personal swot analysis essay

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Use a personal SWOT analysis to discover your strengths and weaknesses

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What’s a personal SWOT analysis?

How to conduct a personal swot analysis, 23 personal swot analysis examples, after your analysis, final tips when performing a personal swot analysis, face the truth, find success.

If a company wants to scale up its workforce, branch into a new market, or set quarterly objectives, it must first assess the risks and benefits of these changes. Much like creating a pros and cons list for a personal decision, a leadership professional will perform a SWOT analysis to examine the organization’s s trengths, w eaknesses, o pportunities, and t hreats.

This analysis has been a crucial part of corporate planning for over 50 years, but did you know it’s also a great tool for your professional development ?

A personal SWOT analysis helps you look critically at the value you bring to the workplace and ways to improve your performance. This tool is especially effective when making strategic career moves, whether you want to change jobs or receive the promotion you’ve been eyeing.

A personal SWOT analysis is a self-assessment tool focused on outlining your professional strengths and weaknesses, opportunities for growth, and threats to your success.

Conducting a SWOT analysis is helpful when setting professional development goals. This insight offers a clear picture of where you shine, areas you can improve, and opportunities that lead to success. But the process is only effective if done correctly.

When learning how to do a personal SWOT analysis, start by dividing a sheet of paper or digital document into four quadrants (one for each SWOT section). Then, it’s time to ask the hard questions, using humility and self-awareness to respond without self-serving biases . You want your analysis to be as effective as possible, and that means being honest.

Unbiased assessments are hard to come by. A Businessweek survey asked 2,000 Americans, “Are you one of the top 10% of performers in your company?” Across all subgroups (job title, age, etc.) at least 80% of respondents answered positively . While confidence is encouraged , try to be as realistic as possible when conducting your SWOT analysis.

That said, you might be working to overcome insecurities at work. Don’t downplay your employee strengths and overfocus on your weaknesses. This type of unbalanced assessment can be demotivating, disheartening, and ultimately a form of self-sabotage .

To help you create a balanced and effective analysis, here’s how to fill out each of the four sections. 

Start your analysis by writing down all your personal strengths. 

This is an essential part of the assessment because writing down your strengths starts the whole process off positively, which might boost your self-image.

Ask yourself the following questions:

• What am I naturally good at?
• What advantages do I have that others don’t?
• What would my boss or coworkers say are my strengths?
• What achievements (education, skills, etc.) set me apart from my colleagues?
• What connections or resources do I have that can help me achieve my goals ?

Include strengths related to natural talent, work experience, and hard and soft skills . Take note of them all — you never know which proficiency will be the key to your success.

Now, it’s time to humble yourself (just a little) by examining your personal weaknesses. 

Write down the places where you have room to improve, the bad habits you need to ditch , and anything else that might prevent you from being your best self at work. Ask yourself the following questions: 

• What are my negative habits or personality traits ?
• Are there areas where my education, training, or skills are lacking compared to my peers?
• Which skills do I want to improve?
• What do I avoid because I lack confidence ?
• If I think about a time when I “messed up” at work, what did I do?

This part of your SWOT analysis encourages you to look honestly at yourself to make the changes and build the habits that will lead to your success. And, as a bonus, this exercise makes answering “ What are your weaknesses? ” easier in a job interview.

Opportunities

So far, you’ve focused on your individual work performance. It’s time to broaden your scope and look at career opportunities. 

Consider potential growth within your industry, company, and current position. Are you currently poised for the career growth you want? To find out, ask yourself questions like:

• What’s the current state of my industry? Is it growing?
• What new technology could help me achieve my goals?
• How could my network help me take the next step?
• What new skills can I acquire to increase my value as an employee?
• Are there professional moves (like a career change or lateral shift ) that would help me reach my goals more efficiently?

Finally, address the potential threats that could get in the way of meeting your goals. These include external factors, like an unstable economy or competition from your coworkers, and internal struggles, like bad habits or a lack of education. Ask yourself questions like: 

• Who’s my workplace competition?
• Is my industry changing direction?
• Do technological advancements threaten my position?
• Do any of my weaknesses threaten my career success?
• What’s the current state of the economy?

Now, your personal SWOT analysis is complete. Use this document to brainstorm goals and strategize action plans as you advance your career.

It’s clear that a SWOT analysis is essential for strategic career planning. But what does this analysis look like in practice? Here are several examples to help you understand how to complete this self-assessment.

• I’m a creative thinker , which helps me solve problems for my team in original and effective ways.
• I work well under pressure and in a fast-paced environment. 
• I’ve earned an advanced degree , demonstrating my willingness to work hard and my expertise in my field.
• I’m organized and detail-oriented .
• I’m personable and friendly, and I’ve built an extensive network of friends throughout my industry. 
• I’m resourceful and always try to solve issues myself before bothering coworkers or managers. 
• I ask good questions , which means I gain valuable and informative responses back and the listener feels I care about what they have to say.
• I sometimes lack the willpower to complete my projects, leading to procrastination and rushed work. 
• I’m often late to work because I lose track of time or oversleep in the mornings . 
• I previously had issues with a difficult coworker , and the disagreement made higher-ups see us both negatively.
• I don’t have as much AI technology experience as another colleague applying for the same position. 
• I’m often too shy to speak up during team meetings.
• I have presentation anxiety , and this causes me to turn down valuable opportunities to share my expertise and put myself out there.

• My company isn’t reaching a critical market at the moment. I could draft a proposal for reaching that market and make a great impression on my boss.
• Technology advances like ChatGPT and other AI tools could help me become more productive at work . 
• I could contact one of my mentors for career advice or a recommendation for the position I’m applying for. 
• I could take an online course to build my skill set during my off hours. 
• I could work with a career coach to improve my interviewing skills before I apply for a new position. 
• As technology advances, my position may require more education or specialization. 
• I often complete projects more slowly than my colleagues.
• My bad habits (procrastination, tardiness, etc.) could make recruiters and managers view me as unreliable. 
• AI programs might make my job obsolete , so I should prepare for a career change if necessary.
• My industry is growing rapidly, and new talent fresh from college is always joining the company, increasing my competition. 

Your SWOT analysis is like a roadmap, showing you the paths you can take for self-improvement . But having a map is only one step of your journey — now you need to chart your course. 

After completing your assessment, make an action plan that helps you achieve your goals. Here are two ways of doing this: 

Matching categories means using your strengths to correct your weaknesses. This is a great method for mitigating threats, as you use your skill set to improve overall performance.

Let’s say you listed “ creativity ” as a strength and “ time management ” as a weakness. Look for ways to use your creativity to manage your time more effectively. You might start bullet journaling to track your schedule and daily goals. 

Spinning the negative involves turning threats into positives by being proactive. Recognizing career development threats early on means you can take steps to avoid them before they block your path.

If you listed “increased competition” as a risk to your position, consider taking some online courses or in-person seminars to pad your portfolio. This might set you apart from your colleagues and secure your job. 

With a definition, guide, and examples in hand, you’re bound to conduct a good analysis. Make it great by following these tips:

Ask for help: While this analysis is personal, that doesn’t mean you need to go about it alone. And an outsider’s perspective might offer new insights.

Ask a trusted friend, coworker, or mentor to consider analysis questions with you, like what you’re naturally good at and whether your industry is changing. Their input offers you a more well-rounded and objective analysis. 

Dig deeper: When considering your strengths and weaknesses, a couple things might pop up immediately. Maybe your parents have always ragged on you for being a perfectionist, or your friends regularly affirm your loyalty.

While these are great aspects to devote time to, you might be surprised what you find if you dig deeper, and this deeper dive might reward you with more fulfilling growth.

For example, you might discover that you tend to micromanage your direct reports. If you hadn’t taken your search a level further you mightn’t have stumbled upon this important improvement area.

Reward yourself with self-care: Conducting these analyses is hard and emotionally challenging work. You might not love the weaknesses or risks you stumble across, and it takes grit to continue forward, completing your analysis and working toward improvement. Reward yourself for all this hard work with some self-care , like a bath or some reading.

Leverage motivational techniques: Post-analysis, use techniques like creating a vision board , reciting positive affirmations , and journaling to help you reach your self-improvement goals. These tools will help you focus on your objectives and remind you of the finish line when you need more motivation. 

A personal SWOT analysis is an excellent tool for setting professional development goals . Whether you’re a new graduate starting your career, a seasoned professional climbing the ladder, or a worker looking to make a big change, this assessment defines your path forward. 

Now all you have to do is take the first step on your roadmap.

Unlock your potential today

Explore how targeted coaching can elevate your career and personal growth. Let's find the right path together.

Elizabeth Perry, ACC

Elizabeth Perry is a Coach Community Manager at BetterUp. She uses strategic engagement strategies to cultivate a learning community across a global network of Coaches through in-person and virtual experiences, technology-enabled platforms, and strategic coaching industry partnerships. With over 3 years of coaching experience and a certification in transformative leadership and life coaching from Sofia University, Elizabeth leverages transpersonal psychology expertise to help coaches and clients gain awareness of their behavioral and thought patterns, discover their purpose and passions, and elevate their potential. She is a lifelong student of psychology, personal growth, and human potential as well as an ICF-certified ACC transpersonal life and leadership Coach.

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How to Write a SWOT Analysis (Template and Examples Included)

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Written by  Scribendi

Planning for the Future

Where do you see yourself in five years? How about your career? Your business? 

These questions keep a staggering amount of people awake at night. All too often, the future can seem like a dark, ominous cloud that looms just out of view. As the old proverb goes, we fear the unknown—and little can possibly be more unknowable than the future.

While there is no crystal ball that can accurately predict future market trends or the steps you should take to optimize your productivity and sharpen your competitive edge, we can offer some advice: Reframe the question. Rather than trying to pinpoint where you think you might be in five years, think about where you want to be at that point in time. Once you have a destination in mind, you can start planning a route to get there. After all, maps are great tools, but they can't help you if you don't know where you're going.

So, what's the metaphorical map in this scenario? We present to you the SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) analysis.

How to Write a SWOT Analysis

SWOT analyses are great strategic tools that are useful in project planning, business development , financial strategizing, and personal advancement . Simple, honest, and to-the-point, they facilitate a profound understanding of your or your business's current standing. Essentially, a SWOT analysis is a comparative list of all your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.

There's more power in this process than you might think. You may be only hazily aware of your own strengths and weaknesses. However, thoughtfully recording and reflecting on them creates a thorough, conscious familiarity with both the resources available to you and the obstacles standing in your way. This awareness allows you to map out a path toward your goals with great precision and purpose. Writing a SWOT analysis will help you clearly evaluate whether your goals are feasible according to your resources and needs.

In this guide, we'll break down exactly how to write a SWOT analysis and provide a few examples along the way. Feel free to use our SWOT analysis template, given below, to write your own!

Our SWOT Analysis Template

Your list of strengths should focus on your current resources and abilities. It should relate to things that you do or that your company does well. These might be your or your company's accomplishments—both great and small—and the assets that you or your company have. Your strengths give you your greatest edge; they are the resources that propel you forward and that you can continue to develop as you progress.

When you draw up your first SWOT analysis, you may find yourself at a loss. Don't worry—it's difficult for most people to come up with an objective list of strengths and weaknesses on the spot. For your convenience, we've included a list of questions you can ask yourself to get started.

These questions should help you identify a few of your strengths. Remember, while our example questions mostly relate to business strengths, they can also apply to personal strengths. Go ahead and boast as much as you can.

• What sets your company apart from others?
• What do you have that other companies don't?
• What are you most proud of about your company?
• What makes clients come back to you?
• What does your company do well?
• What assets do you have access to?
• What qualities does your company have that other companies try to emulate?
• What has always been easy for your company? 

Listing your weaknesses might be a little more uncomfortable than detailing your strengths, but trust us—doing so will help you in the long run. Understanding the obstacles in your path and the elements of your business or skills you may need to improve is just as important as appreciating your strengths. Once you're aware of your weaknesses, you can start working on them and building your next steps around them.

Your list of weaknesses should pertain to any current problems and challenges. Check out the list of questions below—it should give you an idea of where to start. Again, if you'd rather focus on your personal or career growth, feel free to alter these questions to suit your needs.

• What makes your company blend in with its competition?
• What do other companies have that you don't?
• What are the most common criticisms that you receive from clients?
• Why have certain clients not returned to you?
• What does your company need to improve upon?
• What kind of feedback do you receive from your employees?
• What might your competition consider to be a weakness?
• What has always been difficult for your company?
• What are you unwilling to do or change?

