A personal Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) analysis is a tool for determining an individual’s strengths and weaknesses. It can be done by an individual with the goal of discovering his or her talents in order to achieve career goals. It can also be used by a company on its employees with the goal of identifying the best qualities of the employees so that they can be effectively assigned to positions where their talents can be best utilized. This can be accomplished by completing a questionnaire that asks specific questions about the individual’s SWOT.
In a personal SWOT analysis, strengths are the characteristics that an individual believes are positive attributes that give him or her a competitive advantage in achieving a stated goal. If the goal is to work in a financial institution, attributes such as degrees, certifications, work experience, and training may be advantageous. Personal characteristics or traits that will be beneficial when applied to the pursuit of a goal can also be considered strengths. Strong leadership skills, the ability to work as part of a team, self-discipline, excellent communication skills, and an upbeat personality are examples of such personal characteristics. Lack of adequate work experience, lack of adequate certification, the wrong degree or no degree, and lack of training are all weaknesses in a personal SWOT analysis. Indecisiveness, poor communication skills, a lack of motivation, and excessive shyness are just a few examples of personal flaws.
In a personal SWOT analysis, opportunities are things in the environment that the individual can use to his or her advantage in order to achieve a stated goal. Openings in fields where the individual has an advantage due to training, education through experience, workshops and conferences where he or she can network with potential clients or employers, and free training at work are just a few examples. External factors that obstruct the achievement of stated goals are identified as weaknesses in a personal SWOT analysis. Competition at work in the form of more educated or better-skilled individuals, downsizing in the workplace, a lack of training or further education in the workplace, and limited opportunities for advancement in a chosen field are just a few of these flaws. Another type of flaw is majoring in a subject that isn’t very marketable because graduates in that field aren’t in high demand.