1 Conducting a SWOT analysis of your situation

Figure 1

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A diagram of a SWOT table, where ‘S’ is for ‘Strength’, ‘W’ is for ‘Weakness’, ‘O’ is for ‘Opportunity’, and ‘T’ is for ‘Threat’.

Figure 1

You have now built up considerable knowledge and understanding of the sector within which you work or want to work. This has provided you with various perspectives from which to view your current situation. How can you use this knowledge to assess and possibly change your situation?

An effective way of organising and exploring this knowledge and these insights is to conduct a personal SWOT analysis. This will help you to identify your personal strengths and weaknesses, and to uncover the opportunities you may have missed and the threats that may have slipped beneath your radar.

Look at and think about each of the elements of the SWOT analysis in turn.