Opportunities

Think about the opportunities available to you as potential future strengths. Your opportunities are the assets, resources, and events that could be beneficial to you in some way in the future. You may need to change some of your current approaches or adapt in other ways to capitalize on these opportunities, and that is not necessarily a bad thing.

Here are some questions you can ask yourself to identify your potential opportunities:

• What is happening in the current market that you could capitalize upon?
• What changes have you been making that have returned positive results?
• What is working for other companies?
• How could you introduce new technology to make your processes more efficient?
• What costs can you cut?
• Could you access new sectors or demographic groups?
• How can you improve or modernize your marketing techniques?
• How can you remove existing obstacles?

  Threats

Just as your opportunities are based on potential, so are your threats; these are the possible obstacles or issues that are not yet directly affecting your progress. But this doesn't mean that you shouldn't start thinking about them! Being aware of the challenges that you may encounter will help you either plan around them or confront them with solutions. Try to come up with several future events that may realistically hinder the momentum you build from engaging with your strengths and opportunities.

To get started, take a peek at our list of questions:

• What obstacles might your weaknesses create?
• Do changing market trends negatively affect your competitive edge?
• What might stand in the way of the changes you make to accommodate your strengths and opportunities?
• Do you have a lot of debt?
• Could your competition exploit your weaknesses?

How did you do? Do you feel like you've listed everything? Or do you think you're missing something? Below, we've drafted examples of a business and a personal SWOT analysis to provide you with some perspective on what a completed one might look like.

An Example of a Personal SWOT Analysis

An Example of a Business SWOT Analysis  

Final Words

The humble but effective SWOT analysis will produce a detailed map of your current environment—its hills and valleys alike. Knowing how to write a SWOT analysis will provide you with the vantage point you need to choose a direction and blaze a trail toward your goals. SWOT analyses may not be crystal balls, but they are something like compasses. Use them wisely, and you will never be lost.

Image source: cookelma/unspla sh.com

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23 Best Personal SWOT Analysis Examples for Students

Chris Drew (PhD)

Dr. Chris Drew is the founder of the Helpful Professor. He holds a PhD in education and has published over 20 articles in scholarly journals. He is the former editor of the Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education. [Image Descriptor: Photo of Chris]

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SWOT stands for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.

It’s common for students to have a complete mind blank when asked to write a SWOT analysis. It can be hard to step back and objectively figure out what to place in each box in the analysis matrix.

However, by looking at some examples from other students, you can start to conceptualize what’s expected of you and even find yourself agreeing with some of their points.

Take a look at these personal SWOT analysis examples and see if you can cherrypick some key points that might resonate with you.

Pick and choose the points that resonate most with you so you can create your own unique SWOT chart.

Personal SWOT Analysis Examples for Students

1. swot analysis template.

Goal: Write down what your goal is.

2. Personal SWOT Analysis Example

Goal: To gain confidence at university.

Read Also: 42 US Colleges With Bear Mascots

3. Academic Writing Example

Goal: To get an A in an essay this semester.

4. New Student Example

Goal: To Get into a Routine and Comfortable on Campus.

5. College Student Example

Goal: To raise my GPA by 0.5 this year.

6. International Student Example

Goal: To gain confidence in a new society and develop cultural competencies.

7. Education Student Example

Goal: To develop skills and knowledge in teaching.

8. Sociology Student Example

Goal: To figure out how to use my sociology degree to get a career job.

9. Bachelor of Arts Student Example

Goal: To figure out what I want my major to be

10. High School Student Example

Goal: To develop the skills that I’ll need at college next year

11. Math and Science Example

Goal: To get a job in the science field following graduation.

12. Digital Marketing Example

Goal: To improve my skills in digital marketing while still at university.

13. Masters Degree Example

Goal: To complete my masters degree within 3 years

14. Business Student Example

Goal: To gain the skills I need to start my own business in the future.

15. Nursing Student Example

Goal: To get a job in nursing after I graduate with a good GPA.

16. Teacher Example

Goal: To gradually improve my pedagogical competencies in the next 12 months.

17. PhD Student Example

Goal: To make it through the first year of doing a PhD.

18. Internship or Practicum Example

Goal: To grow my confidence in a workplace situation and see if I like this career path.

19. Exchange Student Example

Goal: To broaden my horizons for an exchange semester.

20. Thesis or Dissertation Example

Goal: To get a high grade for my dissertation.

21. Teamwork and Groupwork Example

Goal: To complete our team project and get the best grade in the class.

22. Psychology Student Example

Goal: To get a career in clinical psychology.

23. Graduating Student Example

Goal: To smoothly transition into an entry-level position in my career choice

What does SWOT Analysis Stand For?

SWOT stands for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. These are the four key categories that you need to look at to develop an action plan for improving your skills as a student.

Under each column think about what you will write:

• Strengths: What are you aware that you’re good at right now? Make sure it’s relevant to your goal. For example, if your goal is to gain confidence at university, make it relevant to that and not something completely different (being really good at hotdog eating contexts is irrelevant to becoming a more confident student!)
• Weaknesses: What do you struggle with right now? Again, keep it relevant to your goal. If your goal is to get an A in your next paper, reflect on your weaknesses in essay writing.
• Opportunities: What can you think of that might be a valuable resource, support network, or another type of opportunity that can help you to meet your state goal?
• Threats: What can you think of that might make it hard to meet your goals? It’s good to know these so you can prepare ahead and minimize the chance that they will become major obstacles.

What is the Purpose of a SWOT Analysis?

The point of the SWOT analysis is to get you thinking about how you can prepare for improvement. If you know your weaknesses, opportunities, and potential challenges, you can work on the weaknesses, embrace the opportunities, and avert the threats. This will help you get closer to your goals.

Another alternative type of reflective analysis is the Johari Window , which is best completed in teams where your team members can provide input for you.

How to Do a SWOT Analysis

What to write for strengths.

When writing about strengths on a SWOT Analysis, you want to write about things that you’re personally good at.

These strengths are ‘internal’, meaning they’re features about you that make you good at things. They’re things under your direct control.

One problem students come across is that they don’t focus on strengths that are relevant to your goals . So, focus on strengths that can help you achieve your goals.

Key considerations when writing about strengths include:

• What do you do well (in relation to your goal)?
• What study skills do you currently have?
• What academic writing and research skills do you currently have?
• What workforce skills do you currently have?
• What soft skills do you currently have?
• What hard skills do you currently have?

We have a list of 110 strength examples for a SWOT analysis that you can browse to find ones that work for you.

What to Write for Weaknesses

When writing about weaknesses on a SWOT Analysis, you want to write about things that you’re personally not very good at.

These weaknesses are ‘internal’, meaning they’re features about you that you know are not your strongest trait. Like strengths, these weaknesses need to be things under your direct control.

Remember ot keep them relevant to your goals . So, focus on weaknesses that might prevent you from achieving your goals.

Key considerations when writing about weaknesses include:

• What do you think you’re not very good at (in relation to your goal)?
• What do you struggle with when studying?
• What are your weaknesses in regards to academic writing and researching?
• What workforce readiness skills do you lack?
• What soft skills do you lack?
• What hard skills do you lack?

We have a list of 79 weaknesses examples for a SWOT analysis that you can browse to find ones that work for you.

What to Write for Opportunities

When writing about opportunities on a SWOT Analysis, you want to write about things that you can rely on to help you reach your goals.

These opportunities are ‘external’, meaning they’re not personal features about you, but resources, people, or events that you turn to for help.

Again, remember to talk about opportunities that are relevant to your goals .

Key considerations when writing about opportunities include:

• Are there upcoming seminars, classes, or lectures that can help you improve?
• Do you have access to resources to help you improve?
• Do you have access to people or friends who can help you out?

We have a list of 61 opportunity examples for a SWOT analysis that you can browse to find ones that work for you.

What to Write for Threats

When writing about threats on a SWOT Analysis, you want to write about things that are outside of your direct control that might interfere with you achieving your goals.

These external threats are examined so you can predict them and think about ways to either avoid or mitigate their effects.

Remember to talk about threats that are relevant to your goals .

Key considerations when writing about threats include:

• What contextual factors might get in the way of your goals?
• What obstacles can you predict that might interfere with your plans?
• What resources do you lack that would otherwise be helpful?

A SWOT analysis is designed to get you thinking about how to use your personal strengths and opportunities to your advantage, while also improving your weaknesses and mitigating threats that you can predict.

While these examples can help get you mind turning, remember that your SWOT Analysis needs to be unique to you. So, use these personal SWOT analysis examples by students to get your mind turning, but write your own unique SWOT matrix that’s an honest reflection of your own situation.

• Chris Drew (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/chris-drew-phd-2/ 25 Number Games for Kids (Free and Easy)
• Chris Drew (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/chris-drew-phd-2/ 25 Word Games for Kids (Free and Easy)
• Chris Drew (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/chris-drew-phd-2/ 25 Outdoor Games for Kids
• Chris Drew (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/chris-drew-phd-2/ 50 Incentives to Give to Students

2 thoughts on “23 Best Personal SWOT Analysis Examples for Students”

Dr Chris… Excellent article and it was really helpful for me to set SWOT analysis for my students. The content of the article is highly useful and practical too to adopt for educational institutions. Thank You Dr Shyam prasad TS Asst Prof, RV Institute of legal studies , Bengaluru, India [email protected]

Thank you so much for the detailed SWOT for my learners.

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How to Do a SWOT Analysis on Your Personal Life (with Examples)

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A big part of working on personal development is having a clear picture of where you are right now . Knowing exactly where you are versus where you want to be can help you strategically plan for success.

But how can you do an objective self-analysis to determine what makes you unique?

If you do some self-reflection using the SWOT framework, you can begin to see how you’re different from your colleagues and/or peers so you can cultivate the personal talents you have to help you move forward in your career and achieve your goals.

I found it to be very enlightening when I did a personal SWOT analysis as I was applying for jobs after graduating from college. Doing this exercise allowed me to uncover opportunities that I wouldn’t have recognized otherwise and take an objective look at my weaknesses so I could address them directly.

One of the great things about the SWOT analysis framework is how flexible it is. You can use it in a variety of circumstances in your life to help you focus on any goal or problem that you need to address.

In this article, I will explain what a SWOT analysis is and how you can use it in your personal life to accelerate your personal development. Then I will give you an action plan for implementing this idea.

Table of Contents

What is a SWOT Analysis?

The SWOT analysis originated in the 1960s to help businesses uncover critical information about what’s going well and what’s not going so well in their organization so they could create a strategic plan for success moving forward. Moving forward, in 1982, the SWOT analysis matrix was formulated to help users have a visual tool for easy comparison. This 2×2 matrix is still used today, with strengths and weaknesses listed on the top row and opportunities and threats listed on the bottom.

The strengths and opportunities in the first column are for factors that you believe are in your favor and in your control. The weaknesses and threats in the second column may be factors that are potentially harmful to you or obstacles for growth, and are externally controlled. Businesses use this tool to look at the relationship between their strengths and weaknesses, find ways to capitalize on their strengths to take advantage of opportunities, and figure out how to progress in their areas of weakness in order to reduce potential threats.

The SWOT analysis is a tried and true business tool that has withstood the test of time, and it can also be helpful for your personal life. The simple structure of the analysis will give you guidance through the complicated process of doing a self-analysis. It will help you learn more about yourself when you’re on the journey to personal development. Not only can doing a SWOT analysis help you find direction in your career, it can also help you find your way in your personal life.

The Benefits of Doing a SWOT Analysis in Your Personal Life

So what types of situations would you find yourself in that could necessitate doing a SWOT analysis? It can really help you in any area of your life where you want to improve, are facing some obstacles, or want to capitalize on the personal strengths that you know you have.

For example, if you can relate to being active in the job market, you’re probably looking for ways that you can set yourself apart from other applicants. In this case, doing a SWOT analysis would benefit you in three ways. First, it would help you do some self-reflection to identify your strong suits. Second, it may help you reframe your job search to positions that you find will be a closer fit with your strengths and abilities. Finally, your SWOT analysis will offer you a visual representation of who you are, which will make it much easier to answer the dreaded question in interviews, “ What are your strengths and weaknesses?”

