Project Management Job Specification SWOT Analysis Grab a blank sheet of paper: With the job specification and any other details about the organization in front of you, start jotting down your thoughts on the following;
Strengths Top 5 qualities
Take note of the top five qualities of the position that appeal to you; What about the roles and responsibilities that have made you want to apply for the position? If one of the qualities is simply that you like the idea of working for that particular organization, write that down as well. Is it the type of projects you’ll be working on or a particular business approach you’d like to pursue?
Consistency
Take note of anything in the job specification that shows that it is consistent with how you think about this type of position: does the salary level reflect the position well? Are the roles and responsibilities consistent with this type of position? Are the roles, responsibilities, and objectives for this job level achievable? Where there are inconsistencies; release those thoughts on the weaknesses side of the SWOT.
Personal
Does the job specification meet your expectations in terms of planned professional development? salary level; level of responsibility; appropriate level of challenge or stretch; present enough of your current skill sets; aspirational feeling; the organization sounds like one you would enjoy working for; How does reading the specs make you feel?
Organizational
Take note of all the positive things you know about the organization; Consider conducting research to see if you can learn more about how the organization is viewed in the marketplace, by its employees, its suppliers, etc. Is there any information that allows you to get a better idea of the organization’s resources, assets and people? processes and systems; project management culture?
opportunities challenges
Most of the time, people look for a new position because they are ready for a new challenge; Make a note of all the challenges you think this position may present to you. It is worth taking note of all the known challenges, meaning those that are obvious from the job specification, and also the unknown challenges, meaning challenges you think this position may bring.
Organizational
Make a note of what you think are the opportunities available to you by working for this particular organization.
Professional aspirations
This is an opportunity to make a more detailed note of how this position fits with your career aspirations, for example, whether the position gives you more responsibility in the team or the complexity of the projects you have to manage.
weaknesses Ambiguity
Now it’s time to think about the job specification a little more objectively. Take note of any areas of the job specification that are unclear or make little sense.
Not attractive
What areas of the job specification (roles and responsibilities) are the least attractive to you? We know that any job is likely to have some roles and responsibilities that we don’t like to do, but how much of this position is honestly unappealing to you?
without experience
What areas of the job specification are you inexperienced, qualified or trained for? Start by thinking about those areas where you don’t have any experience, then those where you have a little.
Organizational
Make a note of any concerns you have about the organization you know of at this time. It is also worth making a more general note of what would not be attractive to your organization at this point, ie client site work, shift work, etc.
threats issues
Now, thinking even more objectively, even negatively in some cases, make a note of all the issues you can think of that mean this position isn’t right for you. Is the skill set required? The location of where you would be working? What level of salary is offered? Often when a job seeker is making plans to move to a new position, the more negative side of a potential new job is often overlooked. This can often mean taking the job for all the wrong reasons and moving shortly after the start date – not a huge career change!
Organizational
And lastly, are there any obstacles that mean you wouldn’t enjoy working for this organization? Also think about the reasons why the organization does not consider you a likely candidate for the position.
The SWOT analysis for job specifications is designed to really get you thinking about a new project manager job before you start the application process.