Dear Readers! The following post is part of Doria’s series “The Dream Job is No Accident.” Today, you can read Part 8. You can find the previous articles using the search function under “Dream Job Series.” The next posts will appear weekly on the blog. Enjoy reading and working on your ideas!
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Now comes another exercise to not only recognize your strengths and opportunities but also to identify your Unique Selling Point (i.e., your unique feature) and understand what you will highlight in the future and what you should better remain silent about. This is a Strengths-Weaknesses-Opportunities-Threats (SWOT) analysis. It was developed in the 1960s at Harvard Business School. Strengths and weaknesses are always considered internally. They indicate which strengths to showcase in the future, so that there is no time and attention left for weaknesses.
Perform this SWOT analysis exercise:
Start with the first two sections, “Strengths and Weaknesses.” Fill these in with your pronounced strengths and potential weaknesses. Always consider these in relation to competitors and potential employers. Next, tackle the remaining two sections, “Opportunities and Threats.” Identify future trends, new markets, and risks that you must not overlook. Finally, determine how you can minimize weaknesses and threats with your strengths and opportunities. Transform each one into a positive! This way, you will never again need to fear certain questions during the job interview. You will have preemptively addressed every weakness and risk. You will be equipped to make potential weaknesses invisible or uninteresting to others.
Take ample time for the SWOT analysis. This may well take several days or weeks.
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