Getting a behind-the-success look makes the journey more relatable, helps manage expectations, teaches you not to be hard on yourself, and motivates you during tough times.
I'm glad you wrote a full post on this after the post you shared in October. My relationship to "failure" has changed a lot since my close friend committed suicide a year ago. Confronting his death, and how we were both bullied in high school, made me reframe what was truly a failure and what was something to be proud of. Also, as someone in-between academia / private sector your post resonated.
One interesting question left unsaid with the exercise, and perhaps it is impossible, is when you get something you wanted in your career, but it was a wrong move: does that go on the success or failures side?
Anyway, thanks again for this post and the earlier note.
Leaving here for people interested in CV rewriting exercises: My related but different resume-rewrite is doing a CV based on what you're proud of, rather than what would impress a stranger, and I appreciated your kind comments about it on the note you shared in October.
Behind every success, there’s a thousand untold stories of failures. But in media, who cares about your struggles, we just want the catchy title, little context, pure genius is the best…
I love this! It’s funny “the world is stochastic” immediately reveals the academic background of the professor. And I suspect that The Economist has lost way more than you by turning you down. You’re a great writer.
At first I thought that the idea of people without great accomplishments sharing their failures makes no sense as it has no inspiration value for others. But it’s actually a great indicator of effort and persistence, which is a pretty meaningful aspect to be considered even during job applications. I wonder if hiring people would actually appreciate such information
Fantastic piece, sparked a wrestle with 2 tricky ideas:
1. A luck audit: I’m developing my own failure log. But something else is pulling at my head. Beyond a failure log, I’m compelled to interrogate my CV to ask which of my achievements were mine, and which were lucky circumstances (bull market, regulatory tailwinds, mentors, etc).
Will my ego handle that honesty - what if most of my achievements were due to luck? But I envision a deeper confidence in the wins that survive this audit.
2. A thought experiment for hiring: Could we imagine a world where hiring managers engage in a holistic assessment (Resume + Failure Log + Luck Audit) to de-risk candidate profiles?
Today, a 4/4 candidate (especially if the 4 wins are tied to prestige) is most likely to get the offer. But this CV does not mention anything about their ability to handle tough situations. Is it competence, good luck, or the prestige halo?
In this thought experiment, a 4/8 candidate might be a stronger profile. 4 wins to show they can deliver. 4 losses to show that they can bounce back, adapt, and handle volatility. and the holistic 8-event CV + audit to signal what they truly own as their own.
Clearly, the general (non Princeton prof) applicant won’t volunteer this info (I certainly won’t yet), so it would take a bold hiring manager to incentivise (and, crucially, not penalise!) these disclosures from candidates.
"which of my achievements were mine, and which were lucky circumstances?" is such a great question. I guess in most situations it'll be a mix of both and we'll never know the exact breakdown. But I suspect many of us will get a lot from just asking this seemingly simple Q.
And love the idea of holistic hiring! It's funny because most employers (I think) would actually want the 4/8 candidate as there will be set backs in a job / the need to deal with negative feedback. But in recruitment, we systematically focus on the 4/4. I guess in some ways situational justment tests ('tell me about a time when you overcame challenge x) tries to incentivise these disclosures but they feel somewhat contrived.
I’ve found that asking “was it lucky or my effort?” comes with the secondary “do I care if it’s luck?” Inadvertently a good sniff test - if I care enough, I want to prove I can do it again. Else it’s left in the archives.
Agreed on the situational questions. They’re easily ‘gamed’ by interviewees and not highly weighted by interviewers. Great reflections Ines, directly informs my views on the talent matching process.
Getting a behind-the-success look makes the journey more relatable, helps manage expectations, teaches you not to be hard on yourself, and motivates you during tough times.
Thanks, Rohit!
I'm glad you wrote a full post on this after the post you shared in October. My relationship to "failure" has changed a lot since my close friend committed suicide a year ago. Confronting his death, and how we were both bullied in high school, made me reframe what was truly a failure and what was something to be proud of. Also, as someone in-between academia / private sector your post resonated.
