SWOT Analysis

Unit 1, P7 and P8 Criteria

Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT)

• By knowing your strengths you can focus your energies to things you are good at

• This can help you identify long term goals• Strengths are not just about work skills. You need to think about

how you have grown and developed as a result of all the experiences you have had

• Strengths include:• Education• Attitudes• Personality• interests

Strengths

• Fill in the strengths section of your SWOT analysis by asking yourself the following questions:

• What are you really good at?• What skills do other people recognise in you?• What do you do better than most people you work with?• What do you get recognised or rewarded for?• What about yourself are you most proud of or satisfied

with?• What experiences, resources or connections do you have

access to that others do not?

What are your strengths?

• It is vital to be honest about our weaknesses as these are the areas we can improve so they don’t hinder our final goal achievement

• Weaknesses need to be addressed so that:• they do not impact heavily on the likelihood of success• They can be planned for• When addressed they can help ensure future goal success is achievable

• It is important when listing weaknesses that you limit yourselves to the ones that have a direct link to goal satisfaction

Weaknesses

• Strengths and weakness are about looking inside ourselves and self-assessing

• Opportunities are external and about how you can take identity and advantage of outside elements that can help improve your chances of goal success

• Often setting aside some time and brainstorming can help uncover new and innovating opportunities that you have not realised are there

Opportunities

• Fill in the opportunities section of your SWOT analysis by asking yourself the following questions:

• In what ways can you maximise your strengths?• What opportunities are open to those who do things well?• What would you have to do that you are good at?• How can you minimise your weaknesses?• If your weaknesses no longer hold you back what could you do?• Where do you see the most potential growth for yourself?• What trends are having an impact on your current career or one you are thinking

about pursuing

What are your opportunities?

• We cannot control threats but we can analyse them and plan for their occurrence

• By realising and acknowledging all potential threats you reduce the anxiety you feel about them

• More importantly through acknowledgement and planning you can significantly reduce the severity of their impact should a threat occur

Threats

• Fill in the threat section of your SWOT analysis by asking yourself the following questions:

• Do you have weaknesses that need to be addressed before you move forward?

• What problems could your weaknesses cause if left unchecked?

• What setbacks might you face?• What obstacles have other people overcome to get to

where you want to go?

What are the threats?