My Personal SWOT Analysis

Editorial Design, Photography and mock-up image credit: Bethany Hutchison

Thumbnail Design: Bethany Hutchison

In order to achieve personal, industry driven goals it is important that individuals are able to reflet upon themselves. To see where their strengths are and to identify any gaps in knowledge or skill which may prevent an individual from obtaining their dream role. In order to help me bridge the gaps in my knowledge and to become, on the whole, a more self-aware individual I decided to conduct a personal SWOT (strengths, weakness, opportunities, and threats) analysis In relation to my workplace and professional skills. I was first introduced to the concept of a SWOT analysis in my BA1b marketing report for Levi’s and although the acronym is typically used in business in relation to brands, I am going to use the process and apply it to my present-day self in order to provide myself with an action plan to work with in the future.

Strengths

Personally, I believe that two of my main strengths are my hardworking and organised work ethic. This can be evidenced in the previous semester (BA1a) In which I submitted my projects in a timely manner. Although a lot of the content I learnt in this project was new to me I was able to obtain a high grade. I believe that I was able to achieve this grade due to the organised and methodical way in which I approached the project giving myself daily to do lists of work that I needed to get done and prioritising integral parts of my project before I created any additional work not explicitly mentioned within the brief. I believe that I am an incredibly hardworking individual as I am able to tackle both the demands of my degree whilst also tackling the deadlines for my society (Storehouse) and my personal friendships outside of the classroom. This will be extremely helpful to me in the future as I already obtain the drive and determination to achieve work to the best of my ability. In addition, the industry which I am hoping to move into can be incredibly fast paced. My organisational skills will ensure that I do not crumble under the pressure of those around me and will instead push me to produce high quality, successful work.

In addition, I believe that another one of my strengths is my image making skills. As mentioned in my previous blog post, photography is an interest of mine and I am knowledgeable in camera terminology such as shutter speed, f stop and iso. By already being knowledgeable on these foundations I hope to build on my skills further and create a strong photographic portfolio which I am able to present to future clients and employers. In addition to photography, I also hope to work in the editorial design sphere. I believe that I will be able to obtain roles in such fields due to my proficiency in Adobe software’s such as Photoshop and InDesign. Despite not using InDesign properly until I came to university I believe that I have learnt and picked up invaluable skills incredibly quickly which I can continue to nurture.

Weaknesses

One of the most concerning weaknesses is my lack of a professional portfolio. Whilst researching roles and internships within the fashion publication industry I have come to notice that many employers ask for a portfolio of work to evidence an individual’s skill. Unfortunately, I currently do not have a portfolio which I am proud of nor one which shows relevant skills. However, by undergoing this fashion industry awareness project I will be able to research and interview individuals to gauge a sense of how a successful portfolio should be constructed. In addition, by the end of my degree my creative learning experience will have provided me with a broad range of projects and outcomes which I can show to potential clients and employers.

Similarly, I would argue that because I (as of yet) have not obtained any relevant work experience this may also be seen as a weakness as many employers within the industry are looking for individuals who are already at least semi proficient in their chosen field. In order to rectify this issue, I will need to start networking with individuals in order to try and find potential internships or work experience.

However, another personal weakness which I believe that I have is that I am incredibly anxious and shy. This makes scenarios such as networking difficult and anxiety inducing for myself. I hope that as my course progresses, I will build up the courage to network with those within my course, outside my course and with any guest lecturers. By doing this I will be able to learn from these networking experiences at university and use them post-graduation within my chosen industry.

Opportunities

University provides students with a large range of opportunities which shouldn’t be missed! One of these opportunities is using the large range of research resources available courtesy of the university whether this be using the library to find books on a chosen research topic, utilising the extensive magazine archive for inspiration or by using my free BFI player student account to watch relevant documentaries. By utilising these free resources, I will be able to become more knowledgeable within the fashion photography and publications industry. This knowledge can in turn be used to impress people within the industry as it will evidence my deep routed interest within my chosen field.

Drawing on my weakness when it comes to networking, I hope to use the university as a chance for me to collaborate with other individuals both within my course and with individual’s as part of the wider university. This would be incredibly invaluable to me as within the publication and photography industry an individual tends to work with a range of different people such as lighting assistants, stylists, creative directors, editors, and the editors-in-chiefs. By working with other people within the university before moving onto collaborative industry work I will learn how to converse with individuals in a tactful manner ensuring a positive and productive working environment.

As my time at university progresses, I also hope to obtain internship roles. As mentioned within the weakness category by obtaining an internship I will be able to network and gain invaluable first-hand experience within my chosen field allowing me to truly gauge what my specialism will entail.

Threats

Threats are also an important part of self-reflection. By acknowledging factors which may come to fruition in the future to negatively impact you individuals may be able to mitigate some of these factors before they happen.

Personally, I believe that one of the main threats which I face is my perfectionism and attention to detail. Although in moderation these traits are actually incredibly beneficial to an individual. For me (at times) I can often be slowed down by the desire to produce a ‘perfect’ piece of work. In order to rectify this problem, I think it is vital that I set realistic expectations for myself and the work I produce. Whilst it is a good trait to strive to produce the best quality work it can also be counterproductive if it means that other projects are pushed to the back burner.

Whilst setting these (at times) unrealistic expectations for myself it is also incredibly easy for me to overwork and (consequently) burn myself out. Similarly to my previous point, in order to rectify this issue I plan to set strict and realistic goals for myself as I find that when I’m burnt out I’m incapable of working to my level of standard for a prolonged duration of time and therefore it is essential that I try to avoid this state of being.

Finally, the last point of my personal SWOT is what I deem to be another weakness. This weakness focuses on the fact that I do not feel as if I currently have a unique style. This is a weakness as many successful individuals within the fashion photography and publications industry (such as Jessica Kobeissi, and Tim Walker) have a unique style which provides a unique selling point allowing the individuals to stand out to clients. I hope that as I continue to study at Norwich University Of The Arts I will naturally develop my own signature style which can be used beyond the framework of my degree.

Overall, creating this personal SWOT was incredibly beneifical as it has allowed me to establish key points for development. I hope that as I progress through the BA1b project and throughout the remainder of my time at university I can continue to develop and grow as an individual in order to become my best self as I transition into the industry.