How the World Sees You: Discover Your Highest Value Through the Science of Fascination

by Sally Hogshead

Sally Hogshead believes the greatest value you can add is to become more of yourself.

Hogshead rose to the top of the advertising profession in her early 20s, writing ads that fascinated millions of consumers. Over the course of her ad career, Sally won hundreds of awards for creativity, copywriting, and branding, and was one of the most awarded advertising copywriters right from start of career, including almost every major international advertising award.

She frequently appears in national media including NBC's Today Show and the New York Times. Hogshead was recently inducted into the Speaker Hall of Fame, the industry's highest award for professional excellence. Her advertising work hangs in the Smithsonian Museum of American History.

The science of fascination is based on Hogshead's decade of research with 250,000 participants, including dozens of Fortune 500 teams, hundreds of small businesses, and over a thousand C-level executives.

Genres: Psychology, Nonfiction, Business, Personal Development, Self Help, Leadership, Audiobook

453 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2014

Reviews

[Katherine · Rating 2 out of 5]

The first few pages got me excited and got my attention. But as I kept reading, she never really tells you the How's. Yeah, if you want her to help you with your Anaheim, you can pay $150 on her website. I did the analysis on the website, and my primary archetype came out totally opposite of my character. I don't think there's enough questions in the survey to determine the archetypes.

[Emily · Rating 2 out of 5]

Clearly a lot of work went into this book so
I can't give it one star. For all its touting of the value of difference, though, the ideas are very rigid. It also comes across as a long sales pitch for her company's ..."readings"? Which, even though I did take one (with a free code from a podcast I listen to), reading the book didn't really add value to that fact. I like the ideas and was interested enough to buy the book, but it just doesn't convey enough flexibility or nuance for my tastes.

[Alexandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Let me save you time: skip part 1 to take your online assessment. read you and your twin's portion of part 2, then go to anthem.howtofascinate.com and skip part 3. Boom, whole book achieved in 1/8th the time. You're welcome.

Also I did really like it but it's also super similar to MBTI. But the anthem is powerful - and trying to guess your friends and colleagues is fun and surprisingly difficult.

[Eslam الغني · Rating 3 out of 5]

long, exhausted translation. Mostly interesting and a little boring every now and then.

[Claire · Rating 2 out of 5]

I would suggest looking at the chart on the endpapers of the book first to see if any of the archetypes resonate with you. Then check out appendix C for brief descriptions of the archetypes and the page where you can read more about if if you want. There's also a glossary and some other pages at the back which might be helpful to see if you want to read more.

I was already familiar with the "fascination advantages" so it was a good opportunity to practice speed reading and often flat out skimming.

It might be more useful if you're working in or building teams.

The book felt like a really long marketing pitch for the online quiz which tells you your advantages and archetype. If you buy the book, there is a unique code in the back for the assessment. (Make sure the scratch off that reveals the code in the back of the book is still there. Looks like it's cheaper to buy the book and get a code than just to buy the assessment online.) If you get it from the library you'll probably be out of luck for taking the quiz, but you can get an idea of your advantages.

It's based more on marketing than actual science, but since you'd apply it to business that's probably fine.

[Sumit Singla · Rating 1 out of 5]

Any kind of personality test gets me all excited and happy at the prospect of understanding myself a little better. So, it was with great expectations that I purchased this book, which had promised a 'different' take on personality.

However, Sally Hogshead doesn't do a great job of decoding the archetypes that she says exist. In fact, even the test seemed half-baked and not very robust. Also, her book doesn't go into the details of the 'how' aspects. It just seems like a long advertisement for the value that her company will bring to my life if I end up paying for their services, of course.

What she takes 450-odd pages to say could quite easily have been said in 4-5 as well.

(Also, I've got untold amounts of spam from the author and her associates. It's an absolute nightmare!)

