Breaking into Project Management (Part 4)

Crafting a Project Management Resume and LinkedIn Profile That Get Noticed

Your resume and LinkedIn profile are often your first impression—and they need to tell a clear, confident story about your project management capabilities. In this post, we’ll show you how to position your experience and potential to attract PM opportunities, even if your past roles weren’t formally titled.

Translate Your Experience Into PM Language

Think about what you’ve done that aligns with PM work:

• Coordinated cross-functional efforts? Say you "led a cross-functional project team."
• Managed a process rollout? Describe "driving implementation within scope and timeline."
• Tracked progress or ran meetings? Call it "managing deliverables and facilitating stand-ups."

Use verbs like led, managed, coordinated, facilitated, delivered, implemented.

Resume Tips for Aspiring PMs

• Headline: Use a clear, future-focused title like “Aspiring Project Manager with [X] years of [industry] experience.”
• Summary: Focus on transferable skills and career goals.
• Experience: Include bullet points with PM-style language.
• Projects Section: List 1–3 self-initiated or volunteer projects with outcomes.
• Certifications/Training: Highlight any relevant coursework or certifications.

Optimize Your LinkedIn Profile

• Headline: Reflect your PM aspirations: “Operations Specialist | Aspiring Project Manager | Skilled in Agile & Team Leadership.”
• About Section: Share your “why”—what draws you to PM and how your background supports it.
• Experience: Use the same phrasing as your resume, even for non-PM roles.
• Skills: Add project management, Agile, Scrum, communication, scheduling.
• Engage: Follow PM thought leaders, join groups, and share PM content.

Action Steps:

1. Update your resume headline and summary to reflect PM aspirations.
2. Revise 1–2 job descriptions using PM-oriented language.
3. Enhance your LinkedIn with a rewritten About section and updated skills.

Pro Tip:

End your LinkedIn “About” section with a call to connect: “I’m actively growing my project management skill set—always open to advice, resources, and opportunities.”

Next Up:

In Part 5, we’ll dive into the interview process and how to confidently t
alk about your project management experience—even if it’s non-traditional.