LinkedIn leader shares tips on getting a job as a college student
LinkedIn enterprise account director Mitchell Phelps arrived at the University of Cincinnati’s 1819 Innovation Hub with invaluable insights for college students hoping to land full-time jobs, internships and co-op placements.
During his time at Career Madness, Phelps discussed his top tips for college students searching for their first professional positions. Below are significant insights from Phelps for college students – coming straight from a UC grad and LinkedIn employee.
1. Build out your whole profile
As a LinkedIn specialist, Phelps knows precisely what users should – and shouldn’t – do on the platform. One of the biggest mistakes he sees college students make is leaving sections of their LinkedIn profiles empty.
“Put a summary of who you are and list your professional experience so people can see what you’ve done and what kinds of skills you have,” Phelps advises. “That’s probably the biggest piece that people often mess up: LinkedIn not showing up as who [a person] actually is.”
2. Connect with the hiring manager
Mitchell Phelps. Photo/Provided
Phelps says you’re probably applying for jobs the wrong way – and it could be hurting your chances of landing a dream job.
“If you see a job you’re interested in, it no longer works to just apply directly to that job and pray that someone’s going to actually respond,” Phelps notes. “Send the hiring manager a message [on LinkedIn] and say, ‘Hey, I just applied and am really interested for these reasons … and here’s how my background aligns.’
“That’s how a candidate and a student can really maximize their opportunity and be able to potentially get a job through LinkedIn.”
3. Leverage on-campus resources
UC boasts numerous on-campus resources for career upskilling, experience-based learning and building corporate and professional connections.
“There are so many resources on UC’s campus,” Phelps notes as a Bearcat alumnus. “It’s hard to get in touch with all. But if students can tap into at least a handful of them, that’s going to take them from here to wherever they want to be from a career standpoint.”
Phelps points career-focused students toward the 1819 Innovation Hub, an on-campus startup incubator and corporate crossroads.
“There are so many companies and organizations that are [at 1819] … and actual, real-world professionals. For students to have access to them is amazing.”
4. Engage with faculty and alumni
The Bearcat network includes industry-leading professors and more than 350,000 alumni worldwide. According to Phelps, it’s in students’ best interests to establish meaningful connections with their teachers and with those who’ve already graduated from UC.
One of the biggest values we gain from being students at the University of Cincinnati is the sheer bond between Bearcats.
Mitchell Phelps, LinkedIn
“One of the biggest values we gain from being students at the University of Cincinnati is the sheer bond between Bearcats,” Phelps says. “Take those relationships beyond the confines of the university and city of Cincinnati and into the world as a whole.”
5. Get involved on campus
It’s tough not to get involved as a student on a thriving campus like UC’s. Phelps, a former UC student body president who studied abroad throughout Latin America and the Middle East, encourages Bearcats and others in college to push themselves beyond the classroom.
“When I think about what’s key for students, I think of education, experience and exposure,” he says. “You’re obviously getting the education in the classroom … get exposed to companies and organizations through the 1819 building and get that hands-on experience helping some of these businesses through internships and co-ops.”
With companies such as Procter & Gamble Co., Microsoft, Western & Southern Financial Group and U.S. Bank setting roots at 1819, it and the adjoining Cincinnati Innovation District are favored destinations for job seekers. By taking Phelps’ LinkedIn tips to heart, Bearcat students are likely to find success from the time they graduate far into their future careers.
Featured image at top: Student working on a tablet at UC's 1819 Innovation Hub. Photo/Andrew Higley
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