Save your money on this one, and if you really want to demystify your own personality, opt for something like Hogan assessments and get a certified expert to decode it for you. (I'm not affiliated to Hogan, or getting a cut from them - this is just friendly advice)

[Martin Lutonsky · Rating 3 out of 5]

My feeling about it? It is like a manual. There is a description of every archetype you can be based on online assessment author has created. I really like the concept of this idea. I was a little bit confused at the beginning and not so convinced. It is pity that how the typology was created is said on the end of the book. The mix of typology and marketing make sense.
I do not recommend reading this book as one whole text. Pick the part that is about you and your twin and read it. It could be inspirational.
On the other hand I am not definitely sure that my profile is 100% accurate +- 60% maybe... But still really worth it to find another angle how you can look on yourself.

[Tony · Rating 1 out of 5]

I wish I could claim to honestly have read it, but the first few pages were so full of red flags that I'm unwilling to risk any more time on it. It's only marked "Read" because GoodReads doesn't let me add a book to my "Intentionally Abandoned" bookshelf without marking read automatically.

[Cassidy DeStefano · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was the April book club pick for work and personality test lovers will rejoice. It's a dense book, almost textbook-like, but it was worth a skim. The basis of the book is the 49 Archetypes - which represent the intersection of your primary and secondary Fascination Advantages. Combine mine - Power and Prestige - and you get The Maestro (Ambitious, Focused, Confident). Pick the adjective of the group that you resonate with the most and a noun that speaks to you and you get your Anthem (Confident Efficiency). The science of fascination, literally meaning "to bewitch", is what keeps others coming back to you. Although I don't believe we can ascribe our behaviors to any single personality test, it was a useful exploration in a customer facing role.

[Joy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this for work and I felt it had some very helpful concepts and exercises.

[Dr. Kat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting read

While I was drawn to the premise of the book for finding a way to market my uniqueness into a personal brand, I’m still struggling somewhat to come up with an anthem. However a silver lining was that I found the personality descriptions a helpful lens in understanding the relationship dynamics between my boyfriend and I, the root behind some of our disagreements.

[Aja Marsh · Rating 5 out of 5]

really enjoyed this and learned a lot that is helpful for me as i grow my business and personal brand.

[Luke Johnson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sounds like a good book by the title right? Super interesting bit about "facination", but then falls apart into repeating concept with no real meaningful insights. Devolves into silly personality nonsense that doesn't really mean anything.

I thought a book called "How the World Sees You" would help me understand how the world sees me, alas this book truly has nothing to do with its title. Psychobabble nonsense, business name dropping, and empty "this book will" statements which sells seminars and more books without ever having any real content. Judge this book like the cover its just as weak as it looks. Another successful marketing effort by a very talented marketer.

It honestly reminds me why hate marketing/advertisers, I can't stand bullshit or having my time wasted. When she gets into the rules about archetypes, your twins, and fascinations it gets down right laughable! Sort of like astrology for business lol. 'You're like that' and 'I'm like this' blah blah blah. Categorizing and stereotyping to create structure and meaning that really doesn't exist. Just a lot of fluffy hocus-pocus that is presented like facts along the lines of that right brain left brain nonsense - which we finally know is completely false.

Being a great listener, or a passionate talker are not mutually exclusive nor should they be. And if you can't get organized, listen attentively, be creative, and talk passionately: it isn't just who you are, it means you are a lopsided individual and should get your shit together hahaha.

Ok one more thing... what is up with the part when she says "Take a break now and connect with me on my Facebook ... tell me your archetype, ask me a question" lol yeah um ok ... let me give you some free user statistics and contact data so you can hawk your next workshop, personality test, or book; how ridiculous 0_o

[Peter Dancsok · Rating 1 out of 5]

I listened to this book as an audio-book. If the book is the same I am truly sorry for those who suffered through it. I do not believe this should be book and then at the end they brag it took 3 years to complete. If this took 3 years then someone was slacking a LOT.

The whole audio-book is around 12h which could be cut to 3 hours even less. I would divide the book into 2 parts. The first one is like a bad add for the whole methodology and you could play buzzword bingo. Where the same idea is said and sold to you in different words 10x or even more. The second part is the part where they list all the 42 archetypes.

It should be a brochure and a webpage or something.

I like the idea and it has some useful points but how it is provided is very soul crushing. Could not wait to switch to a new book. Can't recommend this book to anyone.

