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LinkedIn CEO Ryan Roslansky isn't impressed with cover letters. In a video chat with influencer Hanna Goefft, he graded popular career tips—and cover letters scored a dismal D, while job-hopping for better pay earned an A.
"We're past the era of a few paragraphs claiming 'I'm a great collaborator,'" Roslansky said. "It's about showing your work."
His takes highlight a hiring revolution: Companies are ditching old markers like fancy degrees for real proof of skills, flexibility, and online presence—especially as AI transforms jobs and applications.
Other leaders agree. McKinsey Global Managing Partner Bob Sternfels is hunting for resilience over pedigrees, and ex-Citadel CTO Umesh Subramanian phones candidates himself to gauge their curiosity.
This comes amid a chilly job market: February hiring hit Covid-era lows.
Roslansky urges job seekers to flaunt AI savvy and honesty. "You must prove you can use AI to create or build," he said.
More grades: AI-edited résumés get an A; MBAs and AI classes both snag Cs. His lowest? "Follow your passion." Citing NYU's Scott Galloway, he quipped: "People saying 'follow your passion' are already rich. Find where your passion meets your skills—that's gold."
He's all-in on personal branding, too: Many land jobs by posting expertise publicly, not just résumé bullet points.
LinkedIn and Roslansky didn't comment for this story.