffer fewer problems if you know what your weaknesses are, and if you manage these weaknesses so that they don't matter in the work you do.

•So how you go about identifying these strengths and weaknesses, and analyzing the opportunities and threats that flow from them? SWOT Analysis is a useful technique that helps you do this.

•What makes SWOT especially powerful is that, with a little thought, it can help you uncover opportunities that you would not otherwise have spotted.

•And by understanding your weaknesses, you can manage and eliminate threats that might otherwise hurt your ability to move forward.

•If you look at yourself using the SWOT framework, you can start to separate yourself from your peers, and further develop the specialized talents and abilities you need to advance your career.

Let’s start our own analysis

•We will have some questions for

•Strengths (S)

•Weaknesses (W)

•Opportunities (O)

•Threats (T)

You need to write your real answers without cheating from your friends or manipulating your answers

Tips:
Think about your strengths in relation to the people around you.

 For example, if you're a great mathematician and the people around you are also great at math, then this is not likely to be a strength in your current role – it may be a necessity.

•Strengths

•What advantages do you have that others don't have (for example, skills, certifications, education, or connections)?

•What do you do better than anyone else?

•What personal resources can you access?

•What do other people see as your strengths?

•Which of your achievements are you most proud of?

•What values do you believe in that others fail to exhibit?

•Consider this from your own perspective, and from the point of view of the people around you. And don't be modest or shy – be as objective as you can.

•And if you have any difficulty with this, write down a list of your personal characteristics. Some of these will hopefully be strengths

•Weaknesses

•What tasks do you usually avoid because you don't feel confident doing them?

•What will the people around you see as your weaknesses?

•Are you completely confident in your education and skills training? If not, where are you weakest?

What are your negative work habits (for example, are you often late, are you disorganized, do you have a short temper, or are you poor at handling stress?

•Do you have personality traits that hold you back in your field? For instance, if you have to present something on a regular basis, a fear of public speaking would be a major weakness.

•Again, consider this from a personal/internal perspective and an external perspective.

• Do other people see weaknesses that you don't see?

•Do your friends consistently perform better than you?

•Be realistic – it's best to face any unpleasant truths as soon as possible.

•Opportunities

•What new technology can help you? Or can you get help from others or from people via the Internet?

•Do you have a network of great contacts to help you, or offer good advice?

•What trends do you see in your institution, and how can you take advantage of them?

•Is there a need in your personality on which you have to work hard?

•Do your teachers or friends complain about something in your personality? If so, could you start working with enthusiasm?

•Threats

•What obstacles do you currently face at study ?

•Are any of your colleagues competing with you in various skills?

•Is your study pattern changing? If yes, how are you planning?

•Could any of your weaknesses lead to threats?

•This helps you focus on your strengths, minimize your weaknesses, and take the greatest possible advantage of opportunities available to you.