You can also use a SWOT analysis if you’re in the dating world. If you’re looking for a partner, do some self-reflection on who you are as a partner. Consider your strengths when it comes to dating, what are you good at doing? Maybe you’re great at meeting someone else’s friends and family or you can make any awkward first date more comfortable. What about your weaknesses? Do you lack self-confidence? Are you scared of commitment?

Next, look at your opportunities. What avenues could help you meet a partner that you haven’t explored yet? Have you done some online dating? Or maybe you could reconnect with an old flame? Finally, consider your threats. What could possibly block your success? Do you have a clingy ex who can’t let go or maybe your work schedule doesn’t allow you the time that you need to be in a relationship.

By doing this SWOT analysis for dating, you will then be able to pinpoint and use your strengths to your advantage, work on your weaknesses, explore new opportunities, and try to mitigate some threats.

How to Implement a SWOT Analysis in Your Personal Life

In order to make it worth your time to complete a personal SWOT analysis, you will need to dedicate enough time to really reflect on your life, characteristics, abilities, and experiences. You probably won’t complete your SWOT analysis in one try, rather it will be a living document that may change over time. That said, let’s look at the process of creating your SWOT analysis.

The first thing you have to do is identify your goal or problem. Be specific about what you want to happen and make it clear when you will know that you have been successful. After you have your main topic in mind, you can go into the analysis portion of the process.

Here are some questions to ask yourself after drawing your 2×2 SWOT analysis matrix, starting with your internal factors (strengths and weaknesses).

Internal Factors

When you’re reflecting on your strengths and weaknesses, you are analyzing internal factors such as your personal characteristics, knowledge, financial situation, skills, abilities, personal network, etc. These are the factors that you can influence, and you should be proactive in these areas.

You should know your strengths and use them to your advantage. You should also continue to foster and develop your strengths so they continue to be a strong point. You should also know your weaknesses and have a plan regarding how to improve upon them.

You may be able to rattle your strengths off without putting too much thought into it, but if you take the time to consider some specific questions, it will help you come up with some strengths that may be especially unique to you or some that you haven’t yet considered or didn’t recognize as being strengths. Write down everything that you come up with, even if it seems irrelevant to your goal. Do this for each quadrant of the SWOT analysis. Think about the following questions:

• What skills, certifications, or degrees do you have?
• What have past colleagues seen as being your strengths? (Reach out to them if you need to and ask!)
• What achievements are you proud of?
• What are you better at doing than most other people you know?
• What connections do you have in the community?
• What values do you have that you see are lacking in other people?

• In which areas of your life do you lack confidence?
• What training have you not had that would be useful for you?
• What do your colleagues see as being your weaknesses?
• Are there any aspects of your personality that are holding you back?

External Factors

Your threats and opportunities are external factors, which are out of your control. This includes things like market trends, economic stability, technological advances, and political changes. When looking at your opportunities and threats, you’re analyzing any type of environmental factor that could affect you. Because these factors are largely out of your control, you need to be as flexible as you can.

Opportunities

• What are some current trends in your industry and how can you take advantage of them?
• What mistakes do you see other people doing that you could do correctly?
• Is there any new technology that could help you advance?
• What could you do to expand your strategic network?
• What are the obstacles that you’re facing?
• Who are your competitors and what are they doing differently?
• Does emerging technology pose a threat to you?
• Could your weaknesses turn into threats if they’re not improved?

Remember to be objective when thinking about these questions. You may need to consult other people to ensure you’re not simply reciting back your own beliefs. It is important to be completely honest when you’re creating your SWOT analysis by honoring your strengths and not hesitating when you list your weaknesses.

Personal SWOT Analysis Sample

Let’s look at what this could look like in action. Here is an example of what a SWOT analysis could look like for someone who is job hunting:

• I have a degree in public relations
• I am bilingual
• I have strong public speaking skills
• I have 10 years of experience working in marketing
• I am very organized
• I am easily overwhelmed when I have a lot on my plate
• I am indecisive
• It is hard for me to get back on track once I am distracted
• I am not very creative
• I am impatient

• I have good networking contacts in my area
• I have niche experience in media relations
• There is a relevant conference in my city coming up that I can attend
• There are online courses I can take to further my education
• The market is saturated with others who have similar experiences to me
• I have a limited amount of time to search for and apply to jobs due to my current commitments
• I’m hoping to move cities within the next three years

Of course your own SWOT analysis will not look exactly like this, but you’re able to get an idea of the types of things you can put down in the quadrants.

Once you have your own SWOT analysis completed, you can evaluate your results through either matching or converting. When you match, you can connect categories to formulate an action plan. For example, you can match your strengths to your opportunities to see where you can be proactive. So in the example above, you could say that because you’re very organized, you can try to find a way to incorporate an online class or two into your schedule.

You can also match your weaknesses to your threats to find areas of your life that you should be cautious of or pay more attention to. For example, if you’re indecisive, but also trying to move to a new city in the near future, time may be an important element in your planning because you probably want to start working sooner rather than later.

You can also evaluate your SWOT results by converting your negatives into positives. For example, the market is saturated with other people fighting for the same positions that you are, but you’re impatient, which means you can be assertive and proactive in pursuing the job openings that you come across.

The purpose of doing a personal SWOT analysis is to pinpoint actions you can take to meet the requirements of achieving your long-term goals. In the example of looking for a job, comparing your strengths and weaknesses to the requirements of the jobs you’re applying for can help you recognize gaps so you can prepare yourself to be the best candidate for the job. Once you put your analysis into action, track your progress so you can see yourself moving closer to achieving your ultimate goal.

If you don’t take the time to evaluate your SWOT analysis by identifying the elements that can be leveraged to help you succeed, it won’t be effective. You have to find ways that your strengths could be beneficial to you on your road to achieving your goal or figure out how you can work around potential threats so they don’t impede your progress.

Final Thoughts on Your Personal SWOT Analysis

Doing a SWOT analysis on your personal life is an effective way to leverage your strengths to your advantage, improve upon your weaknesses, take advantage of any available opportunities, and find ways to plan ahead to mitigate potential threats.

When you’re thinking about each of the quadrants of the SWOT analysis, make an effort to be as honest and comprehensive as possible. You may realize that a strength you possess is more useful for your current goal than you once thought it was.

Personal development can be a tough process, especially if you notice some things in you life that you need to let go of in order to better yourself. However, by using the SWOT analysis, you can hopefully identify avenues that can help lead you to success. You can use this process for every goal in your life, but it might be more useful to only take it out when you are facing a problem that is especially challenging. Because the SWOT analysis will help you reorder your thinking, it can help you see problems in different ways.  

Connie Stemmle is a professional editor, freelance writer and ghostwriter. She holds a BS in Marketing and a Master’s Degree in Social Work. When she is not writing, Connie is either spending time with her 4-year-old daughter, running, or making efforts in her community to promote social justice.

Finally, if you want to level up your productivity and time management skills, then watch this free video about the 9 productivity habits you can build at work .

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Harness a personal SWOT analysis to unlock your potential

Georgina Guthrie

May 10, 2024

What is a personal SWOT analysis? You may have heard the acronym used in business settings — ‘SWOT’ stands for S trengths, W eaknesses, O pportunities, and T hreats. The SWOT analysis began its life in the ’70s as a planning tool for analyzing a professional project or business venture. Unchanged in its format, it’s still used today to help businesses focus their thoughts, analyze their progress, and strategically shape their decision-making .

But it’s more than just a business tool : a SWOT Analysis is a useful development exercise that can help you identify and evaluate your own personal goals . Here’s how to do a SWOT Analysis on yourself and put the results into action.

Why do a personal SWOT analysis

Thinking of a career change? Preparing for a job interview? Listing everything down in a SWOT diagram will clarify your thoughts and help shape your application or resume. It will also help you identify the unique strengths that distinguish you from your competitors.

Plus, a SWOT Analysis has the added bonus of being really easy to do without the need for prior training. It’s simply four squares — two up, two down, labeled clearly. Take a look at the 2×2 diagram below. You can whip it up by hand, or if you want a more organized, professional look, use a diagramming tool (we offer multiple templates for it in Cacoo ).

Preparing for your SWOT analysis

Get in the right mindset.

Be aware that personal biases will shape your answers when creating a SWOT diagram. Even if you’re asking a colleague about your strengths and weaknesses, they may have their own biases both for and against you. There’s also no obligation to verify any statements or claims, meaning you could theoretically claim anything.

Backing up statements with examples or involving one or two external opinions is a great way to help minimize this issue and create a rock-solid analysis.

Find the right people

Are you one of those people who hates talking about themselves? If not, lucky you — you should find this a total breeze. But if you are, don’t fret; you’re not alone. There’s nothing scarier than a blank page, especially when you have the daunting task of talking about yourself.

Properly knowing your strengths and weaknesses is no easy task, so don’t think you have to do this yourself. Find a colleague you trust, book a quiet room, and ask their opinion. Better still, if there are a couple of people you trust, get a second person’s opinion for a truly complete picture.

Keep in mind: not everyone has the gift of gab. Some people express themselves better through writing, so it’s a good idea to offer people the option to write down their thoughts via email or over a messaging app. This gives your colleagues the opportunity to express themselves in a format they’re most comfortable with, which in turn gives you the added bonus of having more thoughtful, complete answers. Win!

How to do a personal SWOT analysis

First, separate your diagram into four sections. Then, using all the information you’ve gathered, start writing out your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.

This is where you get to really show off. Remember to make it as personal as possible. What skillset can you bring to the company or role?

Even better, what makes you unique? For example, if you’re a designer , having a degree in art and design probably won’t set you apart, but having an award is pretty special.

• Think of everything you excel at, including specialist skills and knowledge that benefit the organization.
• List your professional skills and qualifications, including certifications.
• Recall your key achievements, such as successful projects and campaigns.
• What other personal skills do you have? For instance, are you calm under pressure? Are you a great leader? A patient listener? If you have examples to back up these claims, then all the better. And remember, these examples don’t necessarily need to be actions performed in the workplace. If you did something awesome like rescue a kitten from a tree, then don’t keep it to yourself!
• Do you have great industry contacts or leads? Write that down, too.

At first glance, this is the least fun part. After all, no one really likes to think about what they’re not good at, right? But it doesn’t have to be a self-esteem-crushing exercise. Listing your weaknesses actually has the potential to be the most beneficial section of a personal SWOT Analysis, not to mention the most motivating.

The trick is to be as completely honest as possible. This doesn’t mean being unnecessarily hard on yourself; it just means being truthful. The goal here is self-improvement. For every weakness, think about a way in which you could overcome it.

• List all your professional bad habits. For example, do you struggle with group participation? Do you need to brush up on your public speaking? Or, could your organization skills do with a little TLC? Remember, no one is good at everything, so don’t feel bad about listing three, four, five, or ten areas for improvement. It just shows you have a good degree of self-awareness. Own it!
• Think about your professional qualifications and where you want to go. Are there any skills you don’t have that if gained, would really strengthen your career?

Opportunities

Now, it’s time to think about external influences. Your list of opportunities could be personal or within the wider industry.

• Look at how the industry is developing. Are there influential people you think are worth keeping an eye on? Or, perhaps, there’s a new technology or service you feel could benefit you or the business.
• Are there opportunities within the business that aren’t currently being exploited? For example, a more efficient way of running a project ?
• Perhaps there’s a new job vacancy you think you’d be perfect for.
• Are there any training courses that would make you stronger at your job? Refer back to your weaknesses section to inform your answers here.

For this final part of the SWOT Analysis, you’ll need to identify any external obstacles standing between you and your vision of success.

• Are any of your peers holding you back ? Is there someone on the team who is making your job harder ? How could you approach this problem constructively ?
• Compare yourself to your peers. Are you being overshadowed by a more vocal or ambitious colleague? What can you do about it?
• Are new processes or technologies pushing the industry forward, and your lack of training means you’re trailing behind? Think about how you can fix this.

Personal SWOT analysis examples

Fill it with as many personal points as you can think of to really create the full picture and get the most out of the exercise. When you’re done, your personal SWOT analysis might look a bit like this:

Turn your personal SWOT Analysis into actionable goals

Once you finish the grid, it’s time to use the results to create a realistic plan. By comparing the squares vertically and horizontally, you can draw meaningful conclusions to shape your self-improvement strategy.

1. Look for opportunities that align with your strengths.

Evaluate potential opportunities through the lens of your personal strengths. If you have the chance to pursue a goal that’s well-suited to your abilities, this opportunity should be at the top of your list of priorities.

