You can use the Projects section to make your LinkedIn profile stand out. Most of us have been involved in some kind of project-based work, whether as part of our paid work or as part of our volunteer lives.

One of the reasons I like this section so much is that if your project has a URL, you can add that URL in the Project URL field. When you include a URL (such as to a website you created or worked on or a link to something on your own site), the viewer gets taken directly to what you want them to see with a single click on the name of the project.

For example, a client of mine, Kathy Sullivan of Six Degrees Studio, designs websites. She uses her Projects Section as a showcase for some of the websites she has designed. With each site posted as a separate project, she can keep adding and subtracting as she creates new sites for her clients.

You can include projects you completed on your own. In addition, I highly encourage you to also include projects where you collaborated with others. For example, I listed my company’s website as one of my projects, but I certainly didn’t make that on my own. So I included the names of the person who designed the website and the person who edited the original content.

LinkedIn knows that most of us work as part of a team fairly often, so they have included an Add Team Member option. Click on it, then type the name of the person you want to add. That person’s name and photo will appear in a box, and you just click on the box to add them. NOTE: You must be connected with the person on LinkedIn to be able to add them to the project, so be sure to update your connections first if necessary.

By adding someone as a team member, the project you add also displays in the Projects Section of their profile, (assuming they agree to allow it to show). Now you both have visibility in the Projects Section of each other’s profile.

Once you add someone as a team member on a project, LinkedIn sends that person a message to their inbox asking them if they want the project to display on their profile. If they say no, it doesn’t affect your profile, but it will not show on theirs.

If you list projects that relate directly to the business you have now or the position you currently hold a company, you might want to move this section higher than where it will appear in the default ordering of your profile. Doing that brings this section into the viewer’s line of sight sooner and perhaps result in more clicks on specific projects.

How About You?

What types of projects have you included in the projects section of your LinkedIn profile? How have you involved others in the projects that you have listed?

About Joyce

Joyce Feustel helps people, especially those age 50 and up, to become more effective using social media, especially Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and Twitter. She works with business owners, nonprofit organizations, retired people, consultants, and many others. Find her at www.boomerssocialmediatutor.com.