[Steele Dimmock · Rating 1 out of 5]

I suffered through, and heavily skipped, through this. The best thing I left with was the notion that the true value you bring is not solely because you are the best or the most experienced but because of your unique combination of personality and ability.

Two little nuggets, found close to the start were:
* Based on a Harvard business review article, 39% of people buy based on the salesman
* When hiring an employee you are hiring an outcome

1 star: This heavily references personality tests which I see as weak tea when it comes to self assessment. Peoples personality change with their environment and people they are around. I wanted more content on how to achieve value rather than an attempt at creating a bespoke self help guide.

[Nadia · Rating 4 out of 5]

My mentor gave me this book as a gift and shared her online questionnaire code access. Despite a fair share of neutral/negative reviews of this book, I actually loved the core concept presented by the author.

To those who contemplate on giving this book a go, bear in mind that fascinate personality test is different than what we've been exposed to. It explains how people see you, not how you see yourself.

My personality result truly resonates with me. It shed light on my strengths & weaknesses when working in a team. I highly recommend that you read this book after completing the online questionnaire.

[Brianna Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

I very much enjoyed this book. The author has a playful tone, like we’re just chatting casually at lunch. The great thing about that is the book is lighthearted and easy to read. The not so great part is that it’s a little verbose. She repeats many messages many times throughout the book, which could be a good thing to help the reader remember her point, but my personal taste would have streamlined the book down quite a bit. I greatly benefited from her insights and walked away with more confidence, tools for getting along with others, and a better understanding of myself.

[Truong Binh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Living with fascination is worth trying, however, it's not easy to start. 10 years ago, I tried to find my passion, which is, many somehow I found from my inner person. I tried with whisky, yeah, alcohol, and then coffee, running, selling, writing, UX, etc. I tried to go out and be quiet sometimes. This is the process you need to go through to find yourself, to find your primary and secondary advantages between 7 types (7 x 7 = 49 Archetypes).

[maxgo · Rating 1 out of 5]

corporate/marketing bullshit

[阿睿 · Rating 2 out of 5]

Another reviewer described this as something akin to "astrology for business," and for a book, that may as well be a string of soundbites, rather than the in-depth psychological analysis of "how you are perceived by other people" it markets itself to be, a soundbite may be all it deserves in terms of a review. Nonetheless, for those, who might be willing to be humored by my musings, I've gathered some insights and thoughts on the book in the paragraphs below.

The Structure of the Work

The book essentially can be split into 3 sections. The first part initiates you into the author's approach, describing what the criteria for judging your personality traits are and how the mix of these form your "archetype," ending aptly with the chance to make your own star chart fill in a questionnaire, which is supposed to determine your strengths, weaknesses and the aforementioned archetype.

The second part is a list of the 49 archetypes, which, for reasons that probably should not be elucidated (although I'll touch upon it soon enough if you will bear with me) will be the most skipped part of the book.

The last part, touted by the author to assuredly be a life-changing moment in your life, is the construction of an "anthem" - basically a slogan to market yourself based on your top strengths and the best matching archetype. If it should be as exciting as it sounds, it resounds to being nothing more than a cookie-cutter approach by assembling the "anthem" from a set of prescribed words, coming up with such Corporate BS Generator worthy marvels as "Astute Elegance" or "Passionate Organizing", whilst simultaneously being able to showcase my most-loathed part of the business world - its fracture of a fracture's fracture of an attention span.


The Problem with the Archetypes

The closest to a murky belief with little or no foundation on reality I've been willing to grant myself after pondering and mulling over the issue for years, is that the people in my life tend to take on certain "roles" (archetypes, if you will) in relation to me, wherein the people occupying the roles can change, but the roles remain same-ish (excluding the possibility that new people might expand the definition of the role, or take place of an "idealized" placeholder role, currently unoccupied by a real person per se). I have no qualms to admit that this might be more of an issue with me having developed certain psychological rigidity, lack-of-awareness, and patterns, rather than imagining I've stumbled upon an esoteric sociological truth, and I simultaneously acknowledge it, and regard my own thought processes here with great skepticism.