Write down a list of steps you must take to reach that goal. Do you need help or approval from someone else to make it happen? What resources do you need to achieve your goal ? If there are external influences involved in your decision, compile research to help make your case and explain why you’re the right person for the task.

2. Consider the threats to your opportunities.

No matter how much you’re committed to making a change, not all decisions are under your control. Weigh the threats you listed, and consider how they could hinder you from pursuing an opportunity. Opportunities with few or no threats are the best ones to pursue first. In the meantime, think about how you can minimize threats to other opportunities, so you can still take advantage of them in the future.

3. Use your strengths to overcome weaknesses.

Not all weaknesses are fixable, but in many cases, you can downplay them. At this point, you should be narrowing your opportunities into a more actionable list. Looking at your weaknesses, do you see anything that could directly interfere with your ability to pursue an opportunity? If not, you’re in great shape!

But if your weakness will have an impact on your opportunities list, look for ways you can use your strengths to overcome them. For example, can you use your specialized skills to move into a role where you don’t have to spend as much time doing tasks you aren’t good at?

4. Identify where weaknesses and threats overlap

While weaknesses are internal , threats are external elements that could pose a risk to your success. When they overlap, these factors have the potential to create big obstacles. The more you learn to manage them, the better you’ll be at keeping your goals on track .

Make it a priority to work on weaknesses that make you more vulnerable to external threats. Even if you can only make progress a little at a time, any self-improvement makes you better equipped to recover from setbacks. Brainstorm possible problems that could arise from combined weaknesses and threats, and outline actions you can take to address each situation. That way, you’ll feel more prepared if things go wrong.

Personal SWOT analysis template

If you’re looking for a template to get you started, here are a few we offer in Cacoo.

SWOT analysis for personal development

A personal SWOT analysis is a great way to organize, prioritize, and plan your personal development. It’s not without its limitations, and its simplistic format means further in-depth analysis may be required. But as a quick and easy, no-training-required development tool, it’s extremely helpful and definitely worth your time.

Simplify the process with an easy-to-use diagramming tool , and you’ll be achieving your greatest goals in no time.

This post was originally published on November 13, 2018, and updated most recently on May 10, 2024.

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Personal Development SWOT Analysis: A Quick Guide

Explore the power of self-improvement with a Personal Development SWOT Analysis. Uncover your strengths, address weaknesses, leverage opportunities, and overcome threats on your journey to personal growth. Learn how this strategic assessment can help you achieve your goals and unlock your full potential in our insightful blog on Personal Development SWOT Analysis.

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SWOT Analysis for Personal Development is a strategic tool vital in shaping one's personal and professional life. This analysis helps individuals understand their unique attributes and the external factors that might affect their growth . 

Want to know how this tool can help you become a better person? Read this blog to Enhance your growth with the SWOT Analysis for Personal Development tool. Identify strengths, tackle weaknesses, seize opportunities, and overcome challenges for self-improvement. 

Table of Contents  

1)  Introduction to What is a SWOT Analysis 

2)  Exploring the elements of a SWOT Analysis 

3)  Tips for using SWOT Analysis in Personal Development 

     a)  Develop strategies to attain goals 

     b)  Enhance personal and professional development 

     c)  Understand your progress 

     d)  Enhance your career and personality 

     e)  Understand yourself as a person 

4)  Conclusion 

Introduction to What is a SWOT Analysis  

A SWOT Analysis , abbreviated as “Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats”, is a technique utilised over many decades to guide organisations in identifying the current and future trends.  

It is a strategic planning tool used to recognise and analyse the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats related to a project, business, or personal development . It's essentially a framework that helps individuals or organisations to focus on key issues. 

This analysis is conducted using a matrix, creating a visual representation that makes it easier to compare and contrast the different elements. It's a versatile tool used in various contexts, from business strategy to career planning and personal growth. 

Now, the strengths and weaknesses are considered internal factors, meaning they are within the control of the individual or organisation. These might include skills, resources, or anything else that can give an advantage or disadvantage in achieving objectives. 

On the other hand, Opportunities and threats are external factors coming from the environment outside the individual or organisation. Opportunities are circumstances that can be exploited to benefit the entity, while threats are potential challenges or risks that could harm it.  

Exploring the elements of a Personal SWOT Analysis  

A SWOT Analysis comprises of four key elements, described below as follows:  

Strengths  

Here are the various aspects of the Strengths element of the SWOT Analysis: 

a)   Identification of core competencies : Strengths in SWOT Analysis refer to the internal positive traits, characteristics, or competencies that an individual or organisation possesses. Identifying these core strengths provides a solid understanding of what sets you apart from others, highlighting areas where you excel. 

b)  Leverage for success : Recognising strengths allows you to capitalise on them, using these attributes to your advantage in personal or professional endeavours. For instance, if you have strong communication skills , you may excel in roles that require public speaking or client interaction. 

c)  Foundation for goal setting : Understanding your strengths lays the groundwork for setting realistic and attainable goals. By aligning your objectives with your strengths, you increase the likelihood of success. 

d)   Increased confidence and self-awareness : Identifying and acknowledging your strengths can lead to increased confidence and self-awareness. By focusing on what you do well, you create a positive self-image that can boost both personal and professional growth. 

e) Strategic planning and development : In a business context, recognising the strengths of an organisation allows for strategic planning that can position the company advantageously in the market. It facilitates decision-making processes that align with the unique capabilities of the organisation. 

Weaknesses  

Here are the various aspects of the Weaknesses element of the SWOT Analysis: 

a) Identification of areas for improvement : Weaknesses in SWOT Analysis refer to the internal limitations or shortcomings that an individual or organisation may have. These could be gaps in skills, resources, or other areas that may hinder progress. Identifying weaknesses is essential in pinpointing where improvement is needed. 

b)  Opportunity for growth and development : By recognising and acknowledging weaknesses, you can create targeted plans to address these areas. This approach fosters personal and professional growth as you work to turn weaknesses into strengths.  

c)   Risk mitigation : In a business context, understanding weaknesses can help in risk mitigation. If an organisation knows its limitations, it can take steps to avoid situations where those weaknesses might be exposed.  

d)  Enhanced decision-making : Recognising weaknesses allows for more informed decision-making. Whether deciding on a career path or a business strategy, understanding what areas may need further development can guide choices in a direction that minimises the impact of those weaknesses.  

e)   Building authentic relationships : On a personal level, acknowledging weaknesses can lead to more genuine and empathetic relationships. Accepting and working on our flaws makes us more human and relatable.  

Opportunities  

Here are the various aspects of the Opportunities element of the SWOT Analysis: 

a)  Recognition of external prospects : Opportunities in SWOT Analysis are external factors that could benefit an individual or organisation. These could be trends, changes in the market, or other external dynamics that can be leveraged for advantage. 

b)  S trategic alignment with goals : Identifying opportunities allows you to align them with your strengths and goals, forming a coherent strategy that utilises these external advantages. This alignment ensures that the identified opportunities are relevant and can be pursued effectively. 

c)  Competitive edge in business : For businesses, spotting opportunities early can provide a competitive edge. It can mean being the first to enter a new market or adapt to a change in the industry, positioning the company as a leader rather than a follower. 

d)  Personal growth and development : On a personal level, recognising opportunities can lead to personal growth and career advancement. Whether it's a new job opening, a chance to learn a new skill, or a networking opportunity, seizing these moments can have a significant impact on personal development. 

e)  Risk management : Understanding potential opportunities also aids in risk management . By knowing where opportunities lie, you can navigate away from threats and towards areas where growth and success are more likely.  

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Threats  

Here are the various aspects of the Threats element of the SWOT Analysis: 

a)   Identification of external risks : Threats in SWOT Analysis refer to external factors that could adversely affect an individual or organisation. These could be economic downturns, regulatory changes, or any other external developments that might pose challenges or risks. 

b)   Proactive risk management : By identifying potential threats, you can take proactive measures to mitigate or even avoid those risks. Whether it's diversifying investment, seeking new markets, or developing new skills, understanding threats allows for strategic planning that can navigate around these obstacles. 

c)  Competitive insight in business : Recognising threats also provides insights into the competitive landscape. It might include understanding competitors' strategies, regulatory changes, or technological advancements that could affect your position in the market. 

d)   Career and personal development planning : On a personal level, awareness of potential threats can guide career and personal development planning. It may involve recognising industry shifts that could affect your job or personal circumstances that might impact your career goals. 

e)   Strategic alignment and agility : Understanding threats fosters strategic alignment and agility. By knowing what might go wrong, you can align your strategies to be more flexible and adaptive, allowing you to respond quickly to changes in the external environment.  

Tips for using SWOT Analysis in Personal Development  

Here are the seven key benefits of a SWOT Analysis for Personal Development, described as follows:  

Develop strategies to attain goals  

SWOT Analysis acts as a guiding beacon in the formulation of strategies. By clearly identifying your Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats, you can devise a tailor-made plan that caters specifically to your unique situation.  

Additionally, t his personalised approach enhances the efficiency of your planning process, enabling you to set realistic goals and develop strategies that are not only achievable but also align with your personal or organisational strengths and opportunities. 

Enhance personal and professional development  

In a professional setting, SWOT Analysis can facilitate teamwork and collaboration. By identifying and openly discussing the strengths and weaknesses of team members, the group can allocate tasks more effectively, leveraging each other's strengths and compensating for weaknesses. On a personal level, understanding one's SWOT can lead to more empathetic relationships as you become more aware of not just your traits but those of others as well. 

Understand your progress  

Tracking progress is crucial in any development journey. A SWOT Analysis allows you to take a snapshot of where you are at any given moment. By regularly revisiting and updating your SWOT, you can track changes and improvements over time. This understanding of progress can be a strong motivational force, providing tangible evidence of growth and improvement. 

Enhance your career and personality  

The insights gained from a SWOT Analysis can directly translate into career advancement and personality development. By understanding your professional strengths and weaknesses, you can pursue career opportunities that align with your competencies and avoid areas where you are less skilled. On a personal level, recognising your unique characteristics can lead to personal growth as you actively work to develop traits that enhance your personality. 

Know how to be a self-motivated individual by signing up for the Motivation and Goal Setting Training now!  

Understand yourself as a person  

Perhaps one of the most profound benefits of SWOT Analysis is the deep self-awareness it can foster. By taking a long, honest look at yourself and recognising what you excel at and where you could improve, you begin to develop a more nuanced understanding of who you are as a person. This self-awareness is the foundation of personal development, leading to more informed choices and a more fulfilled life. 

Maximise your strengths and decrease weaknesses  

SWOT Analysis is not just about identifying strengths and weaknesses; it's about acting on that knowledge. By recognising what you are good at, you can focus your efforts on areas where you naturally excel, maximising those strengths. Conversely, by acknowledging your weaknesses, you can take targeted action to minimise or even eliminate those areas of weakness, turning them into strengths over time. 

Explore and improve your soft and hard skills  

Both soft skills, like communication or leadership and hard skills, like specific technical abilities, can be explored and improved through SWOT Analysis. By analysing these aspects, you can pinpoint the exact skills you need to develop to achieve your goals.  

More importantly, this targeted approach to skill development ensures that you are working on the precise areas that will have the most significant impact on your personal or professional life, making your efforts more effective and efficient. 

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Conclusion  

SWOT Analysis for Personal Development is an invaluable tool for individuals seeking growth and success in their personal and professional lives. By systematically examining Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats, it provides insights and direction, enabling strategic planning, self-awareness, and a proactive approach to challenges and opportunities. 

Enhance your assertiveness and self-esteem skills by signing up for the Personal Development Traini ng now!  

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Conducting a Personal SWOT Analysis to Chart Your Future

Find out how to analyze yourself – and your business – with the SWOT method.

Table of Contents

A strength, weakness, opportunity and threat (SWOT) analysis is a common tool for assessing your company’s strategy . It provides leaders a new perspective on what the organization does well, where its challenges lie and which opportunities to pursue. A personal SWOT analysis can do the same for an individual, providing insights based on your personality strengths and weaknesses, the challenges ahead and the opportunities you may find now and in the future. Here’s how to conduct a SWOT analysis.

How to perform a personal SWOT analysis

The SWOT analysis was first devised in the 1960s by business icons Edmund P. Learned, C. Roland Christensen, Kenneth Andrews and William D. Guth. In 1982, Heinz Weihrich took the concept one step further, constructing a 2 x 2 matrix to plot out the answers to the four key aspects. He placed strengths and weaknesses across the top of the matrix, and opportunities and threats in the bottom row. This remains the most common way to conduct the analysis today.

