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About Dr Mahdi Seify Our philosophy Careers: AI Growth Associates Contact

Careers · Step 1 before you apply

Check your fit for the AI Growth Associate Programme

Answer honestly — there are no trick questions, and examples from study, part-time work or everyday life all count. You will see how ready you are for each of the seven steps of the VisionXY7 method, where the gaps are, and exactly what to do about each one.

34 questions (+4 on the governance track)About 12 minutesStudents to professionalsBuilt on the 7-step methodReport on screen and by email

In short

The AI Growth Associate fit check is a free 34-question self-assessment of 11 capabilities: communication and emotional intelligence first, then curiosity, the seven steps of the VisionXY7 method for turning a business problem into a project, your connections, and integrity. It takes about twelve minutes, is weighted for your career stage so students are judged on potential, and emails you a report with a development plan. Applicants for the AI Governance & Audit track answer 4 extra questions on audit, risk and governance.

  1. 1Spot the problem or opportunity
  2. 2Understand how it works today
  3. 3Picture the better future
  4. 4Compare options and recommend one
  5. 5Plan it in small steps
  6. 6Show it is worth it
  7. 7Get the go-ahead

Aligned with the seven Needs Assessment processes (4.1–4.7) of PMI’s The PMI Guide to Business Analysis. PMI and PMI-PBA are marks of the Project Management Institute, Inc.; VisionXY7 is not affiliated with or endorsed by PMI.

00Where are you in your career?

This doesn’t change your answers. It changes how the overall score is weighted, so students and recent graduates are judged on potential rather than track record.

AI Growth: find organisations AI can help. AI Governance & Audit: help organisations use AI safely and prepare for audit — 4 extra questions appear below.

01Communication and emotional intelligence

Listening, reading people and explaining ideas simply — the most important skill for an associate.

1.1 How well can you tell how someone feels in a conversation — interested, worried, impatient — even if they don’t say it?

1.2 How do you explain a complicated idea to someone outside your field?

1.3 In a first conversation with a business owner, who would do most of the talking?

02Curiosity and learning

Enjoying learning, recovering well from mistakes and building real skills in AI.

2.1 When you need to learn something new for work or study, what do you usually do?

2.2 How do you react when you get something wrong in front of others?

2.3 How do you feel about building a career around AI and business?

03Step 1 · Spot the problem or opportunity

Noticing where a business loses time, money or customers — or could win more — and checking it is real.

3.1 When something at work, university or a shop you use is slow or frustrating, what do you usually do?

3.2 A business owner tells you “we are always too busy”. What do you hear?

3.3 How would you check that a problem is real and worth solving?

04Step 2 · Understand how it works today

Learning how the work is done now — the people, steps, tools and data — before suggesting any fix.

4.1 Before suggesting a fix, how would you find out how a business does something today?

4.2 Have you ever drawn out a process — even on paper — showing who does what, in what order?

4.3 A café says its takeaway orders “often go wrong”. What would you want to know first?

05Step 3 · Picture the better future

Agreeing what “better” looks like, with a number the client cares about.

5.1 How do you describe what “better” looks like for a client?

5.2 A dental practice wants “fewer missed calls”. Which goal is most useful?

5.3 A client’s goal seems unrealistic. What do you do?

06Step 4 · Compare options and recommend one

Weighing a few ways to reach the goal — a simple fix, automation or AI — and recommending the best fit honestly.

6.1 When you recommend a solution, how many options do you usually consider?

6.2 Which statement about AI is closest to what you believe?

6.3 How comfortable are you telling someone “this option isn’t right for you”?

07Step 5 · Plan it in small steps

Turning a decision into a roadmap: a small first step that proves value, then the next stages.

7.1 How do you approach a project that feels too big?

7.2 Have you planned something with stages, dates and owners? Work, study, an event or a society all count.

7.3 A client wants everything done at once. What do you suggest?

08Step 6 · Show it is worth it

Building a simple business case: cost, benefit, payback and risk — with honest assumptions.

8.1 How comfortable are you putting a rough number on a problem, such as hours lost per week × cost per hour?

8.2 A solution costs £3,000 and saves 5 hours a week of a £20-an-hour role. What is the honest answer on payback?

8.3 Have you written a proposal, pitch or business case that someone accepted? Work, university or a society all count.

09Step 7 · Get the go-ahead

Making sure the decision-maker knows exactly what they are approving: scope, owner, budget, timing and success measures.

9.1 Before a project starts, what do you make sure is agreed?

9.2 In a 40-person company, who should approve a new project?

9.3 The client is ready to commit. What do you do?

10Connections and access

Reaching people who trust you — in businesses of any size, from a corner shop to a large company.

10.1 How many businesses or organisations of any size — a local shop, a family firm, your employer, a large company — could you start a conversation with this month?

10.2 How do people you know usually see you?

10.3 Could you name, today, three organisations that waste time or money on repetitive work?

11Integrity and working style

Never overpromising, handling conflicts of interest properly, knowing the certification boundary, and suiting the commission model.

11.1 A prospect asks you to guarantee their AI project will pass an audit. What do you say?

11.2 A former employer’s client could be a VisionXY7 prospect. What do you do?

11.3 Can a consultancy certify a client to an ISO standard such as ISO/IEC 42001?

11.4 Commission is paid per project as the client pays — there is no salary at the start. How does that suit you?

13Where should we send your report?

Questions

About the fit check

Is the fit check a test I can fail?

No. The fit check is a self-assessment, not a pass or fail test. It shows where you are already strong and where you would need to develop to do well as an AI Growth Associate, with practical actions for each gap. Many good associates start with gaps the programme is designed to close.

What is the seven-step method?

It is how every VisionXY7 project begins: spot the problem or opportunity, understand how it works today, picture the better future, compare options and recommend one, plan it in small steps, show it is worth it, and get the go-ahead. It is aligned with the Needs Assessment processes in PMI's The PMI Guide to Business Analysis. The fit check shows how ready you are for each step, and the training pack teaches each one.

Who sees my answers?

You and VisionXY7. Your report is emailed to hello@visionxy7.com with you in copy, so Dr Mahdi Seify can use it to plan how to prepare you. We keep it for up to six months unless you join the programme, and we delete it sooner if you ask.

Can students and recent graduates take the fit check?

Yes. Choose your career stage at the start and the overall score is weighted for it. For students and recent graduates, communication, learning, spotting problems and integrity count most, and business cases, sign-off and a wide network count less, because the programme is designed to build them. Examples from study, part-time work and everyday life all count.

What if I am interested in the AI Governance & Audit track?

Choose that track at the start. You answer 4 extra questions on audit, risk and governance, and your report includes that capability with the AI Governance & Audit training guides for any gap. Professionals in audit, risk, compliance, security, data protection and law, and graduates in those fields, are all welcome.

Can I take the fit check again?

Yes. Work on the actions in your report and take the check again whenever you are ready. Each attempt gets its own reference, and you can quote the most recent one when you apply.

Already know an organisation that needs AI help?

Walk through the seven steps in the opportunity brief tool and get a short, professional plan for approaching them with VisionXY7.

Prepare an opportunity briefAbout the programme