How to run a personal skills gap analysis: list what the next role needs, rate yourself honestly and turn the gaps into a development plan.
A skills gap analysis sounds like something HR does to whole departments, but it works just as well for one person planning their next move.
Step 1: define the target
Pick the role you want next, then find its requirements:
- The job description or person specification
- Your organisation's competency framework or banding criteria
- Adverts for similar roles elsewhere
- A professional body's standards, if your field is regulated
List the skills, knowledge and behaviours it asks for. Aim for 8 to 12 items.
Step 2: rate yourself honestly
For each requirement, score yourself:
| Score | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 1 | I cannot do this yet |
| 2 | I can do it with support |
| 3 | I can do it independently |
| 4 | I could teach or lead this |
Ask a manager or trusted colleague to sanity-check your scores. Most people under-rate their strengths and over-rate their weak spots.
Step 3: prioritise the gaps
Not every gap matters equally. Prioritise:
- Gaps that are essential for the target role
- Gaps you can close in 3 to 6 months
- Gaps that also help in your current job (quick wins that build your case)
Step 4: turn gaps into a plan
For each priority gap, write one development action:
- Gap: No experience presenting to senior staff → Action: Volunteer to present the team update at the next quarterly meeting; complete a presentation skills course first
- Gap: No budget experience → Action: Shadow the budget holder monthly; take an intro to finance module
Log each action as CPD with a reflection on what changed. That log becomes your evidence at interview or appraisal.
Review every quarter
Re-score yourself every three months. Watching a score move from 2 to 3 is motivating, and it shows a future employer a deliberate, documented development journey.
Plan and log your development free
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