While there are other formats for the SWOT analysis, in its simplest form the matrix is a four-quadrant table with a color-coded grid looking something like this free SWOT analysis template :

The creators saw strengths and opportunities as favorable and within your control, while weaknesses and threats are dictated by external forces. With this information, identify how to leverage your strengths to make the most of your opportunities and discover how to mitigate threats.

When conducting a personal SWOT analysis, first set a goal . Do you want a new job or a new responsibility in your current position? Are you looking for personal growth or to go in a different direction? With your goal in mind, ask yourself questions about each of the four areas. It’s important to be as honest as possible with your answers. 

Try to see yourself from the standpoint of a colleague and view any feedback with objectivity. According to Caroline Smith, an editorial manager at Centrica, it’s best to focus less on where you are today and more on the potential of what you can become. [Related article: Honest Employee Feedback Starts at the Top ]

“Don’t limit yourself to the strengths that you’re currently exhibiting in your job. List all of your strengths, even the ones that have been dormant for a while,” Smith said. “Pay particular attention to the things that you have that your peers don’t: How are you different, unique and special?”

A personal SWOT analysis requires real introspection. Set aside the time to think deeply, then sleep on it and revisit your analysis the next day. You won’t think of everything in one sitting, and questions or answers that pop into your brain overnight might be the most revealing insight of the entire exercise. Return to your analysis a few times over a week or two to truly capture complete answers.

What to ask yourself in a personal SWOT

To begin, find a SWOT analysis template online that makes sense to you. Then, get ready to evaluate your strengths, acknowledge your weaknesses and identify what makes you excited about your career.

Begin by identifying your strengths – the traits or skills that set you apart from others. Ask yourself these questions:

• In what areas do I naturally excel? 
• What skills have I worked to develop?
• What are my natural-born gifts?

The next step is identifying weaknesses – the areas you need to improve because they could cause career setbacks. These are some questions to consider:

• What are my negative work habits and traits?
• Does any part of my education or training need improvement?
• What would other people view as my weaknesses?

Proceed to the opportunities section, which are the external factors you can leverage to get a promotion , find a new job or determine a new career direction. Here are some questions to ask yourself:

• What is the current state of the economy?
• Is my industry growing?
• Is there new technology in my industry to learn?

Finally, look at any threats – the external factors that could hurt your chances of attaining your goal. Consider these questions:

• Is my industry contracting or changing direction?
• Is there strong competition for the types of jobs for which I am best suited?
• What is the biggest external danger to my goal?

Moving outside your comfort zone will keep you from simply reinforcing your existing beliefs. Be unflinching in revealing faults and weaknesses, but also in celebrating your personal strengths. Don’t be afraid to consult colleagues for their honest opinions if necessary. [Related article: 10 Development Goals for Better Leadership ]

Determining the outcomes of your personal SWOT

Evaluate your results using two popular methods: matching or turning negatives into positives. Matching means connecting two of the categories to determine a course of action. When you turn negatives into positives, grow a skill set through education or find a creative way to transform a weakness to a strength. 

For instance, the SWOT analysis may have identified that you’re outgoing, and an introspective or isolated work environment may not suit you. That may lead you to pursue a position in sales , where your extroverted personality allows you to excel. You can also update your resume to reflect what you have learned to ensure it represents your desired career path. [Follow our resume writing tips to help you stand out.]

Post-SWOT action

Once your personal SWOT analysis is complete, it is crucial to follow through on the results you uncovered.

“SWOT analysis can fail to be effective if it is simply treated as a laundry list, without any tie-in to how the elements identified in the analysis can be put into play for the individual carrying out the assessment,” said Marlo Zarka, a certified professional coach. “For example, how can the identified strengths move the needle in the endeavor to achieve a key goal? Or how can one navigate a potential threat once it is identified … to ensure no ground is lost?”

“The best outcome is to take action and succeed in the opportunities you have identified,” Smith added. “This can benefit you on a personal and professional level, and set you apart from your peers and colleagues.”

Once you create an action plan, track your progress. Set up measurements and keep working toward them. Step by step, you will get where you want to be if you stay committed. To aid this process, take advantage of free goal-tracking tools . 

SWOT analysis for your business

Conduct a SWOT analysis for your business by asking many of the same questions. Consider your company’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats within the marketplace. Consider conducting additional analyses such as the PEST analysis , competitive analysis and the Pareto analysis . These can be adapted for personal use, making them worthy exercises for both personal growth and business success.

Ross Mudrick and Chad Brooks contributed to the writing and reporting in this article. Source interviews were conducted for a previous version of this article.

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Growth Tactics

How to Conduct a Personal SWOT Analysis for Personal Development

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We all want to be the best versions of ourselves!

Conducting a personal SWOT analysis is a great place to start.

In this article, you find everything you need to help you discover your best opportunities for growth and increase your success. Ok at this point you may be asking what the heck is a personal SWOT analysis?

What is a Personal SWOT Analysis?

A personal SWOT analysis, sometimes called a SWOT matrix, is a tool used to help individuals identify their strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.

Strengths are characteristics that give an individual an advantage over others.

Weaknesses are characteristics that give an individual a disadvantage in relation to others.

Opportunities are external factors that can be taken advantage of

Threats are external factors that can be detrimental to the individual.

This tool can be used to help individuals understand themselves and prepare for growth.

When Should an Analysis Be Conducted?

A SWOT analysis should be conducted before implementing a large change, when embarking on a new journey in life, to identify opportunities for growth and improvement, and any time you want a full overview of your performance.

Additionally, a SWOT analysis can be used to help determine your current position and to better understand the distance between you and your goals. By conducting a personal SWOT analysis, you can identify your strengths and weaknesses, and create a plan to improve your skills and achieve your goals .

But Why Though?

If you’re not convinced you need to do one you should be.

If you’re looking to maximize your success and achieve your career goals , conducting a personal SWOT analysis can be an excellent tool. It provides you with valuable insights based on your personality strengths, foreseeable challenges, and present opportunities.

By conducting a personal SWOT analysis, you’ll be able to identify your strengths and weaknesses, as well as external factors such as trends or technologies that can be used to your advantage.

This analysis can help you develop contingency plans to minimize any potential threats to your success. Overall, a personal SWOT analysis is a great way to set yourself up for success and achieve your goals.

How to Conduct a Personal SWOT Analysis

There are 5 simple steps to conducting a personal SWOT analysis.

• List your relevant strengths
• Identify your weaknesses
• Identify any opportunities
• Identify any threats
• Create a plan of action

Step 1: List Your Relevant Strengths

Here are some steps you can follow to find your strengths:

• Reflect on your past accomplishments – Think about things you have done in the past that you are proud of. What skills or traits did you use to achieve those accomplishments?
• Ask for feedback – Ask friends, family, or colleagues to give you honest feedback about what they think your strengths are. They may see things that you don’t.
• Take personality or skills assessments – Many online assessments can help you identify your strengths, such as the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator or StrengthsFinder.
• Look at job postings – Look at job postings for positions you are interested in and make note of the skills and traits they are looking for. If you possess those skills and traits, they may be considered strengths.
• Consider what comes naturally – Think about things that come naturally to you. What do you find easy to do that others may struggle with?

By identifying your strengths, you can leverage them to achieve success and overcome any weaknesses or threats you may face.

Step 2: Identify Your Weaknesses

Here are some steps you can follow to find your weaknesses:

• Reflect on feedback – Think about the feedback you have received from others in the past. Is there any consistent feedback that suggests areas for improvement?
• Identify areas of struggle – Think about areas where you tend to struggle or areas that you avoid. These can be areas of weakness.
• Assess your skills and knowledge – Consider the skills and knowledge required for your job or personal goals. Are there any areas where you lack the necessary skills or knowledge?
• Look for patterns – Consider if there are any patterns in your behavior that may be holding you back. For example, do you struggle with time management or procrastination ?
• Take assessments – There are many online assessments that can help you identify areas for improvement, such as emotional intelligence or communication skills .

By identifying your weaknesses, you can work to improve or overcome them and leverage your strengths to achieve success. Remember, weaknesses are not necessarily negative, as they can provide opportunities for growth and development .

Step 3: Identify Opportunities

There are several opportunities that can be identified based on your strengths such as:

• Leveraging your expertise or skills to start a consulting or freelance business.
• Taking on leadership roles in your organization that align with your strong communication and interpersonal skills .
• Pursuing higher education or specialized training to advance your career.
• Building a personal brand and online presence to showcase your strengths and attract new opportunities
• Developing and launching a product or service based on your unique skills or expertise.

On the other hand, there are also opportunities that can be identified based on your weaknesses such as:

• Seeking mentorship or coaching to improve in areas where you may be lacking.
• Taking courses or training to develop new skills or knowledge in areas where you may not have expertise.
• Collaborating with others who have complementary skills to make up for your weaknesses.
• Outsourcing tasks or projects that fall outside of your skill set.
• Focusing on projects or roles that align with your strengths while minimizing your exposure to areas of weakness.

It’s important to keep in mind that strengths and weaknesses can change over time. By identifying opportunities based on your current strengths and weaknesses, you can take steps to improve and leverage your strengths while minimizing the impact of weaknesses on your personal and professional growth .

Step 4: Identify Threats

Here are some ways to identify threats in a personal SWOT analysis:

• Market Trends : Identify trends in the market that may affect your career or personal life. For example, if you work in the technology industry, advancements in artificial intelligence may pose a threat to your job security.
• Economic Factors : Consider economic factors that may impact your personal or professional growth . For instance, if you are planning to start a business, a recession or economic downturn may pose a significant threat.
• Competition : Look at the competition in your industry or field. If you are looking to advance in your career, a highly competitive job market may pose a threat to your chances of landing a desired role.
• Personal Limitations : Consider your personal limitations, such as lack of experience, knowledge, or skills that may hinder your growth. Identify areas where you need to improve in order to overcome these limitations .
• External Factors : Pay attention to external factors such as political or social changes that may impact your personal or professional life. For example, changes in immigration laws may pose a threat to your ability to work in a certain industry.

By identifying potential threats, you can develop strategies to mitigate or overcome them. This can enable you to make better decisions and take actions that align with your goals and aspirations.

Step 5: Create a Plan

Based on the results of your SWOT analysis, prioritize the items that will have the greatest impact on achieving your goals. Focus on the items that are most important and actionable.

• Set SMART goals : Once you have identified the priority SWOT items, create specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound) goals. For example, if one of your strengths is your communication skills , your SMART goal could be to improve your public speaking skills by completing a course or attending a workshop within the next three months.
• Develop action plans : For each SMART goal, develop an action plan that outlines the steps you need to take to achieve it. This could include specific tasks, deadlines, and resources required.
• Monitor progress : Regularly monitor your progress towards achieving your goals. This will help you identify any issues or obstacles early on and make any necessary adjustments to your plan of action.
• Celebrate successes : Celebrate your successes along the way. Acknowledging your achievements will help you stay motivated and focused on achieving your goals.

In summary, creating a plan of action for your personal SWOT analysis involves prioritizing your SWOT items, setting SMART goals , developing action plans, monitoring progress, and celebrating successes.

Personal SWOT Analysis Software, Templates, and Examples

There are many tools out there that can help you easily create a personal SWOT analysis.

The following are some of the best software for personal SWOT analysis:

• MindTools – This site provides a framework for analyzing strengths and weaknesses, as well as opportunities and threats. It helps users focus on their strengths, minimize their weaknesses, and take advantage of the opportunities available to them.
• SlideModel – This site provides a quick guide with examples to help users begin their SWOT analysis. It also provides templates to help users get started.
• Venngage – This site provides SWOT analysis templates and best practices. It also helps users create personal SWOT analysis templates by setting goals and identifying strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats in relation to that goal.
• EdrawSoft – This site provides various templates for personal SWOT analysis. It also provides an easily understandable interface to draw efficiently and edit existing templates and layouts.
• Visual Paradigm – This site provides free SWOT analysis software. It is free software with support for SWOT Analysis and many other diagrams. Users can quickly draw a SWOT chart through the simple, intuitive list-based data editor.

Did you enjoy this article on personal SWOT analysis? Please share and subscribe below.

