“Why experienced professionals fail to land high-impact roles (FBB #5)” by gergo

s meanIntroduction

There are many reasons why people fail to land a high-impact role. They might lack the skills, don’t have a polished CV, don’t articulate their thoughts well in applications[1] or interviews, or don't manage their time effectively during work tests. This post is not about these issues. It's about what I see as the least obvious reason why one might get rejected relatively early in the hiring process, despite having the right skill set and ticking most of the other boxes mentioned above. The reason for this is what I call context, or rather, lack thereof.

On professionals looking for jobs

It's widely agreed upon that we need more experienced professionals in the community, but we are not doing a good job of accommodating them once they make the difficult and admirable decision to try transitioning to AI Safety.

Let's paint a basic picture that I understand [...]

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Outline:

(00:49) On professionals looking for jobs

(02:51) What I mean by context

(03:28) Understanding the landscape

(04:11) Previous involvement in the movement

(04:41) Understanding concepts

(05:52) Familiarity with thought leaders and their work

(07:06) Understanding culture

(07:51) Visualising your journey in AI Safety

(08:58) Understand hiring practices

(11:10) What you can do

(11:27) Networking

(12:10) Improve your epistemics

(12:25) Signaling value-alignment

(13:48) Team up with high-context young people:

(14:17) Be patient and persistent:

(14:47) Which roles does the context-thesis apply to?

(15:41) On seniority

(16:29) Conclusion

The original text contained 7 footnotes which were omitted from this narration.

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First published:

April 10th, 2025

Source:

https://forum.effectivealtruism.org/posts/b82SLXwEHRCs3TFJA/why-experienced-professionals-fail-to-land-high-impact-roles

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Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO.

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