How to Stand Out on LinkedIn as a Project Manager (And Get Hired)
We all have a bit of a love-hate relationship with LinkedIn, right?
I’ve gone months without updating mine. I’ve rolled my eyes at over-the-top posts from acquaintances. And don’t get me started on the random messages that pop into my inbox about “exciting opportunities.”
But I also sort of owe my career to LinkedIn. Every job I’ve ever landed came from its job board, and I’ve met and built lasting professional relationships on the platform.
Chances are, you’ve seen both the good and the bad of LinkedIn, too. But if you’re reading this, you probably agree: having a LinkedIn presence matters. Whether you’re job hunting, trying to stay connected, or positioning yourself as a thought leader, your profile should be up to date and reflect who you are as a professional.
So, what exactly can you do to improve your profile and stand out on LinkedIn?
Melissa Khan-Blackmore, a LinkedIn strategist and personal branding expert, recently joined DPM for a webinar to share how project managers can build better LinkedIn profiles that open up professional doors. Melissa has optimized over 500 LinkedIn pages, written more than 450 project management resumes, and has used everything she’s learned about personal branding to land some incredible PM roles herself.
Here are her tips on how to take your LinkedIn profile to the next level—and avoid the common mistakes that tend to hold project professionals back.
How to Build a Better LinkedIn Profile in Two Steps
Step 1: Highlight your personal brand
Your LinkedIn profile is more than a digital resume—it’s often the first impression recruiters or potential clients get of you. So, it needs to stand out. But more importantly, it needs to reflect who you really are.
As Melissa puts it:
When your LinkedIn profile truly reflects who you are and what you bring to the table, this helps you feel really proud of it. That pride translates into more confidence in networking and applying for roles.
So, what does being yourself on LinkedIn really look like? It’s all about posting more workout selfies and long-winded stories about how “Sonic 3” taught you the true meaning of leadership. Obviously kidding (but actually though, tell me that post wouldn’t get thousands of likes.)
Melissa says it’s more about leaning into what makes you unique: “Let's face it, we're all very similar as project managers. We start to sound the same when we aren't super specific about our niche skills and how it connects back to our career stories.”
But before you can showcase your personal brand, you need to have a really strong grasp on what it is.
According to Melissa, your brand is a mix of:
- Your career story. How did you get to where you are? For example, maybe you went through a really challenging life event that made you a more empathetic leader, shaping your PM approach. That should show up in your profile.
- Your superpowers. What are the unique traits that you bring to the table? What do colleagues and managers consistently praise you for? If you’re often called “easy to work with,” dig deeper—do you stay calm under pressure? Keep projects ultra-organized?
- Your hard skills. What are the skills you excel at? The more niche and specific you can get, the better. For example, don’t just say you’re skilled at “project delivery.” Say you’re skilled at “agile project delivery in tech,” or “leading mid-sized teams with Kanban boards.”
- Your “why.” What drives your work? If you’re transitioning careers, what draws you to a new field or industry? Maybe you’re passionate about using technology to improve healthcare access or reduce educational inequality. Again—be specific!
Once you have a good grasp on your personal brand, you need to infuse it into every part of your LinkedIn profile—your photo, banner, headline, and beyond. Think of it as the through-line that ties your page together.
Step 2: Use SEO Best Practices
At its core, LinkedIn is a search engine. The better optimized your profile, the easier it is for recruiters, clients, and networking connections to find you. So how should you be thinking about SEO on your profile?
- Use the right keywords. You need to be using role-specific, industry keywords in every part of your profile. But Melissa warns against just spamming the word “agile” all over the place. Context is still important: “We want to be niche. We want to be very specific so we stand out. But we still want to make sure we're telling a story with those keywords.” Melissa has a great keyword optimization tool that can help you determine the right keywords for your profile and where to use them.
- Don’t skip any section. You should be using every inch of real estate on your profile. One of the more important sections is your about section—this is a great place to show off your story, while getting in a ton of powerful keywords. More on this later.
- Add keywords to image metadata. When you upload a photo to your page, whether it's a banner, profile photo, or post, rename the file with relevant keywords. LinkedIn can pick up on that metadata, which helps to boost your page’s visibility.
- Customize your URL. When you’re editing your LinkedIn profile, there’s an option in the upper right hand corner to change your profile’s URL. You can make this whatever you want, but Melissa recommends editing it to be just your first and last name.