Personal SWOT Analysis

SWOT is an analysis tool used to help businesses and individuals to have a sustainable strategic plan. SWOT stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats. Strengths and weaknesses are internal issues and can be changed. At the same time, threats and opportunities are external issues that cannot be changed. Nevertheless, a company or a person can utilize the available opportunities and safeguard themselves against threats. A personal SWOT analysis is done to self-assess to identify opportunities for career growth, educational choices, ways to improve oneself, or potential career paths (Hansen, 2021).

These are characteristics or skills/abilities that make a person stand out from others (Martin, 2019). They help one identify what they are good at, which sets them apart from other people (Hansen, 2021). My high management experience and diverse work history are the advantages I have that others do not have. The achievement I am most proud of is running a store for 11years with low turnover and increased revenue for the store each year. As a recruiter, I can multitask better than other recruiters. Others see my ability to bounce back after failure and still have a positive attitude as one of my best strengths. My personal resources include my direct manager and fellow recruits. As a recruiter, I have a lot of connections to potential recruits and other recruiters who assist in identifying new opportunities.

These are hindrances to a person’s ability to give their best performance (Hansen, 2021). These help one identify areas needing improvement, which can set one back (Martin, 2019). The task that I usually avoid due to lack of confidence is speaking during morning meetings. I prefer talking to people one on one. My negative work habit is working all the time, which hinders me from achieving a work-life balance. I feel confident in my experience managing people. Still, I am not so confident about my education, so I am going back to school to sharpen my skills. The personality traits that may hold me back are my fear of public speaking and my stubbornness. I have a rigid determination against my change in attitude.

Opportunities

These are positive factors that increase a person’s competitive advantage (Hansen, 2021). They are the external factors that one can utilize to advance one’s career (Martin, 2019). One of them is my networks of influential contacts, such as the fellow recruiters who have different assignments. They offer me advice and assistance in my assignments. My company usually suffers from management turnover for lead managers, and I feel that they ought to promote from within the company to eliminate this issue. I usually suggest solutions to some of the problems in my company; sometimes, they take my advice, and in other instances, they dismiss my suggestions.

These are external factors that may hinder a person from attaining their set goals- hindrances to career growth (Martin, 2019). These factors can potentially harm one’s career (Hansen, 2021). One of the obstacles I face at work is limited time to get all required done. My co-workers are also competing for positions and projects at work. I have to put in extra effort to maintain my position. The nature of my job has changed from helping people find jobs to just submitting new recruits so we can get paid. My weaknesses pose a threat to my career. These weaknesses include my lack of work-life balance and my tendency to procrastinate. My lack of work-life balance puts me at risk of burnout, and my procrastination tendency after I get off work results in me being behind schedule in my assignments.

The goal of conducting a personal SWOT analysis is to use the results of that analysis to advance in one’s career life. One ought to recognize strategies that help one build on strengths, utilize available opportunities, and find ways to minimize weakness areas and eliminate threats. Martin (2019) suggests turning negative into positives by converting weaknesses into strengths and threats into opportunities. My major weaknesses are fear of public speaking, lack of a work-life balance, little confidence in my education level, and stubbornness. I can overcome my fear of public speaking by practicing with a small audience of people I am comfortable with and then working my way up to large audiences. I can also make sure I am well organized, concentrate on my topic rather than the audience, and visualize my success. I can also read some materials that coach one to overcome the fear of public speaking. To achieve a work-life balance, I can create a schedule that accounts for work and leisure and ensure to follow the schedule. Taking time off can also assist in achieving a work-life balance. I am working on my confidence in my education by going back to school o sharpen my skills. As for my stubbornness, I can make a mental note to keep an open mind to new ideas and opinions.

The present threats include stiff competition from workers, which I can equally compete by banking on my strengths. My attempt to eliminate the weakness of a poor work-life balance eliminates the risk of burnout. Creating a schedule that I strictly adhere to can also eliminate the threat of late assignments that procrastination presents. A review of my SWOT analysis by peers illuminated the fact that most of my weaknesses and threats can be easily solved by creating a schedule that I adhere to strictly to ensure all the work is completed in time and some time is left for leisure to avoid burnout.

Hansen, A. (2021, December 6).  The Best 6 Personal Swot Analysis Examples for Students | 2022 . Cornerstone International Community College of Canada | CICCC. https://ciccc.ca/cornerstone-blog/swot-analysis-examples-students/#:~:text=What%20is%20Personal%20SWOT%20Analysis

Martin, M. (2019, October 10).  How to Do a Personal SWOT Analysis . Business News Daily. https://www.businessnewsdaily.com/5543-personal-swot-analysis.html

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Home Blog Business Personal SWOT Analysis: Quick Guide (with Examples)

Personal SWOT Analysis: Quick Guide (with Examples)

Job interviewers want to know what your weaknesses are. Your boss wants to know what plans you have for continuous improvement. And you want to know what threats to look out for that could stunt your growth.

If you identify with any of the previous statements, then it looks like a personal SWOT analysis might benefit you.

“A what?”, you ask. a Personal SWOT Analysis is powerful self-evaluation exercise. Let’s take a look at what Personal SWOT stands for and how you can leverage it for your personal life.

What Is a Personal SWOT Analysis?

A Personal SWOT analysis is an exercise in self-introspection to help you understand yourself and prepare for growth.

What Does SWOT Stand For?

SWOT stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats. 

In order to make the most of a personal SWOT analysis, you’ll want to not only list out your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats, but expand upon them. The amount of introspection and analysis you conduct will depend on you, but some questions you can ask yourself include: 

• Where does this [strength, weakness, opportunity, threat] come from?
• How does it affect me and my life?
• What am I going to do about it? What are the next steps?

Business SWOT Analysis Versus Personal SWOT Analysis

You may have heard of, or even used a SWOT analysis in a business setting. It’s a common tool for teams to generate ideas and work on business strategies oriented around their competitive advantages, gaps, and value proposition. This analysis can also help teams and businesses to identify the external and internal factors that might affect future performance.

Personal SWOT analyses have the same idea, though rarely are they prepared with teamwork (unless you’re consulting with friends and family). A big difference between a business SWOT and a personal SWOT is that for a business, it will usually be focused on products, strategies, and action plans. Whereas, for a personal SWOT, you can also add soft skills, emotional components, and feelings.

Where these two perspectives align is with action. To make the most of a SWOT analysis (be it for personal analysis or for business purposes), you don’t just self-evaluate and mark it as “done”. Both businesses and individuals should use this evaluation to inspire action, decisions, and growth.

Benefits of Conducting a Personal SWOT Analysis

The biggest benefit to performing your own personal SWOT analysis is the structure it gives your self-evaluation. Individuals might think about what they’re good at or what’s getting in the way of their personal growth, at least once in a while. However, abstract introspection doesn’t help us create change. Action is built into the SWOT analysis in the opportunities section.

Secondly, the SWOT focuses on both positive and negative aspects. If you only focus on the good things, then you won’t have a clear direction of what to improve or what needs to change. However, if you only focus on your weaknesses and threats, you might get overwhelmed and disenhearted before you make it to your action plan.

Thirdly, the SWOT analysis focuses on internal characteristics and factors that affect your opportunities. You’ll always have much more control over internal factors compared to external ones.

When Should You Conduct a Personal SWOT Analysis?

While you may not actually need to make a SWOT analysis in preparation of a (Tinder?) date, there are plenty of situations in which this self-evaluation could prove helpful, especially concerning career growth, planning a career paths and self-development topics.

Preparing for a Job Interview

Interview prep is one of the most common uses for a personal SWOT analysis. This is especially true since one of the most famous (or infamous) interview questions is “What are your strengths and weaknesses?” A lot of people think it is hard to come up with a list of appropriate weaknesses for job interviews, but forget that it can actually be difficult to create a good list of strengths as well. This is where the SWOT analysis can help before your job interview presentation . In addition, generate a strategy based on a 30 60 90 Day Plan will help you to present a work plan and demonstrate proactivity in front of employers.

After College Graduation

We have so much structure when we’re in college, that it can be a shock to graduate and lose it all. There are so many decisions to make about career, living situation, relationships, goals, and even pastimes that many recent graduates feel lost and directionless.

If this is your case, try evaluation yourself through the personal SWOT analysis format to help you decide what you want to do, what you need to do, and what the next steps are. The mere fact of going through this analysis as an exercise for personal assessment, could illuminate several aspects related to your potential career.

When Deciding on a College Degree

There are lots of college degree options out there. For some, simply looking at their strengths and interests will be enough. For others, they’ll need something with a bit more structure to help them decide what degree is best for them. Not only can you make a personal SWOT analysis to help you decide what you would be best at, but you can use it to evaluate each prospective college degree as well. 

During Job Self-Evaluations

Candidates in a job interview might have been asked to evaluate themselves at work before. It’s an uncomfortable experience, to say the least. Performing a personal SWOT analysis can both help you format your evaluation and impress your boss at the same time.

Whenever Your Life Needs a Change

There isn’t always a reason or trigger for self-evaluation. Sometimes we just want change. You may be feeling bored, stagnant, or even dissatisfied with your personal situation. Whatever the case, performing a personal SWOT analysis can help you figure out what needs to change and how to start changing it.

How to Make a Personal SWOT Analysis

Begin your SWOT analysis by choosing which of the four components to brainstorm first. We suggest starting with strengths or weaknesses . 

If you’re having a hard time getting started, try using a personal SWOT analysis template . Here’s a guide where you can see how to present a SWOT analysis template .  Here we’ll give you some ideas and questions to ask yourself for each component, as well as some personal SWOT analysis examples.

Strengths Analysis

Your strengths should encompass both what you are good at generally and what makes you special. If you’re having a hard time thinking of your strengths, then turn to other people in your life.  Here are some exercises and questions to help guide your brainstorming: 

• What have been your biggest successes? (think school, sports, work, group project) What characteristics made those accomplishments possible?
• What tangible qualifications do you have? (certifications, degrees, education, training, internships, etc.) 
• What projects have you worked on and completed? (whether in school, at work, or in your personal life)
• What values do you have that others might not have?
• What knowledge-based skills do you have? (languages, digital skills, software knowledge, and other technical skills)
• What soft-skills do you have? (teamwork, leadership, dependable, hardworking)
• What positive personality traits do you have? (friendly, funny, empathetic, enthusiastic, honest, patient)
• What do other people in your life say are your strengths? (friends, parents, coworkers, bosses, teachers)

Personal SWOT Strength Analysis Example

Example of Personal Strengths in SWOT Analysis

“I am a hardworking professional, an imaginative artist, and a compassionate person. I don’t get discouraged when something doesn’t work out, but look for solutions. I speak multiple languages. I can easily learn and understand technical concepts.”

• Problem Solving

Weaknesses Analysis

Before starting on your weaknesses, keep in mind that the point of this exercise isn’t to feel bad about your problems, but to understand them so you can work on improving them. If you want to make this personal SWOT analysis as helpful as possible, you can also make notes of what you can do to work on these weaknesses in this same step.

Try to be honest here. This isn’t necessarily the list you’re going to present to your boss or job recruiter. It’s for your eyes only. That being said, here are some prompts to get you thinking about what your weaknesses are in a constructive way: 

• What times have you “messed up”? (school, work, relationships, with your family, etc.) What about you or what did you do to cause that issue?
• Are you missing any technical qualifications from your education or professional experience?
• What situations and tasks do you usually avoid? Why? What does this say about you as a person? 
• What bad habits do you have?
• Have people ever complained about you? (Keep in mind that not all complaints are true reflections of a person) What have been the valid complaints?
• Think about things that aren’t necessarily weaknesses, but things that you could improve. 
• What would others say you could improve?

Personal SWOT Weaknesses Analysis Example

Example of Weaknesses Analysis:

“I need to improve my self control, especially when it comes to doing things that are necessary like budgeting or cleaning up after myself. I can be impatient and moody. My family says I’m messy.”

• Don’t keep track of income and expenses well
• Better at brainstorming than execution
• Sometimes I don’t say what I want to
• Have more artistic skills than technical

Opportunity Analysis

Your list of opportunities and potential opportunities will differ based on the reason you’re conducting the personal SWOT analysis. Here are some prompts broken down into three main categories of opportunities: work, education, and personal life

Work Opportunity Analysis

• If you’re looking for jobs: Look at job descriptions on LinkedIn or a career site. Look for jobs that call for skills that match the ones you put in your list. These could be opportunities for you.
• Are there any positions at your work that need filling? Are there any tasks that no one else likes to do or is able to do that you can do or learn to do?
• Is there a new project starting at work that you could join and contribute to?
• What potential could you have if you improved one or two of your weaknesses?
• What connections do you have that you can leverage to find work opportunities?

