SWOT Analysis for job seekers TRENGTHS W EAKNESSES Things you do well Specific skills you have developed Positive personal characteristics Education, courses and certificates Contacts who can help reach career goals Other relevant resources Things you have difficulty doing Skills deficiencies Image factors like gaps in resume, no references Personal limitations (e.g. social and sensory issues) – Things that need to be worked around Internal factors O T HREATS PPORTUNITIES Realistic job ideas Chances created by industry trends – labor shortages, technological development, regulatory changes External factors: jobs get obsolete, fierce competition Unrealistic expectations due to personal limitations (see weaknesses) External factors Positive Negative

S W O T Strengths Things I Do Well Education Abilities Education Master of Something Positive personal characteristics Nice human traits Specific skills Software apps Certificates

S W O T Weaknesses Things I have difficulty doing Work I’m not good at Skills & education deficiencies Needed qualifications Personal limitations Issues that need to be worked around, e.g. social deficits and sensory sensitivities Image issues E.g. gaps in resume

S W O T Opportunities Promising industry trends Make a list of options and evaluate them one by one Promising industry trends Work-generating trends in relevant field

S W O T Threats Unrealistic expectations What can possibly go wrong Benchmarking against unrealistic standards and persons with fewer limitations

SWOT Matrix Strengths Weaknesses Opportunities Threats S-O Strategies Build on combination of strenghts and opportunities O-W Strategies Use opportunities to address weaknesses Threats S-T Strategies Address threats with strenghts W-T Strategies Self-defence strategies