swot & employ ability skills

SWOT &

EMPLOYABILITY SKILLS

Part 1SWOT

Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats

External Analysis

Opportunities Threats

“A scan of the internal and external environment to aid the strategic planning process”

Helps in matching the individual/firm's resources and capabilities to the competitive environment which it

operates.

Internal Analysis

Strenghts Weaknesses

Defining SWOT

Why SWOT?

To identify:

– wide ranging issues - what we are?

– Competences & Capabilities - what we have?

– longer-term implications - what to avoid/do?

– strategies - how to do?

Origins of SWOT 

• No certainty • Probably more than 2,000 years

– Sun-Tzu in his 'Art of War' wrote:

“Know your enemy, know yourself,  and your victory will not be threatened.” 

 “Know the weather, know the terrain,  

and your victory will be complete.” 

Individual SWOT

Checklist

STRENGTHS

• Internal positive aspects that are under control and upon which you may capitalize in planning

• Work Experience

• Education, including value-added features

• Strong technical knowledge

• Specific transferable skills

• Personal characteristics

• Good contacts/successful networking

• Interaction with professional organizations

WEAKNESSES

• Internal negative aspects that are under your control and that you may plan to improve

• Lack of Work Experience

• Wrong major

• Lack of goals, lack of self-knowledge, lack of specific job knowledge

• Weak technical knowledge

• Weak skills

• Weak job-hunting skills

• Negative personal characteristics

OPPORTUNITIES

• Positive external conditions that you do not control but of which you can plan to take advantage

• Positive trends in your field

• Opportunities by enhancing your education

• Field is particularly in need of your set of skills

• Opportunities through greater self-knowledge, more specific job goals

• Opportunities for advancement in your field

• Opportunities for professional development

• Unique opportunities in you field

• Strong network

THREATS

• Negative external conditions that you do not control but the effect of which you may be able to lessen

• Negative trends in your field that diminish jobs

• Competitors with superior skills, experience, knowledge , better job-hunting skills, who went to better schools

• Obstacles

• Limited advancement in your field, (or is cut-throat and competitive)

• Limited professional development in your field, so it’s hard to stay marketable

• Companies are not hiring people with your major/degree

Organizational SWOT

Checklist

Potential internal strengths

• Many product lines

• Broad market coverage

• Manufacturing competence

• Good marketing skills

• Good materials management systems

• R&D skills and leadership

• Information system competencies

• Human resource competencies

• Brand name reputation

• Appropriate control systems

• Ability to manage strategic change

• Well-developed corporate strategy

• Good financial management

• Portfolio management skills

• New-venture management expertise

• Appropriate management style

• Appropriate organizational structure

Potential internal weaknesses

• Obsolete, narrow product lines

• Rising manufacturing costs

• Decline in R&D innovations

• Poor marketing skills

• Poor materials management systems

• Loss of customer good will

• Inadequate information systems

• Inadequate human resources

• Loss of corporate control

• Inappropriate organizational structure and control systems

• High conflict and politics

• Poor financial management

• Loss of brand name capital

• Growth without direction

• Bad portfolio management

• Loss of corporate direction

• Infighting among divisions

Potential environmental opportunities

• Expand core business(es)

• Exploit new market segments

• Widen new market segments

• Extend cost or differentiation advantage

• Diversify into new growth businesses

• Expand into foreign markets

• Apply R&D skills in new areas

• Enter new related businesses

• Reduce rivalry among competitors

• Make profitable new acquisitions

• Apply brand name capital in new areas

• Seek fast market growth

• Vertically integrate forward

• Vertically integrate backward

• Enlarge corporate portfolio

• Overcome barriers to entry

Potential environmental threats

• Attacks on core business(es)

• Increases in domestic competition

• Increases in foreign competition

• Fall in barriers to entry

• Rise in new or substitute products

• Increase in industry rivalry

• Changes in economic factors

• Downturn in economy

• Rising labor costs

• Slower market growth

• Change in consumer taste

• Potential for takeover

• New forms of industry competition

• Increase in regional competition

• Changes in demographic factors

ActivitySWOT Analysis

SelfYour Dream Organization

Part 2 EMPLOYABILITY SKILLS TEST

KEYS:0 Don’t agree0.5 Agree a little1 Agree Moderately1.5 Agree considerably2 Agree completely

1. I find it easy to express myself in writing.

2. I am good at collecting, collating, classifying and summarizing data.

3. I am able to motivate and direct others.

4. I have a methodical approach to tasks.

5.I am able to assess and summaries complex, detailed information.

6.I find it easy to express my views when speaking.

7.I am able to discuss issues and reach agreement when disagreeing.

8. People tend to look to me for leadership.

9. I do not have problem understanding numerical data.

10. People think of me as articulate.

11. I can work confidently in a group.

12. I am good at gathering information systematically to establish facts and principles

13. I can develop my ideas easily in writing.

14. I am able to challenge views expressed by others if I think they are wrong.

15. I enjoy working on tasks in a group.

16. I can use statistics effectively.

17. I don’t have problem in speaking to an audience.

18. I often influence people to my views.

19. I am tactful and diplomatic.

20. People say I am a good organizer.

21. I have good written communication skills.

22. I find it easy to communicate over the phone.

23. I can be very persuasive.

24. I am good at managing my time.

25. I can easily read and interpret graphs and tables of data.

26. I usually manage to meet deadlines.

27. I enjoy taking responsibility.

28. I am comfortable doing arithmetic.

29. I am good at analyzing information.

30. I can contribute my own ideas effectively in group situations.

31. I enjoy finding the right words when writing.

32. I tend to achieve what I set my mind on.

NOW SUM UP

• Written Communication 1, 13, 21, 31• Verbal communication 6, 10, 17, 22• Analyzing 5, 12, 29, 25• Planning and organizing 4, 20, 24, 26• Leadership 3, 8, 18, 27• Persuading 14, 23, 32, 19• Co-operating 7, 11, 15, 30• Numeracy 2, 9, 16, 28

Shift-Excel

http://www.kwiksurveys.com/online-survey.php?surveyID=IBEOH_db6b88d0

Employability Test

http://www.kwiksurveys.com/online-survey.php?surveyID=NOHNN_63818b3a&UID=3085551940

Competence Mapping