Education Opportunity Analysis

• Ask people you know who have had different jobs that you’re interested in what they studied and what characteristics they think people need for that job. If these match with your strengths, then they could be degree opportunities.
• What potential jobs could you get if you studied one degree or course compared to another?
• What kinds of courses have you been good at? 
• Do you know people who have gone to any schools you’re interested in going to? Could they tell you about their experience or even get you into a meeting with someone who works there?

Personal Life Opportunity Analysis

• What activities or hobbies could you start doing or learn to do?
• Are there any groups you can join?
• What could you achieve in your personal life if you improved on some of your weaknesses?

Personal SWOT Opportunity Analysis Example

• Work Opportunity: Jenny works at Microsoft and could get me into an interview.
• Work Opportunity: If I improve sales by 15% I can get a promotion.
• Education Opportunity: There’s a free online course for learning how to make a website .
• Education Opportunity: My highest grades in high school were in biology and physics. Could find success in a science degree.
• Personal Life Opportunity: A DnD group on the local Facebook page is looking for a new member.
• Personal Life Opportunity: The gallery downtown is offering watercolor classes.

Threat Analysis

What barriers or obstacles are keeping you from achieving your goals and dreams? These threats could come from people, organizations, policies, situations, or even yourself. Here is a list of questions to help you brainstorm the threats in your life: 

• Is there someone in your life holding you back?
• Think about your weaknesses: Does anyone in your life exacerbate these weaknesses or encourage them?
• Are there any new trends, technologies, or processes that you can’t or haven’t gotten involved in that are keeping you from advancing?
• Are there certain tasks, errands, or projects that bog you down and keep you from advancing?
• Is your job, education, or personal life getting in the way of advancing in one of the other areas?
• Do any of your personal traits of weaknesses directly lead to a threat to your success?
• Think about things that, if they were different, would help you move closer to achieving your goals. What are they?

Personal SWOT Threat Analysis Example

Example of Threats Analysis in Personal SWOT:

• Whenever I’m with my college friends, I’m tempted to spend more money.
• I lose motivation at work whenever I have to work on reports. 
• Working from home at my family’s house is too distracting.
• My impatience often leads to difficulties with people.

Your Personal SWOT Analysis is as Simple or Complex as You Make It

You can spend hours brainstorming an exhaustive list of your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats and analyzing each thing you write down. 

Or you can go with your gut and write down a quick list of the first things that come to your mind and avoid overthinking. 

Both tactics can be useful. It all depends on your ultimate goal with the exercise. Do you want to know yourself better? Do you want to improve? Either way, the personal SWOT analysis can help you on your way. 

Discover our wide variety of SWOT Analysis Templates and create your own in a professional way.

1. Navigational SWOT Analysis PowerPoint Template

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13. Creative SWOT Diagram PowerPoint Template

14. Horizontal SWOT Infographic Template for PowerPoint

15. Vision SWOT Action Plan PowerPoint Template

16. SWOT Analysis Template Canvas for PowerPoint

17. Zoom SWOT PowerPoint Template

18. Opportunities & Threats Slides for PowerPoint

19. Strengths & Weaknesses Slides for PowerPoint

20. SWOT Process PowerPoint Template

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Personal SWOT Analysis: Quick Guide & Examples

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Every one of us wants to achieve personal goals, be it goals related to our career, relationship, health, or fitness. A personal SWOT analysis is a strategic planning framework to analyze your strengths & weakness and identify threats that could hinder your personal growth. 

Pay attention to your present scenario as you conduct the analysis. You can make significant changes in your skillset, habits, and behavior based on the analysis to achieve your goals. 

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What is a Personal SWOT Analysis? 

A personal SWOT analysis is a tried and tested method of evaluating one’s strengths and weaknesses. SWOT stands for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities , and threats . 

The purpose of a SWOT analysis is not just to list down these things, but to also expand upon them to improve your personal and career growth. 

Personal SWOT Analysis vs Business SWOT Analysis

Compared to a business SWOT analysis , which mainly focuses on products and services, a personal SWOT analysis focuses on the individual .

It can be conducted before a job interview or during a job self-evaluation. SWOT analysis can tell you where you stand and what you want to achieve in life. 

Benefits of a Personal SWOT Analysis

Every person reflects upon their strengths and weaknesses from time to time. But, a random self-reflection isn’t exactly complex enough to catapult you into super success (whatever that means for you).

With a SWOT analysis, your self-evaluation will be structured . It can help you identify and resolve problems in a manner that’s easy to digest.

For instance, if you only focus on your strengths and ignore your weaknesses, you will never be able to improve. When you write down your weaknesses and the threats you are facing using a SWOT structure, you are more likely to find solutions. 

How to Write a Personal SWOT Analysis

Figuring out your strengths and weaknesses is not an easy task.

Personal biases also come into play, making the process of conducting a SWOT analysis even more difficult. However, if you know how to get through every step of the process, it will become easier for you to go through this method of self-evaluation. 

Strength Analysis

Before you begin your strength analysis, draw a box on blank paper and divide it into four squares . This will be a rough draft of your SWOT analysis.

In order to figure out your strengths, focus on things that make you different from other people in your industry. For instance, if you are a marketer , and you have a marketing degree – you can add it to your strengths. You can also add any awards, distinctions, and certifications you have in the same niche.  

When figuring out your strengths, you don’t have to do everything on your own. Turn to a colleague you trust, and ask their opinion about your abilities. You can also ask friends and family members for a second opinion once you are done listing your strengths. 

Examples of what personal strengths can look like:

• I work well under pressure. 
• My qualitative and quantitative analysis skills are great. 
• I am quick to learn technical concepts. 
• I like to stay organized in my personal and professional life. 

Weakness Analysis

Before you begin listing down your weakness, it is important to remind yourself that the purpose of this exercise is to improve your personal growth. The goal isn’t to feel bad about yourself by the end!

One of the many benefits of a personal SWOT analysis is that it can just be for your own eyes only .

So, be as open as you want without the fear of judgment. Be honest with yourself and write down the weaknesses that you think are interfering with your growth. 

Examples of weaknesses that can keep you from moving forward:

• I am bad at budgeting which results in overspending . 
• I shy away from learning technical skills and only focus on artistic skills. 
• Brainstorming is easier for me than executing ideas. 
• Impatience often occurs with me, which leads to me losing interest in projects halfway through. 

Opportunity Analysis

Depending on the purpose behind your SWOT analysis, this part can look different.

For instance, if you are doing a SWOT analysis for career growth, you can look at the opportunities around your workplace. For example, this could be any hobbies you can learn. You should also consider the opportunities that you can create by working on your weaknesses. 

Sometimes, opportunities can also arise from your strengths. For instance, if you are good at graphic design, you can use your industry connections to find relevant jobs . 

Examples of opportunities to increase growth:

• I can get a promotion if I bring in more sales for three months straight. 
• If I sign up for a free online course , I can learn how to build a website. 
• I can benefit from my powerful industry connections . 
• I can improve professionally by working on my technical skills . 

Threat Analysis

Now, figuring out personal threats can be a bit tricky . If you think of yourself as a company or organization, it will become easier for you to figure out what’s hindering your progress.

The threats you are facing can also vary depending on the situation you are in. Certain challenges can affect you in both your personal and professional life. 

When thinking of threats, it is important to not only look at factors keeping you from moving forward, but also at the people and environment that amplify their effects.

For instance, if you fail to exercise money management when you are with your college friends, they may be considered a threat to your financial growth. 

Threats can also be related to your weaknesses – i.e., if your competitors in the industry can exploit your weaknesses, they will turn into threats. It is important to not only work on your weaknesses but also to find a suitable way to handle situations making things worse for you. 

Examples of threats that can hinder your progress:

• My project delivery turnaround is lesser than my colleagues and my boss will prefer them over me. 
• New talent is introduced in the field & the competition is fierce.
• I am failing to keep up with the changing technologies in my field, and therefore I am technically not sound.

Example Personal SWOT Analysis:

Okay, let’s say you’re a freelance writer . Using this template, you can see how easy it is to touch upon these 4 points to identify key areas in your growth. Remember, be brutally honest !

Pair your strengths and weaknesses. Analyze threats and opportunities. Finally, plan your future strategy and career path as a freelance writer.  

Conclusion 

A detailed personal SWOT analysis will help achieve your personal, health, career, and relationship goals with ease. 

Don’t stress over the things as you conduct the analysis. The more realistic you are, the better you can analyze any area you’re lacking or excelling.

Ready to get hired? At Twine , we have dozens of top-quality jobs being posted each and every day. From design to marketing, development to copywriting – there’s a job ready for your skills. Join the marketplace of diverse creative talent here .

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Your Full Guide on How to Write a SWOT Analysis

SWOT analysis is one of those tools that you'll come across in any field. For example, it's used to define a product's competitive advantage, create a strategic plan for a business, and gain insights into consumer behavior. 

But it's not just businesses that benefit from this technique. Personal SWOT analysis helps people plan their careers in the most optimal way possible, too.

As versatile as it is, SWOT analysis is not at all complicated. That's why its adoption rate is through the roof. And that's why you should learn how to take advantage of it, whether for an assignment or not.

To help you out with that, let's rely on our rich writing services experience and use it to break down in detail:

• What a SWOT analysis is;
• How it's applied in business strategies and marketing efforts;
• How to use the SWOT framework for any task;
• 4 real-world SWOT analysis examples.

What Is SWOT Analysis, Exactly?

Any SWOT analysis template contains four sections, presented in a two-by-two matrix:

• Strengths – your inherent qualities, resources, or skills that set you apart from the rest;
• Weaknesses – whatever is or may be stopping you or the business from performing well;
• Opportunities – external factors that you can use to your advantage to become more competitive;
• Threats – external factors that may harm your performance in the short or long run.

Internal and External Factors in SWOT Analysis

Each section represents a list of factors. These sections can be grouped into two broader categories: internal and external factors.

Internal factors – Strengths and Weaknesses in the first row – are inherent to you or the company. However, you can also do something about them if need be. Think of your skills as a professional if you're working on a personal SWOT analysis, for example.

External factors – Opportunities and Threats in the second row – aren't under your personal or the company's control. But they have an impact on you or the business, nonetheless. Once-in-a-lifetime pandemics, inflation, or industry trends are good examples here.

Positive vs Negative Factors

Another way to think about the SWOT matrix is by juxtaposing negative and positive factors :

• Strengths and Opportunities can help you or the company achieve your goal or succeed at a project. So, they represent positive factors.
• Weaknesses and Threats can negatively impact your progress and have to be mitigated. They're negative factors.

Why is SWOT Analysis Important?

Now that the question ‘What is a SWOT Analysis?’ is answered, you must have several others on your mind. So let's answer them one by one.

Who Should Do a SWOT Analysis?

Businesses of all sizes and in all industries can benefit from SWOT analyses. So, whether you're a prospective entrepreneur, a small business owner, or a C-level executive, this technique will be a useful arrow in your quiver.

You can also benefit from conducting a personal SWOT analysis. It would be best if you did it when looking for a job or facing a major life decision.

Why Should You Do a SWOT Analysis?

At its core, SWOT analysis is a strategic planning technique. It's meant to help you organize all the factors. That, in turn, enables you to gain key insights into where you stand and how you can move from point A to point B.

How does it help you in strategic planning, exactly? The SWOT matrix shows you:

• Which strengths you should maximize and emphasize;
• Which weaknesses you should minimize and keep at bay;
• Which opportunities you can take advantage of;
• Which threats you should look out for and counter.

All of this leads to one outcome: better, more informed decision-making. Plus, SWOT analysis is notorious for challenging your assumptions as long as everyone involved is straightforward and honest in their answers.

What Can SWOT Framework Be Used For?

Now, let's talk about real-life practical applications of this technique. Here are three SWOT analysis examples:

• Choosing the business model for a new enterprise;
• Creating a break-even analysis and a business plan;
• Analyzing the company's quarterly and annual performance.

At a personal level, you can also conduct your own SWOT analysis to:

• Increase your chances of landing a job;
• Position yourself for getting a promotion;
• Understand what needs to change in your life in general.

