First-principles thinking in job hunting
I ask ChatGPT this today:
How to apply first-principles thinking to job searching and tailoring my CV to a specific job description (JD)?
It replies (distilled):
A CV is a signal designed to reduce hiring risk by proving you can solve this role’s problems quickly and reliably.
It is really interesting. I did not expect anything about avoiding hiring RISK to be the first principle.
I thought the first principle in job hunting is try to align your skills with the JD. Simple. But what I did not realize is that risk reduction is the reason alignment is demanded.
In other words, risk reduction is the objective whereas alignment is the method. The method is derived FROM the goal, not the other way around.
I then provide my reasoning to ChatGPT just to think aloud:
- A company has a vacancy, the work must be done
- Because work must be done, hiring becomes necessary
- To hire, a JD is created by HR
- Because the JD exists to select candidates, candidates must align with the JD
- If the wrong person is hired, work breaks down, systems fail, damage occurs
- Therefore, at minimum, the hire must not harm the job. A bad hire is worse than a mediocre hire.
But why bad hire happens so that HR is avoiding? It is not simply because of a mismatch, but that
Hiring is a high-uncertainty decision under asymmetric information, where the dominant objective is to avoid costly mistakes.
A first principle is the assumption that stays TRUE even when everything else changes. In hiring, across roles (admin, PM, teaching, finance, etc.), the surface “JD” differ, but these stay stable:
- uncertainty exists
- wrong decisions are costly
- evidence is imperfect
- decision-makers prefer lowering downside risk
So what?
CV is not just showing alignments, but aligning my CV tightly to the JD in a way that minimizes the employer’s uncertainty and doubt about my ability to perform this role.
For example, instead of writing "Worked in a fast-paced environment", write "Tracked tasks and follow-ups using shared tools to ensure nothing was missed."
It is definitely not easy to apply first-principles thinking. Even with the help of intelligent LLMs, my thinking process was messy until I reasoned it out through my own words, thinking aloud. I still need lots of practice!
By the way, hiring is an act of making decisions. So, what is the first principle of making a decision? What stays true regardless of everything else changing when making a decision? When I can’t know the future, I choose the option that is least likely to go badly wrong, given what I know now.
So, give yourself a break sometimes because you have been doing your best.