SWOTAnalysis.edited1.docx

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SWOT Analysis

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SWOT Analysis

Strengths

One of my unique advantages over my peers is that I have considerable experience, which has helped nurture my skillset. Before joining the university, I worked in a small eatery near my home. This was a startup, and the owner lacked financial resources to employ a qualified financial analyst and accountant. I got the job at a very young age and developed an intense passion since it allowed me to experiment. Being in charge of the finance department, I was able to develop many accounting skills. With the little money I save, I enrolled for Certified Public Accountant (CPA) certification. This is an extra advantage.
I can balance school and work very well since I have been working from when I finished high school. As a result, when working full-time, I can deliver more when compared with students studying full-time. My time management skills are also well-honed in comparison to students at my level. I have also developed a high level of concentration and focus when accomplishing a certain task. One of the achievements I am proud of is that I began my work experience very early and helped a small eatery in its growth. The eatery now has small branches, and the owner has requested me to join the team after finishing my university studies. She aims to expand it to the level of ‘Chipotle,’ and she is confident that the extra knowledge and skills I have acquired at the university will help fulfill this goal. This is a special connection, and a good job awaiting me if all goes well.
My classmates frequently ask where I get the time to do so much. They applaud my time management and leadership skills. I have been working part-time since I joined the university in the evenings and weekends. I have also held several leadership positions in university clubs that have helped refine my communication skills. Through such forums, I have also been able to build on my leadership skills. Recently, I secured contract employment with a firm near campus. Many consult me on employment opportunities and request that I ‘connect’ them after campus.
I have served a lot from my part-time working roles and have a good amount of financial resources. I also have a job propositions back at home at the fast-growing local eatery. These resources are strengths because when sourcing for employment, I will source for more advantageous positions with a wider platform for growth. I will also be confident during interviews since I will not be attending them from desperation or insecurity due to unemployment. My curriculum vitae is also strong compared to my peers because of my previous employment and leadership positions.

Weaknesses

One of my major weaknesses is that I am a perfectionist. I tend to concentrate on minor details. Several close friends and classmates have complained about the same. I spend too much time thinking about the best way to do a particular task. At times, I feel overwhelmed and end up postponing such tasks. This has sometimes affected how I submit my work reports and assignments. I am also easily stressed and frequently become anxious when I cannot find solutions to an existing challenge. One of my mentors, who happens to be a senior executive at my current workplace, took note of that earlier this year. She mentioned it in one of our meetings and offered insights into improving on the same.
Even with my work experience so far, I sometimes feel insecure about what I am offering. There is usually a doubt lingering at the back of my mind. This could be attributed to my behavior when I was a small child. I was a loner on many occasions. The main reason was that I was not confident enough to associate with other children since I was not good at many playing activities. I was afraid that I would be a disappointment. Though I was able to muster confidence in my high school life, the doubt sometimes haunts me.

Opportunities

I am privileged to have served in various leadership positions in high school and at the university. I was exposed to accountability, communication, and networking skills in my first job. This happened because I would accompany the owner to meet several financiers in discussing possible avenues of growth. Some were experts in the finance industry. I am still in contact with most of them to date. They are influential contacts who can offer me appropriate advice. My good interaction and competency when working with them also helped in earning their trust. Severally, some of them linked me up with small contract jobs such as helping companies when they are conducting their annual financial reports. One of them, who works in an auditing company, promised to recommend me to the management.
My mentor at the current place I work is also very supportive. We are so close, and she has assured me of permanent employment at the company if the human resource department approves. Additionally, to cushion a situation where I will not be able to get full-time employment at the firm, she invites me to most of the sessions, either social or corporate, that she attends to network. Finally, at home, the owner of the fast-growing eatery where I had my first employment has invited me to join the current team and help design an expansion strategy for the company.
The exposure I had in my first employment contributed greatly to my current work ethic. I enjoy being identifying existing challenges and ideating on possible solutions. Currently, the company’s management sees no major needs, but I have proposed several growth strategies. One of my propositions was how the company should improve the organizational culture by embracing an open-door policy and incentivizing innovative employees. For this presentation, I was lucky since senior executives attended the boardroom session. The company is currently working on how to reposition itself in the financial industry. I am currently doing some research on the same. I hope this is an opportunity that I will use to my advantage.

Threats

The main threat I am currently facing is the bureaucracy at my current workplace. The company has some politics and a negative perception of the production level that a part-time employee can offer. In addition, some of the supervisors ignore my suggestions and ideas simply because I am still a student. This is a threat to my career growth. In addition, due to COVID-19 implications, many accountants and finance professionals are looking for new employment opportunities. This could bring about competition.

Strategies

One of the strategies that I have in mind is how I can position myself as a high-profile finance professional while still young in my career. To do this, I need to have a good track record and visible achievements. I also need to work in an environment where I have the liberty to experiment with my ideas and a less complex decision-making process. The place I have in mind where I can implement this strategy is the growing eatery at home. The owner, who is also the managing director, believes in me and has already confirmed an employment position after completing my current studies. However, this is at a cost too. It will mean that I forego all better employment positions with stable firms, job security, and better remuneration. If the expansion strategy fails, my career will be at stake too. I also need to work on my perfectionism. I have consulted widely with friends, colleagues, and my mentor on how to address this.
The second strategy utilizes the networks that I already have to secure a good and stable employment position at a high-end company. I could leverage this by using the work experience and the leadership opportunities I have served so far. My mentor and other close networks could offer me good recommendations too. This way, I will stand out from the competing professionals. This way, I could end up securing a good employment opportunity with a high-end company and become proactive. With time, I could also build on my track record.

Feedback Analysis

The feedback I received from the colleague who analyzed my work was that it was well framed. However, I was surprised to realize that I had not shared with them some of my experiences. He was also glad that I had included the weakness he kept mentioning to me, which is perfectionism. The other comment enquired whether I was comfortable sharing some of the childhood experiences that I incorporated in my weaknesses. I am comfortable with sharing these experiences. He was happy with my flow of thought and how I had given the analysis a ‘personal touch.’ Lastly, he pointed out a few grammatical errors, which I have corrected.