With this out of the way - the point is, that even with admitting to such shameful rationalizations (which might subconsciously form part of the reason I was intrigued enough by the book to finish it) - I've never quite needed the roles to amount to anything close to 49 (admittedly, they're actually 42, since 7 of the roles are characterized as the extreme ends of certain character traits rather than distinct "archetypes" in themselves). While it might be the case that the author just happens to have put more thought into this - I can't quite escape the feeling that the 49 archetypes were more adjusted to fill out the 7 x 7 character trait matrix, rather than all of them competing for a real necessity of categorizing the spectrum of human experience. The more you read through the descriptions of the archetypes, the blurrier the lines and differences between them get, emphasizing this point even more.

This brings us back to the point that - apart from hard-core completists - it's hard imagining someone suffering through the descriptions of all the archetypes other than the part pertaining to themselves (and quite possibly those other people you know have taken the test, so the analogy with horoscopes here stands on firm ground. To illustrate the point - if you haven't seen Your Scientifically Accurate Horoscope for 2015, try it and see if you are not instantly drawn to read about the star-sign relevant to you first (be it yours, or one of a significant person in your life), rather than all of them in order, putting aside the fact that they read all the same.) - or at least doing so and finding all of them a riveting read that doesn't reach a grinding halt in the pacing.

This also nicely segues onto my main point why the book doesn't really deliver its promise - namely the rather innate self-interest of people, underscoring both:

A) the point why I don't feel the quantity of archetypes does justice to how people think about other people - i.e. even if they care enough to categorize them, they don't necessarily do so by coherent standards that are based on your best character traits;

B) that the way your archetype is described (largely based on your own self-reporting via the questionnaire) is how other people see you when people probably don't think about you as much anyway, especially in such sophisticated detail, which is quite damning, given that that's even the title of the book and all.

Even as much as I'd like to grant the book what it says about me in a self-validation, Forer-effect kind of way, I'd have a hard time imagining someone fluent in all the archetypes pegging me as the the type I got (let alone someone who's unfortunate enough not to know the types inside out, and fortunate enough to not have to think about me quite as much), any less than someone being able to peg me as a certain star sign, without me having told them beforehand (either explicitly, or by saying when my birthday is).

Telling people what to think of you, kind of defeats the purpose of them being objectively able to "figure you out" without such priming, which incidentally is why horoscopes don't deliver what they promise - since people tend to project their preconceived notions of the star sign onto you, rather than critically evaluating whether the "you" and the "{insert the specific star sign here}" are a match in any meaningful manner.


When soundbites ring true...

When even the basic premise of the book fails completely - there might be an inquiry why it doesn't end up in the 1-star shelf along with the con-artists or the terribly misguided? A couple of reasons, but mainly because the author doesn't seem utterly insincere, even putting aside the fact of her not missing a chance to try and upsell to more personalized personality tests or figuring out your anthem for you for the right price.

In no particular order, I felt the book redeems itself for the following reasons:

A) Almost as a side-note, when describing the extreme ends of each of the traits and values, and your "twin" archetypes (the role you can play if your primary and secondary values switch their priority order), the author admits that the archetypes she has concocted have a certain fluidity to them, and might be more akin to modes you can comfortably flow in and out of rather than rigid, inescapable archetypes (which begs the question why this wasn't positioned as such, but with the much more loaded word "archetype" instead?) you're bound to because that's the way you are and all else be damned.

Some might feel this to be a cop-out to diminish the disappointment for those who don't feel their personality quite matches up with their test results a la the author, but I find that admitting that our "personality types" and any other narratives we make up about ourselves to be nothing but useful metaphors rather than static roles, might be the healthiest way to think about them at all.

B) In a lucid moment early on in the book, the author claims that, as human beings we are roughly 99% the same, so what distinguishes us from each other is an infinitesimal fraction of a fraction of a collection of traits. If this doesn't ring true, keep in mind that distinguishing the naked apes around us is a survival trait forced upon you by the social minefield of enculturation, and that however expert you are in other fields, you are still less distinguishing between types of apples, rabbits, wines, tangos, or languages, than you are between distinguishing the various humans around you for a reason - and what you may consider to be a highly distinguished trait of certain humans, may seem and may even be completely arbitrary and unnoticeable to highly intelligent aliens trying to tell us apart. If anything, this is a stronger case for mining for your uniqueness via anthems, personality tests, et al., than anything else you will find in the book.

