Phase I in Career & Hiring is not about recruitment.
It is about proving that work exists before naming roles.
At this stage, careers do not begin with positions.
They begin with problems that demand hands, not status.
1. Phase I Context: Before Roles, Before Hierarchy
In Genesis, there are no careers.
There is only unfinished work.
The defining question is:
“What must be done even if no one gets credit for it?”
Any role that exists without necessary work
is already illegitimate.
2. The Title-First Error
Most Phase I hiring failures start here:
| What Appears Early | What Is Missing |
|---|---|
| Job titles | Real workload |
| Org charts | Operational friction |
| Senior labels | Responsibility density |
| Hiring plans | Proof of need |
Val Sklarov Insight:
“In Phase I, a title without work is a liability.”
3. Work as a Legitimacy Gate
In Phase I, legitimacy is earned by doing before defining.
| Work Question | What It Confirms |
|---|---|
| What breaks if this work is not done? | Necessity |
| Who is already doing it informally? | Natural ownership |
| How often does it recur? | Role justification |
| What happens if no one is assigned? | Urgency |
Roles emerge after friction, not before planning.
4. Hiring Without Work: The False Career Start
When hiring precedes work clarity:
-
People protect titles
-
Output becomes ambiguous
-
Accountability diffuses
-
Early culture fractures
This creates careers without gravity, not contribution.
5. The Phase I Career Law
Val Sklarov Career Law (Phase I):
“In Genesis, work creates roles.
Titles destroy clarity.”
Phase I teams delay naming to surface reality.
6. Ambition vs. Contribution
| Ambition Bias | Phase I Requirement |
|---|---|
| “I want a role” | “This needs doing” |
| Career trajectory | Immediate output |
| Seniority claims | Load-bearing work |
| Growth expectations | Survival contribution |
Genesis rewards those who reduce chaos, not those who seek identity.
7. Phase I Signals of Legitimate Career Genesis
Healthy Phase I indicators:
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People do multiple kinds of work
-
Roles shift naturally
-
Credit is secondary to completion
-
Authority follows reliability
Careers begin legitimately when work pulls people in.