Hi Reader,

I’ve always known you can download your LinkedIn data.

What started years ago as a way to backup your online rolodex,

Now,

It can act like a mirror.

Most clients I work with use a combo of Seek, LinkedIn and direct company websites to find and apply for roles.

But LinkedIn is doing more than sitting there with your profile photo and a list of jobs you forgot to update.

It has your connections. Your messages. Your comments. Your reactions. Your saved jobs. Your job applications. Your search history. The companies you follow. The people you follow.

In other words, LinkedIn has the receipts.

And thanks to AI, you can actually do something useful with them.

Because buried inside that deeply unsexy data export is a fairly honest record of what you have actually been doing.

Not what you think you’ve been doing.

What you have actually been doing.

And that is where it gets interesting.

AI can read that pile of files and start looking for patterns.

It can show you which jobs you are really circling.

Which contacts you should probably stop ignoring. Which companies keep popping up. Which parts of your profile are not supporting the roles you say you want.

It can also show you something slightly uncomfortable.

You may want to move into senior leadership, but your LinkedIn activity suggests you are mostly engaging with funny recruitment memes, old colleagues, and one person from a previous workplace who posts inspirational quotes over photos of waterfalls.

No judgement.

Okay, some judgement.

But useful judgement.

Because most people don’t need to “use LinkedIn more”. They need to understand what their LinkedIn activity is already signalling.

So, if you’re in the middle of an active job search, Kevin D. Turner’s article is worth a read.

He explains how to download your LinkedIn data and use AI to analyse it. I’d start with these three prompts from his article:

1. The Job Search Signal Check
2. Search Intent Decoder
3. Profile Proof Gap Audit

Because your next job search clue may not be hiding in another job ad.

It may already be sitting in your own LinkedIn data.

~Lisa

Your Q&A

Can anyone tell I used AI?

Hi Lisa,

I’ve been using a cover letter format where I list the employer’s key requirements and then respond to each one with a short paragraph showing how I match. It’s a bit like a checklist.

I recently heard that recruiters may see this kind of format as a sign someone has used AI to write their application. Should I stop using it, or is it still worth doing because it’s clear and easy to read?

Debra

Hi Debra,

The problem isn’t the checklist format. The problem is bland writing.

If your cover letter says, “I am a highly motivated professional with excellent communication skills”, then yes, it sounds like AI wrote it.

Or worse, a human wrote it in 2007 and we’ve all been punished ever since.

The format can work because it helps the employer quickly see the match.

But I wouldn’t make it look like a shopping list. Headings like writing skills, research skills, teamwork and computer skills are clear, but they can also feel like selection criteria in a trench coat.

So keep the structure.

Sharpen the evidence.

Ditch anything obvious.

Nobody needs a paragraph proving you can use Microsoft Word.

AI isn’t the red flag.

Bland is.

Thanks for writing in.

~Lisa

Get in Contact

To ask me a question about resumes or job searching, reply to this email. If it’s a standout question, I might share my thoughts in future newsletters.

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This information is for general purposes and doesn't consider your individual circumstances. It serves educational goals and isn't formal career advice. Always seek personalized guidance tailored to your needs.

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