Aaron, Dan, and John break down five common pieces of career advice that sound reasonable but actually hurt job seekers and working professionals. They cover why going it alone backfires, how AI-powered job applications create more problems than they solve (including a story about catching a candidate reading AI answers during an interview), why short stints on a resume aren't the dealbreaker people think, and why waiting until you need LinkedIn to start using it puts you months behind. The recruiters on the panel share what they actually see on the other side of the hiring process.

Timestamps

- [00:00:38] — Why "do it on your own" is the worst career mindset
- [00:02:35] — John's record: one cold-applied job in 17 years of working
- [00:04:39] — AI as a job search crutch: spam applications and the recruiter arms race
- [00:07:32] — Catching a candidate reading AI-generated answers on camera
- [00:10:12] — Dan's "opium of action" concept and what to use AI for instead
- [00:12:06] — Short stints on your resume: when to explain, when to skip
- [00:14:58] — The Twitter layoff lie that backfired in an interview
- [00:18:00] — Why being good at your job won't save you from a layoff
- [00:25:44] — The hidden job market is growing because companies are done posting roles
- [00:29:43] — Talent leaders are moving away from public job postings entirely

Co-hosts

- **Aaron Makelky** — [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/aaron-makelky-m-a-ed-038b852a3/)
- **Dan Yu** — [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/danoyu/)
- **John Lovig** — [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnlovig/)

Links

- [FutureProof You Website](https://futureproof-you.com)
- [FutureProof You on LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/company/futureproof-you)

We’re thrilled to be sponsored by IXL.

IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:
Simplify and streamline technology
Save teachers’ time
Reliably meet Tier 1 standards
Improve student performance on state assessments
🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

EP 26 — Side Hustles, AI Agents, and the Human Skills That Still Matter

Job searches are at an all-time high, and so are searches for side hustles. The hosts break down how AI tools like Open Claw are letting solo entrepreneurs replace their first hire with a $50/month AI agent, why 18,000 people applied to a single job posting, and why mass-applying with ChatGPT resumes is a losing strategy. The real competitive advantage? Authentic relationships that no bot can replicate.

TIMESTAMPS
00:00:30 — Google searches for "find job" and "new job" have never been higher
00:00:55 — More people already have side hustles, not just looking for them
00:02:33 — AI lowered the barriers to starting a side hustle: websites, taxes, video, all doable with one tutorial
00:03:31 — Open Claw explained: an always-on AI agent you run on a Mac Mini or Raspberry Pi
00:06:04 — John's Perplexity spaces setup and why colleagues ask how he handles so many searches
00:07:12 — Knowing what AI can't do yet is just as useful as knowing what it can
00:09:48 — 18,000 applicants for one job, and why AI-blasted resumes all look the same
00:11:21 — Authentic relationships as the thing AI won't replace
00:14:41 — The "Never Eat Alone" principle: it's how much time you spend with who you know
00:19:32 — Why mass-applying feels productive but isn't, and the birthday party networking story

CO-HOSTS
Aaron Makelky — https://www.linkedin.com/in/aaron-makelky-m-a-ed-038b852a3/
Dan Yu — https://www.linkedin.com/in/danoyu/
John Lovig — https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnlovig/

LINKS
FutureProof You Website — https://futureproof-you.com
FutureProof You on LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/company/futureproof-you

We’re thrilled to be sponsored by IXL.

IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:
Simplify and streamline technology
Save teachers’ time
Reliably meet Tier 1 standards
Improve student performance on state assessments
🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

The hosts break down what actually works on LinkedIn in 2026, including intel Dan picked up at LinkedIn's headquarters. They cover why hashtags are dead, how the first 30 minutes after posting determine your reach, the exact character limits for hooks (62/62/50), and why replying to comments on your own posts matters more than most people think. Aaron makes the case for video content after one low-effort video drove 70-80% of his annual impressions, while Dan argues for text-first posts and evergreen articles.

Timestamps

- **0:01:02** — Dan on the basics: why replying to your own commenters still matters more than anything

- **0:03:02** — John on using bold photography and black-and-white images to stop the scroll

- **0:04:39** — Breakdown of every engagement type on LinkedIn and what each one signals to the algorithm

- **0:07:49** — How engagements create a network effect: the math behind impressions stacking

- **0:10:12** — The 30-minute window after posting and why your replies during that time matter most

- **0:12:17** — Hashtags are dead: what LinkedIn's own team told Dan at HQ

- **0:14:13** — Tagging people and brands: when it helps, when it's creepy, and the missing feature LinkedIn needs

- **0:19:30** — Content formats that work: carousels are out, writing is back, and the selfie fatigue problem

- **0:23:30** — The hook formula: 62 characters on line one, 62 on line two, 50 on line three before the cutoff

- **0:31:50** — Aaron's case for video after one clip drove 70-80% of his yearly impressions

Co-hosts

- **Aaron Makelky** — [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/aaron-makelky-m-a-ed-038b852a3/)

- **Dan Yu** — [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/danoyu/)

- **John Lovig** — [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnlovig/)

## Links

- [FutureProof You Website](https://futureproof-you.com)

- [FutureProof You on LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/company/futureproof-you)

We’re thrilled to be sponsored by IXL.

IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:
Simplify and streamline technology
Save teachers’ time
Reliably meet Tier 1 standards
Improve student performance on state assessments
🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.