How to do a personal SWOT analysis

You may have heard of SWOT analysis. It is a tool that allows you to evaluate the situation of a company, business or project, helping us identify what is wrong and how we can intervene. However, this interesting technique can also be applied on an individual level; This is what is known as personal SWOT analysis.

Also known as a matrix or SWOT analysis, this tool It was created in the 1960s by Albert Humphrey. This management consultant was tasked with understanding why the corporate planning of Fortune 500 companies was not succeeding. Thus, during his stay at the Stanford Research Institute he designed, together with other colleagues, this very popular technique.

What is personal SWOT analysis?

A personal SWOT analysis follows the same structure as when applied to an organization or business project.. However, in this case it helps us analyze what factors influence our current personal situation.

In this sense, It is a tool of self-knowledge that allows the person to identify in what ways they can act and evolve until they achieve their objectives. In other words, it provides the clarity to make changes and establish new habits that contribute to achieving goals.

To begin preparing a personal SWOT analysis, we must know that it is divided into two large categories:

The internal factors: They depend on the person and it is up to them to work to change them. They cover both strengths and weaknesses. external factors: They are not under the control of the person and refer to the sociocultural factors that are given. In this case we talk about threats and opportunities.

If we put these four factors together, we will see that they correspond to the acronym of this technique: (W)eaknesses, (A)threats, (S)trengths and (O)pportunities.

SWOT analysis can help us get to know ourselves.

Create your personal SWOT analysis

To create or design your own SWOT analysis, the first step is to fill in each of the fields with personal information. You can do it in the following way:

Strengths

They are internal factors that favor or help the achievement of goals. To identify your strengths you can ask yourself “What am I good at?”, “What do I like to do?”“What characteristics or qualities make me different from others?”, “In what type of environment do I perform best?”…

For example, this could include: creativity, will, ease of speech, proactivity…

Weaknesses

They are the internal factors that limit us, hinder us and prevent us from achieving our objectives. We can ask ourselves: “What are my weak points?”, “What tasks or activities are most difficult for me?”“What qualities or traits are an impediment for me?”

Some examples of weaknesses could be: I get blocked when working under pressure, I tend to get angry easily, it is difficult for me to express my emotions…

Opportunities

In this case, It is about analyzing the environment in which you are immersed to identify what opportunities exist and you can take advantage. What types of tasks, goals or changes are possible or made easier for you in your current situation?

Some examples could be: learning a new language, traveling, creating new personal relationships…

Threats

Finally, Identify which environmental factors represent an obstacle to achieving what you propose. What elements currently pose a risk to you. For example, it could include: a bad economic situation, dependent family members in your care, lack of time, deteriorated health…

It is worth mentioning that the qualities or traits that we place in each category of the SWOT analysis will depend on our objective. The previous examples are valid for a person who wants to know themselves better and develop on a personal and emotional level.

However, if we apply the SWOT analysis, for example, to analyze our employment situation, We must add relevant information to that context. That is, strengths would include training, experience or soft skills, In opportunities we would place the possibility of a better salary or a more flexible schedule and so on.

SWOT analysis can help us make decisions to make changes in our lives.

Start taking action with your personal SWOT analysis

The personal SWOT analysis allows us to see where we stand, but the most important thing is that It guides us when it comes to knowing what type of action to take to evolve and generate changes. For this, we must interrelate the information that we have previously expressed by answering the following questions:

How am I going to use my strengths to take advantage of these opportunities? What do I do with my weaknesses to be able to take advantage of the opportunities? How can I use my strengths to face those threats? What can I do with my weaknesses to make it easier for me? confront threats? How can I take advantage of opportunities to correct my weaknesses?

It is preferable to carry out this entire process in writing, so that we clarify the answers to these questions. From here we can draw up an action plan that will allow us to make the best of our current situation and move towards our objectives.

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