C) And that makes us come back full circle to the loathsome short-attention-span, soundbite-loving, convenience-craving culture that we are thrust into. Even if you are not fully enthused about it being "a thing," the ability to sum yourself up in what is not even a full elevator pitch to prime potential and existing employers to see your best value for them, might come to your aid more often than you might think, and, useful fiction or not, the anthems and archetypes might be the way to go about it.

As obvious as this should be, and, sadly, it is opaque to much of business - the best thing about the book is that it endorses playing to the best abilities of their employees, and that different people may shine for different reasons in the same position for identifiable reasons.

It might be criticized for overlooking the possibilities of some people having greatness thrust upon them, when pushed out of their comfort zone, but that's a whole tug-of-war between innate and cultivatable ability that might double the length of this review if given the attention it deserves. Ultimately though - doing "the job that's in front of you" might work for a while, but playing to your highest value, even if it was cultivated through the application of the previous approach, might be the most sustainable approach long-term for your sanity, and that makes this book more laudable despite it's many shortcomings and over-promises.

[Cody Allen · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are a million and one marketing books that will teach you tricks to get your product or service our there in the world and noticed. This book is focused on marketing you. In many areas of our lives, especially if we are not traditional marketers, we are the product that must be ‘sold’ to others. In order to best accomplish this task, whether we are an artist, a politician, an engineer, a teacher, or pretty much anybody in any profession, is to understand the way the world sees us.

Our author has spent her entire career as a professional marketer and after many years working for various companies, she has now compiled the ultimate guide to discovering how to ‘market’ individuals. One of the main themes of her work is that instead of focusing on our strengths, we should highlight our differences. “Different is better than better,” she writes, because while we may not necessarily be better than our competition, we are already different. Focusing on our differences and what makes us unique is the best way to stand out and capitalize on our strengths.

In order to discover what makes us truly unique, Hogshead has created an online personality test that can be taken in addition to reading her book. The answers will tell you what your Primary and Secondary Advantages are, and the chart included in the book will tell you your Archetype. This is how the world sees you and is the way that you add distinct value. There are seven main advantages we might be ascribed broken down as follows:

Power personalities speak the language of confidence.
Passion personalities speak the language of relationship.
Mystique personalities speak the language of listening.
Prestige personalities speak the language of excellence.
Alert personalities speak the language of details.
Innovation personalities speak the language of creativity.
Trust personalities speak the language of stability.

As an example, my primary advantage is passion and my secondary is innovation, and my archetype is The Catalyst. According to her charts (and verified by my life experiences) us catalysts are out-of-the-box thinkers, very energizing, and can be very social when we ‘turn on the juice.’ We are creative thinkers who love to connect with others in myriad ways. So, according to our author, this is what I should focus on when I want to add value to others. Indeed, as an artist, I thrive when coming up with creative solutions to problems and I also love bringing others together.

Hogshead has organized her chart into 49 archetypes depending on your combination of advantages, each with their own unique characteristics and unique ability to add value. This brings us to the second theme of her work: Marketing is all about being fascinating. At a time when most people have the attention span of a goldfish, being able to fascinate others and hold their attention is a huge challenge and of paramount importance. In order to be successful, we need to lean into our strengths and recognize that while we may not be able to learn to be as fascinating as the next person, we can certainly unlearn the ways in which we are boring. This brings us back to our first theme, which is highlighting what makes us different and unique. If we put them together, we see that to be our most effective selves we must embrace what makes us different and use these traits to hold other people’s attention. This is how we market ourselves, and it all hinges on how the world sees us.

[Anna Bussabarger-Graf · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book felt like a sale extension—I haven't read "Fascinate" by her, but it kept getting mentioned over and over in the book. This book did have useful tidbits on me and my personality... I just felt like it was winded and boring to get there. Which is not the most fun.

