How and why to make a personal SWOT analysis

1. Let's start with the English letter S (strengths), which is the first in the abbreviation S.W.O.T. and symbolizes the element of strengths. Make a list of your strengths - qualities, skills, abilities, which are your internal capital. This is what you do “with your eyes closed”, for which you respect yourself and be proud of what you can easily share with others and even teach. These are your internal points of stability.

Guiding questions to help you fill out this square:

    What can I do well?
    What things do people appreciate in me?
    What are my professional achievements?

Do not be shy, as in this exercise excessive modesty is useless. Think about both your professional and personal qualities. And ultimately you get a list of what you need to use.


2. Next, the letter W (weaknesses), denoting weaknesses. Make a list of your weaknesses. Try to be as honest as possible, everyone has flaws. This list is your potential: what you can become, what you need to strive for. This square is a good opportunity to do self-research, self-awareness, build a plan of personal development, moving along its path.

To formulate weaknesses will help questions:

    What am I most afraid of personally and professionally?
    What needs to be improved in me?

Everything that you write in this square creates your internal instability and requires your close attention. This is what needs to be developed.


3. The next stage O (opportunities) - opportunities. In a free form, describe the opportunities that open up to you in the presence of the strengths that you have already formulated. Everything that the outside world offers you - courses, schools, languages, hobbies, travels, diplomas, certificates. All that increases your value in society. This square also includes important acquaintances, expanding contacts, someone's authoritative opinion about you, recommendations, cooperation, completed projects and implemented actions.

Do not miss anything and mention all the features will help questions:

    What can I do to highlight my strengths?
    What professional opportunities do I have to prove my competence to colleagues and superiors?

This square describes your external stability points. This is what you need to do.


4. The last square to fill in is T (Threats), which in translation from English means threats. This is the part of our life that we ourselves may not fully understand. Something bothers us, something disturbs us, something controls us. This is all that is “in the shadow” of our understanding and consciousness. While working on this item, make a list of adverse events that may occur on the way to achieving the goal in connection with your weaknesses.

Guiding questions can help:

    What is the threat to my professional life?
    What hinders my career advancement?
    Who are my direct competitors at work?

In this square, you indicate all the external points of instability that matter to you at this stage of life. This is what needs to be explored.

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