LinkedIn CEO: What career moves actually get you hired in 2026?

Cover letters are out and job-hopping for better pay is in. If you haven't demonstrated how you use AI, you're already behind. LinkedIn CEO Ryan Roslansky delivered his direct assessment of career paths when he assigned letter grades to typical job search methods during his video interview with influencer Hanna Goefft. The results found contradicted all existing knowledge about hiring practices.

Roslansky gave cover letters a D, calling them a relic of a hiring culture that has moved on. "I think we're beyond a couple of paragraphs that say 'I'm a good collaborator,'" he said. "It's more about actually showing your work."

Job-hopping for higher compensation earned an A, a notable signal from the head of the world's largest professional network, where loyalty to a single employer was long treated as a virtue.

The AI-generated resume editing process established its worth through an A grade, while an MBA programme evaluation received a C grade, and an AI course assessment resulted in the same score.

His most critical evaluation discovered that the 'follow your passion' advice, which he associated with NYU professor Scott Galloway, received the strongest criticism.

Roslansky quoted Galloway directly: "People who tell you to follow your passion are already rich." He presented his matter through a practical approach which required him to discover the common ground between his passions and his actual competencies.

Roslansky explained that employers evaluate job candidates based on their specific screening criteria during the current job market slowdown.

The job market showed a significant decline in February 2026 when hiring numbers reached their lowest point since the Covid lockdowns, which resulted in increased competition throughout various industry sectors.

He explained that organisations now need AI capability as their basic requirement for AI development, which no longer serves as a competitive advantage.

"You have to be able to show that you can actually use AI to create or build something," he said, drawing a distinction between knowing AI exists and being able to demonstrate outputs.

Other top corporate leaders are also urging for the same approach. The McKinsey Global Managing Partner Bob Sternfels said his company had extended its recruitment process to focus on resilience skills, while the Citadel former Chief Technology Officer Umesh Subramanian said in an interview with Business Insider that he personally contacted candidates to ask about their curiosity levels, neither of which was talked about in terms of credentials or grade point average.

One piece of advice that stood out in Roslansky's report was that of personal branding. He noted that a substantial number of job applicants were no longer getting hired via their applications but rather by virtue of their ability to share information about themselves and their work online, and even write about their expertise.