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How to Conduct a SWOT Analysis in 8 Steps

SWOT analysis isn't complicated to conduct, and that's why they are so popular. Yet, it might be a wrong first impression.

A good SWOT analysis can take hours and should involve multiple people in a brainstorming session. It should also be as objective as possible – which can be harder to achieve than it seems.

So, how do you use a SWOT analysis – and get a quality result for your strategic decision-making process? Here's your step-by-step SWOT analysis example that you can use as a guide. If you need a custom writing -address to professionals.

1. Determine Your Goal

Starting brainstorming without a goal means getting into the SWOT analysis blind. And your SWOT matrix will be useless – or misleading – in the long run.

For example, depending on your goal, the same factor can be a key strength or an irrelevant note. For example, if you aim to reach the 18-25 demographic in your marketing campaign, your active presence on TikTok will be a great asset. But if you need to find a way to attract more quality candidates in the hiring process, the TikTok presence will only help you a little.

So, zero in on what you want to achieve with this SWOT analysis. This can be a decision you or the company have to make – for example, whether to launch a certain product line. Your goal can also be to solve a certain problem or to create/reassess your strategy.

2. Do Your Research

Your research wouldn't be complete if you googled ‘What is a SWOT analysis?’ You'll need a lot of data during your brainstorming session. If you have it, you'll avoid guessing your company's or your own strengths or external threats related to your goal.

What Data to Look For

Your research should consist of two parts:

• Internal research . You'll need every piece of information on your or the company's performance to pinpoint the internal factors in SWOT analysis. That can include financial, sales, marketing, and other reports with key metrics.
• External research . Gather the data on your competitors, the market, the company's position and market share, and the industry as a whole. This data will be the basis for assessing your opportunities and threats.

There's one footnote, though. Depending on the goal, you'll need different data sets. So, focus on relevant data.

3. Pinpoint Your or Your Organization's Strengths

Now, it's time for the brainstorming session. If you're doing a SWOT analysis for a business, go with it: bring the right people to the table, virtual or not. It'll help you get a more objective, realistic, and complete matrix.

Start with the internal factors, namely your internal strengths: they're always easier to home in on.

Need a SWOT analysis example of a company's strengths? Here are five of them:

• Outstanding customer service with a high satisfaction rate;
• Strong financial performance;
• The first-mover advantage;
• Positive brand attributes;
• Strong technical expertise in the field.

5 Questions to Ask

Here are five questions to kick off your brainstorming and help you discover your company's strengths – or your own:

• What do you or the company do well?
• What are your strongest assets?
• Is there something only you or the company do?
• What is your competitive edge?
• What do customers appreciate about the company?

4. Zero in on Your or Your Company's Weaknesses

Now, it's time to move on to a more difficult part of assessing your internal factors: your weaknesses. Take a hard look at your or the business's performance and define what could be going better. Don't try to embellish the truth here!

Keep in mind: there are some weaknesses that you can eliminate and some others that you can only mitigate.

Looking for weaknesses SWOT analysis examples for students who run their businesses? Here are five of them:

• Poor brand recognition among the target audience;
• Suboptimal employee productivity;
• Limited resources, human or otherwise;
• Lack of intellectual property for key technologies;
• Long delivery times.

To explore your personal or business weaknesses, ask the following five questions:

• What do your competitors beat you at?
• What do customers complain about?
• What is holding back your or the company's success?
• What resources do you or the company lack?
• What are the gaps in your internal business processes?

5. Identify External Opportunities

Before you can exploit opportunities, you need to identify them in your SWOT analysis – and determine which ones are worth using, too.

For that, you'll need to turn to the external environment research you've done. Then, look at that data and pinpoint which trends or events you could take advantage of.

Need a SWOT analysis example or two here? Take a look at these three business opportunities:

• New markets emerging within the industry;
• New advertising channels rising to prominence;
• Particular customer needs that remain underserved.

4 Questions to Ask

If you don't know how to start zeroing in on opportunities, start with these four questions:

• Are there ways to gain useful resources you don't have or have little of?
• Are there any technological advancements that can help you mitigate your weaknesses?
• Are there any new or overlooked opportunities that you can exploit?
• How can the current economy or market trends be of use to you?

6. Home in on Potential Threats

Time to move on to the final part of a standard SWOT analysis: threats. These external trends and events can get in your way – or already are.

If you're working on a personal SWOT analysis, threats can include:

• High competition for the job you're after;
• Potential layoffs due to a financial crisis.

If you're conducting one for a large company or a small business, negative external factors can include:

• New emerging competitors, direct or indirect;
• New regulations that can entail considerable additional costs for the business;
• Unfavorable investment climate.

3 Questions to Ask

If you need a push in the right direction, here are three questions to help you zero in on the threats:

• Who are your competitors, and what is their market position?
• What is the state of the economy, industry, and market? Are they in decline?
• Are there any new regulations that can harm the business?

7. Review Your SWOT Analysis Matrix

Having a good SWOT analysis right after brainstorming is impossible. You need to review every factor you've written down and edit the list. Leave only the elements that truly matter – and make them more specific if required.

3 Things to Pay Attention to

There are some common caveats that you can overlook if you need to be more careful during this step. Here are three of them to avoid:

• Factors that aren't specific enough – clarify or cross them out;
• Factors that aren't evidence-based – find proof or get rid of them;
• Factors that are over- or underestimated – have a fresh pair of eyes to look at the list.

8. Decide on the Solution

Once you've finished filling out and editing your SWOT analysis template, your work is only beginning. Now, you need to take your SWOT matrix and use your findings to find the solution to your key issue.

4 Questions to Pose

Here are four questions to guide you in your solution-seeking:

• How can you maximize your strengths? Which ones should be the top priority to boost?
• How can you mitigate or eliminate your weaknesses? Which ones should be taken care of first?
• Which opportunities should you take advantage of? Which ones will pay off the most?
• Which threats can do the most harm? How can you limit their impact?

4 SWOT Analysis Examples for Students

Need something more than just a SWOT analysis template? Let's see how this tool can be applied to practice with these four real-world SWOT analysis examples for students.

But if these sample SWOT analysis still don't help you, don't panic just yet. You can always order an essay online and let professionals worry about it. And no, it won't cost you a small fortune!

Amazon and Tesla Analysis

Apple and personal swot analysis, are you drowning in schoolwork.

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SWOT analysis is the examination of your (or your organisation’s) situation by looking at Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats. It has been used by businesses for many years as a strategic planning tool, because it helps to give you an all-round view of the organisation.

SWOT analysis are however, equally useful on a personal level as a way to identify areas for development, and as part of career discussions. Its simple format, and easy-to-apply structure mean that it can be used very easily without support.

A quick summary of SWOT analysis

SWOT analysis is a way of looking at your situation by identifying:

Strengths , or those areas where you have an advantage over others, or some unique resources to exploit;

Weaknesses , or areas where you or your organisation may be weaker than others, and may find that others can do better than you;

Opportunities , or possibilities that you can take advantage of to help you achieve your goals and ambitions; and

Threats , or things that may prevent you or your organisation from making a profit or achieving your goals.

There is more about the process in our page on SWOT Analysis .

A personal SWOT analysis is very similar to one for business, except that you focus on yourself and your goals.

Our page on SWOT analysis explains that one of the advantages of a SWOT analysis is that the framework is very flexible. You can therefore use it in a wide variety of circumstances.

A personal SWOT analysis, however, may be more useful if you focus on a specific goal or problem that you want to address . This is because we all have a number of very diverse goals. The skills and attributes that may help us towards one goal may be irrelevant, or even a weakness, in another context. A threat in one context could be unimportant in another.

The SWOT Process

1. identify the goal that you want to achieve.

It is important to be as specific as possible. Be clear about timing, that is, when you want to achieve your goal, and also how you will know that you have achieved it (your success criteria).

If you have not yet identified any goals, you may find it helpful to read our page on Setting Personal Goals .

Thinking specifically about that goal:

2. Identify the personal strengths that will help you to achieve it, and the weaknesses that could prevent you.

It is often helpful to consider knowledge, skills, experience, resources and support that you have available. If you list these headings separately, you will remember to consider them all.

These areas are generally internal , that is, they relate to you personally, and the resources and skills that are available to you. They are, therefore, things that are generally under your control.

TOP TIP! Kick-starting your self-analysis

If you find this process difficult, you may want to take our Interpersonal Skills Self-Assessment, to give you an idea of your strengths and weaknesses. This may be a useful starting point for further thinking.

3. Identify any personal opportunities that could enable you to achieve the goal, and also that you will be able to take advantage of when you have achieved it

Opportunities are generally external , relating to the environment and those around you, rather than you yourself. They include things like:

• Promotions and financial incentives; and
• Events that are likely to happen at work or outside, such as someone going on maternity leave or sabbatical, that might mean you have a chance to do something new.

In identifying opportunities that might open up as a result of achieving your goal, consider both short- and long-term benefits.

4. Identify any threats

These are external things and events that are worrying you, or that might happen and prevent you from either achieving your goals, or taking advantage of the benefits.

5. Review and prioritise

Finally, as always with development activities, and anything that looks like strategic thinking , it is a good idea to review your analysis . Ask yourself:

• Is this recognisably me?
• Is there anything that I have forgotten?

And finally:

• Which areas are most important in each of the four categories in the analysis?

Try to highlight one, or at most two, things from each of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats that you think will be most important in achieving (or preventing you from achieving) your goal. Those areas will be your priorities for action.

Using a Personal SWOT Analysis

Our page Learning from Mentoring suggests that a personal SWOT analysis is a useful tool in working out what you want to get from mentoring. It is, however, much more widely applicable, and you can use it to help you to analyse any personal development or learning situation.

Going through this process for a particular goal and/or problem that you face enables you to identify which areas are really bothering you, and where you most need to focus your attention.

You can use the process for each and every goal, but it may be more helpful to use it only when you find a problem particularly challenging. It is, effectively, a way of ordering your thinking, and helping you to see the problem in a slightly different way.

Phone a friend?

A personal SWOT analysis can be done on your own.

However, it is worth bearing in mind that a business SWOT analysis is stronger if it draws on evidence from outside the organisation, such as independent market research, or views from customers.

In the same way, a personal SWOT analysis is likely to be more powerful if you draw on the views of others.

If, for example, you are part of a learning group at work, or at college or university, you can agree to go through the process for each other in turn. You can even gather evidence from each other’s colleagues to support the analysis.

If you are doing this by yourself, you may want to ask friends and colleagues their views on your strengths and weaknesses, or ask them to comment on your first draft analysis and suggest additions.

A Final Thought...

Like any personal development process, a SWOT analysis is not something that you want to do every day. But if you are finding a particular problem is very intractable, or that you are really struggling to know where to start with a goal, it may be a useful way of ordering your thinking, and giving you a different perspective on the problem.

Further Reading from Skills You Need

Learn how to set yourself effective personal goals and find the motivation you need to achieve them. This is the essence of personal development, a set of skills designed to help you reach your full potential, at work, in study and in your personal life.

The second edition of or bestselling eBook is ideal for anyone who wants to improve their skills and learning potential, and it is full of easy-to-follow, practical information.

Continue to: Developing Your Super-Strengths Building A Personal Brand

See also: Creating and Exploring Career Possibilities Job Crafting and Job Enrichment Identifying Areas of Personal Development

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Personal SWOT Analysis – Oneself / Myself. (2021, May 19). Retrieved from https://studymoose.com/personal-swot-analysis-oneself-myself-essay

"Personal SWOT Analysis – Oneself / Myself." StudyMoose , 19 May 2021, https://studymoose.com/personal-swot-analysis-oneself-myself-essay

StudyMoose. (2021). Personal SWOT Analysis – Oneself / Myself . [Online]. Available at: https://studymoose.com/personal-swot-analysis-oneself-myself-essay [Accessed: 14 Aug. 2024]

"Personal SWOT Analysis – Oneself / Myself." StudyMoose, May 19, 2021. Accessed August 14, 2024. https://studymoose.com/personal-swot-analysis-oneself-myself-essay

"Personal SWOT Analysis – Oneself / Myself," StudyMoose , 19-May-2021. [Online]. Available: https://studymoose.com/personal-swot-analysis-oneself-myself-essay. [Accessed: 14-Aug-2024]

StudyMoose. (2021). Personal SWOT Analysis – Oneself / Myself . [Online]. Available at: https://studymoose.com/personal-swot-analysis-oneself-myself-essay [Accessed: 14-Aug-2024]

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