Before I get too into the criticism, let's give Sally Hogshead her flowers. This woman is an advertising baddie and copywriting legend. I learned of her through "Hey Whipple, Squeeze This!" (highly recommend for anyone aspiring to be a copywriter). Her personality is actually my personality twin from the book, which is wild.

My recommendation: take the free quiz to find your primary advantage online. Then use your best deduction (& self-knowing) to find the secondary. Check out that profile in the book then return it to the library. That's exactly what I did, and I'm glad that's how I did it.

My Personal Archetype:

The Rockstar = Unorthodox Teamwork (Innovation + Passion)
-Create new ideas with enthusiasm
-Quick-witted, energetic, and humorous.
-Love to experiment and innovate concepts; big ideas people, rather than small details.
-Enjoy the limelight and captivating audiences.
-They also ask daring questions w/o thinking about the protocol first.

Their twin = The Catalyst

The Top 5 Adjectives:
Bold; Artistic; Unorthodox; Revolutionary; Sensational

The best value = we think in non-linear ways. Thrives in challenging environments. Active brainstorming people. They're the ones to turn to when your company is stuck in a rut or the status quo needs to be changed.

They don't like set procedures or to hear, "that's how we do things here."

Our biggest thing we have to work on: slowing down to allow others to keep up. Presenting facts, specific details, and statistics to persuade those who are more rationally inclined.

My mom is The Beloved (Passion + Trust).
A guy I had a crush on forever is The Maestro, based on my knowledge of him. (Power + Prestige)
Take some of the knowledge of the Advantages and see where people in your close circle land.

[Emanuel Blaga · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author here proposes a model of fascination through each individual character rather than choosing stereotype models being promoted in our surrounding environment. There is one phrase I like in this book " You cannot be everything for everybody" which is a common mistake I was guilty off leading me to live a life of frustration. Try to be good at something and there will always be someone else who will be better at it at some point which makes it absolutely senseless to try to promote yourself as being better at a game everybody else competes.

Rather than doing just that it is much wiser to try to be the best at what makes you unique and different and for that you have to know yourself first. To help knowing yourself the author proposes 7 different character types which combined between then gives you a certain fascination character.

It all sounds very good and fun ( almost too good to be true) but I keep wondering if this has been studied from scientific point of view with academic rigor to find out if these type of characters really do exists and what are the mechanism behind it. Until then I remain a skeptic wondering if this is yet another sets of too good to be true myths we want to believe in especially when I see the amount of money the author makes by convincing people to believe this. Simply put if this is revolutionary and it helps people lead a better life for themselves one should offer this type of myths completely for free, just for the sake of humanity evolving...

[Nick · Rating 2 out of 5]

In a similar vein with Myer Briggs, or with Strengthfinders, Hogshead sets out an online survey and report that helps to identify communication strengths — and equally important, how others see you, at your best. She prods the user to ask some interesting, hard questions, like how to describe yourself not merely as what you happen to do ("I'm a software developer") but rather as what unique value you bring to a project ("I'm an incisive planner; I bring genuine, reliable insights to every project.").

Having said that, this book is largely a printed support brochure for the website product. It was still in selling mode 1/3 of the way into the text ("soon, you'll learn how to...") and the amount of redundant content was enormous. It seems to be collated from the website, where the upsell happens. It's also the case that, without a great editor, some of these personal value "anthems" read like so much LinkedIn flimflam. If I ever said, out loud, "I provide sure-footed influence," please wake me from my mumbo-jumbo marketing-speak slumber.

So, while I think there's the kernel of some great thinking here, and have incorporated into my own work, the quality of this text is very low and reads like a bad conversion focused blog post. Recommended, with many reservations, if you're willing to find the good in it.

[Bethany · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sally Hogshead has a lot of energy... not trying to bring her down, but brace yourself as you embark on this. I listened, and I ended up paying to take the test. Should have bought the book so I can reference it. You can find your primary advantage for free, but I was guessing I was a quick start and it turns out I'm the opposite. However, this tends to be my results frequently, and probably why I constantly am battling imposter syndrome.... I just don't belong in my career, it's not playing to my natural tendencies and strengths. Although, I am somewhat successful, it's usually a fight. The handful of times I felt truly in my element, I did exhibit the traits of the maverick leader, but it's hard to do that every day. Especially in accounting.

