I Need a Job! summary

Assessment takes place at every stage of hiring. Companies use it to find people with the right skill sets, mindset, and background. For most candidates, it feels uncomfortable – an echo of school test anxiety. Try to think of assessments as learning tools rather than tests. They help you understand who you are, how you work, what motivates you, and which roles suit you. They show companies who you really are – and allow you to see whether a role aligns with your authentic self.

You’ll most likely be evaluated in three areas – and these will come as no surprise. First, your traits – that’s your personality and behaviors. Second, your competencies – your skills and abilities. And third, your motivations. Understanding how you assess in each reveals where you thrive and where you can develop.

A job seeker came across a posting that sounded perfect. They loaded the job description into AI and asked for a tailored resume. Then they invented accomplishments to look qualified. The AI-generated resume was uploaded, and the candidate passed the initial screening. They researched the role, faked their way through interviews, and got hired.

It seemed to work – until it became clear this person had no idea what they were doing. They admitted to falsifying their resume and were terminated on the spot. The lesson: use AI to refine and strengthen your application. But don’t ask it to invent your life.

A frustrated job seeker decides it’s time for drastic action. They apply for every position they find – some matching their background, others vaguely relevant, many just wild shots in the dark. Applications go out everywhere, hoping recruiters will figure out which roles fit. But here’s what actually happens: the applicant tracking system, or ATS – the software many companies use to manage applications – collects all those applications together. As each gets screened, the long-list of rejections create a serious red flag. Even positions they’d qualify for get overlooked. The lesson here is simple: spray-and-pray doesn’t work.

Finding a job takes a targeted approach. You’re seeking the intersection where your purpose aligns with the company’s purpose, in a setting suited to your strengths. This requires strategy – consider this a personal branding effort. But equally important: you’re a buyer too. You’re choosing the right opportunity at an organization aligned with your values. This mindset emphasizes the choice you have, even in a difficult market.

One of the author’s colleagues once shared this story with him: a job seeker and his neighbor had lived next door for decades. They weren’t close friends, though they weren’t strangers either. When the job seeker mentioned losing his job after a firm acquisition, the neighbor revealed he worked in finance too. “We're hiring,” the neighbor said. “Let's talk.” The job seeker ended up with the job.

That’s a story about connection – one person connects to another, who connects to another, and that person might live beside you. Most people underestimate the relationships they already have.

Once upon a time, a printed resume on quality stationery was your ticket. You’d bring it to an interview, and if the employer liked you, the job was yours. 

But those days are gone – and your resume has transformed fundamentally. It’s no longer a standalone two-page document. Now, it’s the complete picture of who you are online – your LinkedIn profile, your social media presence, everything visible on multiple platforms. By the time you meet a recruiter or hiring manager, they’ve already reviewed your digital footprint through an ATS and assessments. They know your background, accomplishments, and work style.

The author once noticed a man in a coffee shop, leg pumping, notecards shuffling, resume on the table. The stranger was clearly nervous about an upcoming interview. Burnison approached and offered advice: stop memorizing your resume – they’ve already read it many times. Focus instead on A.C.T. again, the approach mentioned earlier: being authentic, building genuine connection, and showing who you are. When When Burnison asked what mattered most to the man, he showed a photo of his family. Burnison told him to hold that image close during the interview – it would ground him and help him succeed.

For your own interviews, prepare thoroughly. Research your interviewer on LinkedIn and find commonalities – shared alma mater, mutual interests, professional connections. Learn everything about the company: leadership team, products, current challenges, culture. Develop a thirty-second personal story about who you are. Prepare three to five accomplishment examples using this structure: the challenge you faced, the action you took, the results you achieved, the lesson you learned. Practice delivering each in under a minute. Come up with smart, strategic questions that show how you think about problems.