One interesting question left unsaid with the exercise, and perhaps it is impossible, is when you get something you wanted in your career, but it was a wrong move: does that go on the success or failures side?
Anyway, thanks again for this post and the earlier note.
Leaving here for people interested in CV rewriting exercises: My related but different resume-rewrite is doing a CV based on what you're proud of, rather than what would impress a stranger, and I appreciated your kind comments about it on the note you shared in October.
https://poetryculture.substack.com/p/the-quiet-cv
You’re incredibly courageous to reframe such a tragic event into something more positive - So sorry to hear about the loss of your friend.
Thanks for sharing your CV exercise! Wishing you all the best.
Behind every success, there’s a thousand untold stories of failures. But in media, who cares about your struggles, we just want the catchy title, little context, pure genius is the best…
Bloody love this - starting one of these now 🫡
Loved this! I call my list ‘rejection log’ ⭐️
Thanks, Florencia! Love the term ‘rejection log’ - might start using it too!
I love this! It’s funny “the world is stochastic” immediately reveals the academic background of the professor. And I suspect that The Economist has lost way more than you by turning you down. You’re a great writer.
At first I thought that the idea of people without great accomplishments sharing their failures makes no sense as it has no inspiration value for others. But it’s actually a great indicator of effort and persistence, which is a pretty meaningful aspect to be considered even during job applications. I wonder if hiring people would actually appreciate such information
Haha, thanks Nazar!
Effort, not outcome, is the real constant. The WWII plane analogy is so perfect to illustrate the point in your post. Such a great post!
Thanks, David!
Fantastic piece, sparked a wrestle with 2 tricky ideas:
1. A luck audit: I’m developing my own failure log. But something else is pulling at my head. Beyond a failure log, I’m compelled to interrogate my CV to ask which of my achievements were mine, and which were lucky circumstances (bull market, regulatory tailwinds, mentors, etc).
Will my ego handle that honesty - what if most of my achievements were due to luck? But I envision a deeper confidence in the wins that survive this audit.
2. A thought experiment for hiring: Could we imagine a world where hiring managers engage in a holistic assessment (Resume + Failure Log + Luck Audit) to de-risk candidate profiles?
Today, a 4/4 candidate (especially if the 4 wins are tied to prestige) is most likely to get the offer. But this CV does not mention anything about their ability to handle tough situations. Is it competence, good luck, or the prestige halo?
In this thought experiment, a 4/8 candidate might be a stronger profile. 4 wins to show they can deliver. 4 losses to show that they can bounce back, adapt, and handle volatility. and the holistic 8-event CV + audit to signal what they truly own as their own.
Clearly, the general (non Princeton prof) applicant won’t volunteer this info (I certainly won’t yet), so it would take a bold hiring manager to incentivise (and, crucially, not penalise!) these disclosures from candidates.
Thanks Ines for sparking this discussion.
Hey Felix, love these ideas.
"which of my achievements were mine, and which were lucky circumstances?" is such a great question. I guess in most situations it'll be a mix of both and we'll never know the exact breakdown. But I suspect many of us will get a lot from just asking this seemingly simple Q.
And love the idea of holistic hiring! It's funny because most employers (I think) would actually want the 4/8 candidate as there will be set backs in a job / the need to deal with negative feedback. But in recruitment, we systematically focus on the 4/4. I guess in some ways situational justment tests ('tell me about a time when you overcame challenge x) tries to incentivise these disclosures but they feel somewhat contrived.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
I’ve found that asking “was it lucky or my effort?” comes with the secondary “do I care if it’s luck?” Inadvertently a good sniff test - if I care enough, I want to prove I can do it again. Else it’s left in the archives.
Agreed on the situational questions. They’re easily ‘gamed’ by interviewees and not highly weighted by interviewers. Great reflections Ines, directly informs my views on the talent matching process.