The SWOT analysis is a matrix used to determine your Weaknesses, Threats, Strengths and Opportunities. It is widely used, especially by companies, to find out where they stand in relation to their competition and, in this way, to be able to apply those strategies that allow them to achieve their objectives. However, this method is not limited only to the business field, but can also be done on a personal level with the aim of getting to know yourself better and implementing tactics that will help you achieve your goals.
First of all, you need to be clear about the reason why you , for example, if you are a recent graduate who wants to look for work in your sector, if you are thinking about a promotion within your job or if you are unemployed and want to retrain as a professional.
The SWOT matrix will always have the same representation, you just have to change the questions to adapt them to the situation you are faced with. I am going to break it down so you can see what it would look like:
Within the Internal Analysis we are going to look at those characteristics that are specific to you, for example, your knowledge, experience, personality, skills, etc. Within these internal factors are the weaknesses and strengths.
Weaknesses are the weaknesses you have at the moment and those that can put obstacles in your way when it comes to achieving your goals. You have to try to overcome and reduce them. When it comes to job searching, they would be those points that could leave you out of the selection process, such as, for example, lack of experience in the position you are applying for.
Strengths are what make you stand out from others, they are your positive telemarketing leads colombia telephone number data points. Try to highlight them whenever you can. In the job search, they would be those points that would make you an attractive candidate compared to others: knowledge of a computer program, higher education, good attitude, etc.
External factors , on the other hand, are those that are completely unrelated to you but that affect you, for example, how the competition works, the profile of other candidates or the demand for the job you are applying for. These factors are divided, in turn, into threats and opportunities.
Threats are negative aspects that come from outside that can prevent you from achieving your goals. They are situations that are there and you cannot avoid them, but you must take them into account. An example would be job instability within your company or a difficult family situation .
Opportunities are those characteristics that arise from outside and that can benefit you when it comes to achieving your goals. Whenever you can, take advantage of them .
How can I do a SWOT analysis ?
The best way to get to know yourself is to ask yourself personal questions related to the chart I showed you earlier. This way, you will be able to have specific and abundant information about your personal and professional situation and begin to create your SWOT:
SWOT analysis
Once you have your SWOT scorecard, you are ready to move on to the next level: the SWOT analysis . This second scorecard is considered an extension of the SWOT and will define your improvement strategies: it will help you to Correct your weaknesses, Address your threats, Maintain your strengths and Exploit opportunities.
> If you combine strengths with threats, defensive strategies emerge . The environment makes things difficult for you, but you have characteristics that will help you to face them. The challenge you will have is to minimize the impact of threats by promoting your advantages. For example, if one of your strengths is the recent acquisition of a university degree and an identified threat is the economic crisis (which means a reduction in job offers from these companies), a possible strategy would be to demonstrate that you are capable of putting into practice what you have learned by means of proposals for improvement.
> If you combine strengths with opportunities , you will see that offensive strategies emerge . This is the ideal situation, you are capable of making the most of the opportunities that the environment offers you and you also have characteristics that will help you to do so. With this strategy you limit and practically eliminate weaknesses and threats. For example, one of your strengths is the mastery of several languages and an identified opportunity is the internationalization of companies in the professional sector that interests you. A possible strategy would be to send your CV in one of these languages to highlight this knowledge.
> If you combine weaknesses with opportunities, reorientation strategies emerge . The environment offers you good opportunities but you are not prepared to take full advantage of them. You must create a plan that allows you to transform weaknesses into positive points. For example, if your weakness is that you are afraid of public speaking and the opportunity that the market offers you is that sales are more effective when promotional events are held, you could take courses that deal with this topic, simulate situations with your family and friends, etc., thus transforming a weakness that you had, which was fear of public speaking, into a strength.
> If you combine weaknesses with threats, survival strategies emerge . It is a critical situation in which there are many threats and you have many weak points. You need to strengthen yourself to face the threats. For example, if French is becoming an essential language in the sector you want to move in and you do not have knowledge of this language, the action plan could be to take courses to get around and improve your weaknesses.