- Post and engage often. LinkedIn tends to favor profiles with recent activity. Try to post often, but remember: you don’t need to share groundbreaking thought leadership every time you post. You can simply celebrate a career milestone, explain a project insight, or reshare a post you find interesting. The more important thing is to share and engage in a way that’s authentic to you.
How To Use Each Profile Section
Every section of your LinkedIn profile is a chance to show off your brand and boost visibility—but the details matter. Melissa has some tips for getting each one right:
Profile Photo and Banner
Your profile and banner image are two of the most important things on your profile. When someone visits your page, it’s their first impression. So, you really want to make sure they reflect who you are and the story you want to tell about yourself. Your profile photo should be clear, well-lit, and facing the camera.
Your banner is another place to showcase your brand and your unique selling point. It could be a custom graphic with your business name, a photo of you speaking at an event, or just something else that highlights who you are.
Headline
Your headline is the short sentence that sits right below your profile photo and name. Again, it’s incredibly important for setting the right tone for your profile.
Melissa has a useful formula for this section:
[Your Role] + [Unique Value] + [Outcome You Deliver]
Here are some examples:
- Project Manager | Expert in Agile Delivery | Helping Teams Achieve Operational Excellence
- PM for Creative Teams | Orchestrating Strategies | Increasing ROI with Impactful Campaigns
- PM in Healthcare Tech | Implementing Scalable Solutions | Enhancing Care Through Innovation
Open to work
This small section under your headline lets recruiters and connections know that you're open to opportunities. You can keep it visible to everyone or just recruiters. This section is also customizable and can be edited to reflect the job titles, locations, and types of employment you’re looking for.
Even if you’re not on the job hunt, Melissa suggests keeping your status as “open to work.” She shares: “I actually keep mine on all the time, just so I can stay relevant with the types of opportunities that I qualify for and what people are being offered salary wise for roles similar to mine.”
About
This section is where you really get to show off. Melissa recommends writing 3-4 short paragraphs that really showcase your personal brand. As she puts it:
This is your chance to tell your story, to show your impact.
Start this section off with a hook—something that will grab the reader’s attention and highlight your value. It could even be a quote that perfectly captures what you love to do. From there, you can share some of your accomplishments or projects, but always bring it back to your personal brand and career goals. This section should make it clear what you bring to the table.
Experience
You know what to do here! This is where you highlight your work experience and the organizations you’ve been a part of. Be detailed in your role descriptions and back up your achievements with data, just like you would on your resume.
Think of this section as more than a job history—it can also be a portfolio. Add work samples directly in your experience section or pin them in the featured section. For example, if you led a successful marketing campaign, upload the pitch deck you created. Including media assets like these can make your profile stand out and increase your chances of landing more interviews.
Projects
Speaking of using your LinkedIn as a portfolio—the projects section is a must-have for project managers. If you don’t see it on your profile, just click “Add profile section” under your headline to include it.
List as many projects as you’d like, but don’t just focus on what you did—highlight your biggest wins and the impact you made along the way.
Skills
The skills section of your profile is super important for SEO and getting your page noticed by recruiters. If you’re job hunting, make sure your listed skills align with the roles you’re targeting.
Melissa suggests looking at 10-15 job postings that interest you and identifying the most important skills they mention. Add the relevant ones to your profile—but only if they’re skills you actually have!
Endorsements can also boost your visibility, so don’t hesitate to ask colleagues to vouch for your skills. The same goes for recommendations on your profile. One great way to get more is by giving them. If you’ve worked on a successful project with someone, write them a recommendation, and they’ll likely return the favor.
Other Profile Sections
There are plenty of additional sections you can add to your profile. Consider including details about volunteering, awards, publications, or anything else that highlights your expertise. The more you add, the more discoverable your profile becomes—but make sure everything ties back to that career story and personal brand.
A few other pieces of advice from Melissa on the different elements of your LinkedIn profile:
Taking The First Step
Knowing what makes a great LinkedIn profile is one thing—taking action is another. Melissa’s advice? Start small. She shares: “Even small updates can lead to momentum and bigger opportunities.”
Begin by tweaking your headline or updating your about section. Over time, those small improvements will add up.
One final piece of advice from Melissa:
What you really should be focusing on when you are optimizing your LinkedIn page is bringing in the things that make you truly unique—your professional brand, what you bring to the table, your career story, and your superpowers.
