Advice / Succeeding at Work / Productivity

What’s a SWOT Analysis and How Do You Make a Good One?

Doing a SWOT analysis is one of the best ways to understand where you stand professionally and the areas in which you can grow. Originally a tool for business strategy, the SWOT analysis—an acronym for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats—has become just as valuable for individual use, especially in the context of personal career planning and development.

It can be a powerful way to reflect on current skills and identify areas to enhance as an employee. Whether you’re aiming for a promotion, considering a career shift, or simply looking to perform better in your current role, a SWOT analysis helps you approach your goals with clarity and purpose.

In this article, we’ll define SWOT analysis, give practical examples, and offer templates to make it easy to create your own analysis.

What is a SWOT analysis? Definition

A SWOT analysis is a powerful tool to assess an individual’s current position in their career or role by analyzing four key areas: Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats. It helps employees make strategic career decisions and capitalize on potential growth areas.

Here’s a breakdown of each component:

Strengths: These are internal factors that give you an advantage in your career. Strengths can include specific skills, talents, experiences, or qualities that set you apart and enable you to excel.
Weaknesses: Internal areas that may negatively affect your performance or hold you back from reaching your goals. Acknowledging weaknesses, whether they’re skill gaps or personal habits, is the first step to improving upon them.
Opportunities: These are external factors or trends in your industry that can be leveraged to advance your career. Opportunities could include emerging industry trends, networking chances, or professional development resources, such as courses, mentorship programs, and workshops, that align with your goals.
Threats: In SWOT analysis, threats are external challenges or obstacles that could potentially hinder your progress, including a changing job market, industry disruptions, or organizational restructuring. Being aware of these helps you prepare and adapt, minimizing the impact on your career path.

Why is a SWOT analysis important for employees?

Conducting a SWOT analysis is especially valuable for employees who want to reflect on their careers and pursue professional growth. The analysis process encourages self-awareness by helping you take an honest look at where you stand and what you need to work on, such as pursuing a new skill. It also helps plan your career by identifying opportunities you might have otherwise overlooked and focusing on possible threats you can prepare for in advance.

From a development perspective, a SWOT analysis can drive both personal and organizational growth. As you work on strengthening your skills and addressing weaknesses, you’re likely to enhance your performance in your current role. This, in turn, benefits the organization by creating a workforce that is agile, self-aware, and aligned with broader business goals.

How often should someone do a SWOT analysis?

There’s no set rule on how frequently you should do a self SWOT analysis. “It largely depends on the rate of change in your industry and any shifts in your career goals,” says Karl Hebenstreit, a certified executive coach and organizational development consultant.

In many organizations, a SWOT analysis for business strategy was once an annual exercise. However, with increasing market unpredictability, some companies now update their SWOT analysis quarterly, if not monthly.

“For an employee conducting their own personal SWOT analysis, perhaps an annual cadence is a target while keeping abreast of what's going on internally and externally and deciding if any major movement warrants more immediate attention,” Hebenstreit says.

How to do a SWOT analysis: Your step-by-step guide

According to Hebenstreit, many employees mistakenly jump into a SWOT analysis and focus too narrowly on internal factors. This can lead to missed external insights about trends, industry forecasts, and competitive landscapes. To get the most out of a SWOT analysis, take the time for self-reflection and gather a range of perspectives.

Step 1: Start with a self-assessment

Thoughtfully examine your professional experiences, skills, and personality traits. Use this step to break down the Strengths and Weaknesses sections and identify concrete examples in each category. Let’s explore how to approach the first two elements in detail:

Strengths

Identify the internal strengths that give you an advantage in your role. Examples of strengths could include strong communication skills, in-depth knowledge of a specialized tool or process, or a positive work ethic that influences team morale.

Ask yourself:

What do I do well in my job?
What unique skills, certifications, or expertise do I possess?
How have I contributed to my team’s success?
What accomplishments am I proud of? (e.g., completing a challenging project, receiving praise or awards)

Document each strength with specific examples (measurable ones, if possible) to make your analysis tangible and actionable.

