Something I've been sitting with since sharing my 3-3-3 framework: The most expensive hiring mist...Something I've been sitting with since sharing my 3-3-3 framework: The most expensive hiring mist...
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CJ Wooden
• Jun 8
Something I've been sitting with since sharing my 3-3-3 framework:
The most expensive hiring mistake I see early-stage teams make is confusing "nice to have" with "must have."
This shows up everywhere in AI, robotics, infra, and deep tech roles.
But honestly, it applies just as much to hiring creatives, consultants, operators, marketers, designers, writers, and freelancers.
The more unclear the work is, the easier it becomes to overstuff the role.
A founder will say:
"We need someone with LLM experience, robotics background, Python, C++, edge deployment, cloud infra, startup experience, a research background, and customer empathy."
Then I ask:
"Which 3 of those actually break the hire if they're missing on day one?"
That's where the real work starts.
Most roles don't fail because the candidate is missing 12 things.
They fail because the team never got aligned on the 3 things that actually matter.
Quick test I use:
— Can they learn it in 90 days? Probably not a must-have.
— Can someone else on the team cover it? Probably not a must-have.
— Does it only matter for a future version of the company? Probably not a must-have.
— Does it sound impressive but not actually change the first 6 months of work? Probably not a must-have.
The best hiring teams aren't better because they ask for more.
They're better because they know what to cut.
That's usually where the stronger candidates start showing up.
And if you’re hiring right now, or know a founder/team that keeps rewriting the same role without getting better candidates, I’m happy to help them pressure-test what actually matters.
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