What is a Gap Analysis?

A gap analysis is a tool that we can use to find out where our weaknesses lie when attempting to apply for specific roles. This is so that we may fill the gaps and become a more advertiseable asset.

There are generally two parts that make up a gap analysis.

  • Gaps in your corriculum vitae/portfolio.

  • Solutions to those gaps.

    • Potentially via SMART Goals.

Yep that’s right. Smart Goal analysis in previous years hasn’t been for no reason.

Identifying Gaps in your CV/Portfolio.

The first step is to find roles you want to apply for. The best method of doing this is to figure out the kind of role you want to perform in the job market, find some related job advertisements and start to compare them to the skills you have demonstrated in your portfolio and CV.

Steps

  1. Pick position.

  2. Find Job ads.

  3. Compare to your own skills.

It can be a good idea to actually create a spreadsheet of skills and how many times they occur int the jobs you’re looking for. This way you can also track if the requirements are essential or optional.

Coming up with Solutions.

So you’ve found some holes you need to fill to fit the criteria. How can I fill them?

The best way I can think of is to use SMART goals. This will give you goals to achieve that you can either hold yourself accountable to, or get someone else to hold you accountable to.

Your target should always be to demonstrate the skill not just that you have it evidence is often the defining factor between interviewee’s.

Quick refresher on SMART Goals.

  • S - Specific. What action are you taking to remedy the problem in concrete terms?

  • M - Measurable. How do you know that the work you are doing will be enough?

  • A - Actionable. Is this Goal within reach and not impossible to achieve?

  • R - Realistic. Is this Goal within reach for you specifically, given your current circumstances?

  • T - Timely. When does this need to be done by. How long do I have to achieve this Goal?

Common pitfalls when applying

When applying for Jobs

  • Do Not disregard optional qualifiers if the job you’re applying for is highly competitive.

  • Apply for every job you can even if it’s slightly above your skill level.

  • Bear in mind that if you apply to the same company multiple times in 6-12 months it can often come off as bad practice and desperate to some but not all companies.

    • Try to demonstrate skill growth between applications otherwise you may be blacklisted from applying to a comapany.

  • Graduate and Junior positions are not the same thing, Junior positions are one step up from graduate.

    • Though if no graduate positions are available apply anyway. (especially if you have a kickass portfolio)

Activity.

For todays session I want you to be able to show me five jobs that are realistic for you to apply for not too far in the future. I then want you to find 3 gaps from those jobs that you want to fill, and have atleast one smart goal that can touch upon these gaps by the end of the session. If you still have time after creating solutions, start working on them.

The Steps once more

  1. Collect Job Advertisements

  2. Note common trends that you’re missing.

  3. Come up with smart goals to demonstrate to employers you can do these things.