University of Cincinnati graduate and LinkedIn enterprise account director Mitchell Phelps reveals how mastering the platform could be your secret weapon to accelerating career success.

During his visit to the University of Cincinnati’s 1819 Innovation Hub, Phelps shared four powerful tips to help students and professionals elevate their LinkedIn profiles. Recognizing 1819 as Southwest Ohio’s premier entrepreneurial hub and corporate hot spot, Phelps knew his audience would be eager to absorb his expert insights.

1.     Revamp your LinkedIn profile

Neglecting your LinkedIn profile once you’ve secured a job is a missed opportunity, according to Phelps. He urges professionals to keep their pages updated and stay active on the platform, regardless of where they are in their careers.

“A common mistake folks have on LinkedIn in general is just not filling out their profiles,” Phelps says. If you don’t showcase key details about yourself, decision-makers searching for your talents may never even see your LinkedIn profile. In this situation, Phelps says, “LinkedIn is not showing up [in hiring searches] as who you actually are.”

To prevent this, Phelps recommends updating your profile with a fresh photo along with a compelling summary of your professional experience, highlighting your in-demand skills. Showcasing your value in an engaging way increases your visibility as an employee to recruiters – an advantage that could come in handy if you reenter the job market in the future.

2.     Find other professionals

Phelps is direct with his next tip for ambitious employees: “Just connect with professionals.” Breaking this into additional steps on LinkedIn, Phelps recommends “sending messages, researching different companies and organizations and seeing different professionals … and sending them messages.”

Build connections with industry experts – you can gain valuable insights, receive professional recommendations and even hear about appealing job openings. Many professionals enjoy supporting their colleagues’ career growth and networking is a two-way street.

3.     Connect with your community

Everyone has certain communities they’re intrinsically tied to, whether based on their alma maters, cities of residence or past employers. Phelps says it’s critical to leverage these affinity groups to build authentic relationships that can extend beyond LinkedIn and open doors in real life.

4.     Strategically apply for jobs

If you’re actively searching for your next professional role, a smart LinkedIn strategy could pay dividends. “If you see a job that you’re interested in,” Phelps says, “it no longer really works to just directly apply to that job and pray that someone’s going to actually respond.” Leveraging LinkedIn to network and make direct connections can significantly boost your chances of landing the job.

What’s a professional’s best move? In Phelps’ opinion, job seekers should apply for a position and then directly message the hiring manager on LinkedIn. Respectfully mention why you’re interested in the position, express your enthusiasm for the role and explain how your background makes you the most qualified person for the job.

By making strategic connections during your job search, you’ll likely receive stronger responses than by randomly applying for positions. That’s some of the brilliance of UC’s 1819 Innovation Hub and the adjoining Cincinnati Innovation District, according to Phelps.

“The biggest piece of the 1819 building is there’s so many companies and organizations that are here,” Phelps says. “There’s actual real-world professionals here that work here and are building businesses here … and to have access to them, I think, is amazing.”

Featured image at top: Woman during a job interview. Photo/Adobe Stock