I listened through all 42 archetype descriptions, and the 7 double troubles. She's got a good thing going here. You can tell that existing research was her starting point, her matrix is a modern "brand" blending of DISC and Myers-Briggs. But it is fascinating. Will this knowledge help further my career and land me the job of my dreams, no. Does it give me a little insight into myself and how the world sees me, even if that is very disparate from how I think I am... yes.

If I listen to all these and try to follow the advice, I should start my own business, but I'm not there yet.

[Farhana Faruq · Rating 2 out of 5]

There is more I didn't like than liked in this book. The concept is good, ironically nothing fascinating. You NEED TO KNOW your personality type before reading the book. You get a very basic one on Hogshead's site, but ultimately you have to pay to get more out of it - and well, the book is basically marketing her site.

Chapter one - covers why you need to know your type - it's very, very repetitive and in some areas it's explained to you as if you were 7 years old.

Chapter two - if you know your basic personality type (from her site) you can just read more about that type here. (three pages for each type)

Chapter three - is where she helps you create your anthem. I found the concept of an anthem silly but if you like the idea, it's an adjective (describes how you are different) and a noun (what you do best) ...put them together and voila, you have an anthem. So mine would be "perceptive creativity" ... I'd like to think there is a lot more to me than two words.

There you go...don't read it..hahaha...

[Julie Franks-Murray · Rating 5 out of 5]

This assessment is based on branding, not on psychology. It measures not how you see the world, but how the world sees you. And it was very surprising to discover my own results! It's not what I would've predicted, but I better understand why people respond to me the way they do after taking this test. When I'm in my "genius" zone, people do seem fascinated by me.

The author has tons of clinical data and has worked with thousands of individuals and well-known companies all over the globe. She asserts that in today's crowded marketplace, it's not enough for you to even play to your strengths. That you must learn to quickly highlight how you are DIFFERENT. And to center all your communication (emails, social media updates, marketing strategies) around those unique differences.

If I were a CEO, I would make this book (and assessment) recommended reading. To be clear about how to pitch yourself to a busy world with a frighteningly low attention span is worth its weight in gold.

[Kati Reyes · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked the beginning of this book and felt like the personality test could have promising results for my career success. However, Sally didn't ever follow through with everything she promised. I felt like she was trying to sell me stuff throughout the entire book. Instead of promising "life-changing advice" later on in the book, it was like she promised that advice IF you went on her website and spent more money. She really took the "tell them what you are going to tell them, tell it to them, and then tell them what you told them" advice to heart... the book was so repetitive and said the same things over... and over... and over... in almost every possible way. There was absolutely no reason for this book to be 450 pages, it could have been concisely explained in 200 or less.

I did think she had good career advice and the personality test was pretty accurate, if you can weed through the sales pitch and other fluff.

[Kevin Eikenberry · Rating 5 out of 5]

In 2010 Sally Hogshead wrote a book called Fascinate: Your 7 Triggers to Persuasion and Captivation. It focused on using her research into what she then called the Fascination Triggers and using them to market products and services. I was a fan of that book, and was one of the first to recommend it. (You can read my recommendation here.)

Fast forward to 2014.

In the past four years, Sally has been refining her research and the assessment tool that goes with it; and with that research and experience comes her new book, How the World Sees You, which takes “the Science of Fascination” to a new level of sophistication and to a different focus – you.

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[Eloisa Villamora · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great personal branding material. If you're also building a team, there's added benefit. Yes, the assessment was poorly designed (I ignored my result because it was wrong) but the value of this lies on the archetypes you can aspire to model yourself on and having "advantage" on that type means it would be easier for you to be that. Before reading this, I had more fuzzy idea on how I want to be seen but I guess you can do the same with an inspiring movie or book character that you identify so much with. Nonetheless, it helped me in many ways (both intended and accidental). But if you don't plan to go beyond the intended benefits of this book, don't read it. It will be a waste of your time. This is the first book I was fine to skim through.