Weaknesses

Next, consider areas where you have room for improvement. Examples might include lacking proficiency in new software, struggling to prioritize tasks, or needing improvement in public speaking. Acknowledging weaknesses can feel challenging, but being honest about them is key to growth. Consider:

Which skills or tasks do I find challenging?
Where do I typically receive feedback to improve?
Are there any knowledge gaps that impact my performance?
Do I have any habits or tendencies that limit my effectiveness?

Step 2: Gather feedback from others

“As human beings, we have many defense mechanisms to protect our egos, and may not be aware of some of our weaknesses and even strengths, or how we come across to others,” Hebenstreit says. “We may think we are being effective, but others may receive and perceive us very differently.”

Seeking feedback from others gives you insights beyond your experience, revealing where your perceptions may differ from reality. This can be particularly important when understanding how your weaknesses or strengths impact your team.

“Look for common themes from people's feedback and responses, and not just one-offs,” Hebenstreit says. If multiple people provide similar insights, there may be a valid issue to address. On the other hand, a single outlier comment might not be as meaningful.

Including insights from a diverse group of trusted sources (peers, supervisors, mentors, or even clients) in your SWOT analysis will provide a more well-rounded and accurate picture of your professional self, so you can better identify areas for growth and improvement. But keep in mind that feedback is meant to complement your own perspective—not to replace it.

(Here’s how to ask for—and get—truly honest feedback.)

Step 3: Analyze external factors

Examining the external factors that could affect your career growth is crucial for creating the Opportunities and Threats sections of the SWOT analysis. These can include industry trends, competition, economic shifts, government regulations, and even socio-political influences. For instance, new regulations in your industry could create both challenges and opportunities, while emerging technologies might disrupt the competitive landscape.

“Participation in professional associations, industry roundtables, conferences, and daily news briefings can help expand employees' knowledge of the rapidly changing internal and external environments,” Hebenstreit says.

Now, let’s explore the final two elements in detail:

Opportunities

Opportunities are the external factors or trends that could advance your career if you leverage them. Examples include taking a course to build an in-demand skill, attending industry events to expand your network, or joining an internal project team to gain visibility and experience.

To identify them, think about:

Are there industry trends or skills that are growing in demand?
What resources or training does my organization offer?
Are there networking events, conferences, or certifications available to me?
How can I align my goals with my company’s goals for mutual benefit?

Threats

Lastly, assess potential threats—external obstacles that could negatively impact your growth or progress. Examples of threats might be increased competition for promotions, industry trends that make certain skills less relevant, or organizational restructuring that could affect your team’s dynamics.

Ask yourself:

What factors in my industry might affect my role or career path? (for example, new technology that could replace current processes)
Are there challenges within my organization, like budget cuts or leadership changes?
Do I face competition from colleagues or external candidates with similar skills?
Are there personal factors that could impact my work performance?

Step 4: Create actionable plans

Once you’ve gathered insights from your self-assessment, feedback from others, and analysis of external factors, the next step is to create actionable plans that will help you leverage your strengths and address your weaknesses. This is where the true value of a SWOT analysis comes into play.

First, focus on your strengths. How can you use these to your advantage? For example, if you’ve identified strong communication skills as a strength, you might plan to take on more client-facing responsibilities or lead presentations. Similarly, if you have technical expertise, you could position yourself as a go-to person for projects that require these hard skills.

Next, tackle your weaknesses. The goal here is to turn these areas of improvement into opportunities for development. If time management is a weakness, you could set a goal to learn organizational tools or attend a time-management workshop. If a lack of knowledge in a specific area is holding you back, consider taking a course or seeking a mentor to fill that gap.

Now, you can move to the strategies for capitalizing on external opportunities and mitigating potential threats. For example, if you’ve identified emerging trends in your industry that you can tap into, consider upskilling in those areas. Alternatively, if you’ve identified threats like increased competition or changing regulations, make sure to develop contingency plans or find ways to differentiate yourself professionally.

These goals should be both short- and long-term, giving you a clear roadmap to follow as you work on improving and advancing in your career. As you move forward, keep revisiting your SWOT analysis periodically to track your progress and adjust your strategies as needed.

SWOT analysis: Examples for employees

Here are two practical examples of SWOT analyses for employees to demonstrate how this tool can be applied to different career situations.