The power of social networking reaches far beyond cat memes and pictures of your travels – social media could well be the place your find your next project management office (PMO) role. Knowing how to use LinkedIn to find PMO jobs will serve your career well.
Owned by Microsoft, LinkedIn is the professional social network that is used the world over for networking, authority building, and importantly, recruitment. It’s a powerful tool and a great place to go in your job hunt, alongside using more traditional websites that you’ll search on.
Knowing how to get the best from LinkedIn for your PMO job search will make things go a lot smoother. To that end, we’ll look at:
How to make a LinkedIn profile to help get PMO jobs
How to maximize your chances of getting hired in a PMO through LinkedIn
Conducting a PMO job search directly through LinkedIn
What makes a good LinkedIn profile for PMO jobs?
There are lots of elements to a good profile on LinkedIn which you should be capable of managing yourself. It will take a little time to get set up, or whip into shape if you already have one that needs some attention, and then maintenance every week or so to really make it shine.
Here are the elements that you need to pay attention to.
Profile and cover photo
If you have a professional headshot, use that on your LinkedIn to carry your branding with you. With no professional shot, have a picture taken against a neutral background wearing clothes that suit your industry – if you manage creative projects, you probably don’t want to be wearing a suit.
Your banner or cover photo should include your contact details – you can find templates on Canva or Visme for example.
Professional summary
In your “About” section, include a professional summary that highlights your key skills and achievements. Keep it targeted without any fluff. Only the first couple of lines are displayed before you need to click “see more”, so use that space to make yourself stand out.
Employment history
This is a little different to writing your CV or resume, which we’ll cover in another post. You can list different roles within the same company as different jobs. If you’ve worked your way up from a PMO analyst and are now a PMO manager, these can be listed as different jobs to illustrate your progression.
Keep your responsibilities active and include facts and figures to back up what you claim, such as % cost reduction or delivery improvements in your PMO under your leadership.
Your network
Once you’ve got your profile set up, you need to network. It’s ok to connect with friends and family, but focus on professional connections such as team members, former colleagues, and contractors or suppliers you work with. Building a network of people in your industry, particularly those working in other PMOs, will help your job hunt.
Engage with your network as you build it, giving and seeking endorsements of skills, and posting relevant articles or questions. This will make sure your contacts are aware of your voice.
How do I search for a PMO job on LinkedIn?
There are lots and lots of recruiters on LinkedIn. Unfortunately, a lot of them can be spammy, so do due diligence on any cold recruitment – sometimes they can be legitimate head hunters but oftentimes, they’re not.
You can set your profile as “Open to work” and even keep this setting so that only recruiters will see it. Your boss won’t know you’re in the market for a new role.
Under the “Jobs” tab at the top of your LinkedIn profile, you can perform a search for jobs with a range of parameters, including keywords and your preferred location. You can also sign up for job alerts as you conduct your searches, which will flag when roles relevant to your experience come up.
Harness the power of the network you’ve built and boldly post that you’re open to offers working in PMOs. Your network will likely jump in with inside knowledge about a pending retirement, restructure, or a role that’s not advertised yet.
The take-home
Knowing how to use LinkedIn to find PMO job opportunities expands your job search and your reach. You open yourself up to head hunters – mind the spam – and have the chance to collect your professional experience in one place.
